Starfield, the new space exploration title from Bethesda Softworks, will be released later this year on Nov. 11. It’s Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years since the studio has been primarily focused on the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series.
Teasers for Starfield have been few and far between thus far, building the anticipation for the game immensely. But Bethesda did recently reveal some footage of the game’s first known companion, a peaceful robot named VASCO.
Bethesda’s lead man, Todd Howard, has described the game as “Skyrim in space,” and the early teasers for Starfield certainly give credence to that comparison. The reveal trailer for VASCO showcases the robot walking on planets, repairing a large spaceship, and possessing technology far beyond what we have available to us today.
Starfield’s lead artist, Istvan Pely, demonstrated some early concept art for VASCO in the reveal trailer. They say that VASCO was designed to serve the Constellation, a group of space explorers in the game. VASCO’s design is centered around its bipedal chassis, giving it walking capabilities so that it can assist explorers with overland traversal and the carrying of gear necessary for the journey.
Pely said VASCO is mainly a friendly robot but “does have defensive capabilities should the need arise.” These defensive capabilities aren’t demonstrated in the reveal trailer. But we can see that the robot’s arms are weapons of some kind. The right arm looks to be capable of grabbing certain objects and also houses a long-range weapon while the left appears to be a double-barreled launcher. The end of the trailer shows VASCO repairing a spaceship as well, so it’s possible the robot has other functions that aren’t readily seen on its frame.
In regard to how VASCO will work during gameplay, players can likely expect the robot to act similarly to Codsworth from Fallout 4. Codsworth was a companion that served the player until they decided they wanted another companion by their side. The Fallout 4 robot had unique attacks and could hold a massive amount of storage. The same will presumably go for VASCO in Starfield.
It’s unclear exactly what VASCO will be able to do for the player, however. Seeing as they’re a large robot, players could use VASCO to lift them up to places they wouldn’t normally be able to reach.
The reveals for Starfield are starting to ramp up as the game’s release date draws nearer. Fans should expect more of these small reveals to occur over the next couple of months, with a full-fledged gameplay/story trailer presumably coming much closer to the Nov. 11, 2022 release date.
Published: Apr 5, 2022 10:32 am