Summary
As the first proper city for players to explore,Starfield’s New Atlantis is missing a certain element that past games managed to capture more effectively. Since it introduces new players to many aspects ofStarfield’s gameplay, such as shops and side missions, New Atlantis has an important job to play in the game. In that sense, it does do its job. However, when compared to other games, even other Bethesda games, New Atlantis doesn’t measure up to some previous RPG starting cities. The reason for this makes itself clear during the player’s first trip to the city.
After completing a mission onStarfield’s first moon, Kreet, players can make the trip to the game’s first proper city, New Atlantis. Right away, New Atlantis is a major visual change from what came before. The asteroid and mining camp from the tutorial were barren, and Kreet wasn’t much better. New Atlantis, on the other hand, is brightly-colored and full of futuristic-looking buildings. There is even a park full of lush, green plant life, a major contrast to the rocky landscapes the player started the game in. New Atlantis is sure to capture the player’s attention the first time they set foot into the city.
RELATED:Starfield Players Can Steal Clothes From Bodies, But There’s a Catch
Starfield’s New Atlantis is Less Exciting Than Other RPG Starting Towns
One of the best ways tofind side quests inStarfieldis by visiting heavily populated areas to find information, and New Atlantis delivers in that regard. Players can overhear bits of trivia that expand into legitimate side quests to follow. In addition, a fair amount of people in the city need help with something or other and are willing to pay for the protagonist’s help. After the player’s first walk around New Atlantis, they will likely have several new leads to follow. However, while they can pick up many quests, this could be as much a blessing as a curse for a new player.
While the level of care that Bethesda put into design is clear fromNew Atlantis' futuristic architecture inStarfield, the quests themselves have an issue. Nearly all the quests are essentially fetch quests, tasking the player to find something or someone for the quest giver. Combat is nonexistent for most of them, with only one quest having a brief option to get into a fight. While some of the characters are interesting to meet, there is little excitement or danger during these early quests. It doesn’t help that New Atlantis is very spread out, making some quests take longer than they possibly should.
In comparison, other games have shown how a starter city can provide a sense of adventure. Players were guided toSkyrim’s Bleak Falls Barrow dungeonby a quest in Riverwood, which can be found minutes after the tutorial. Likewise, the Citadel inMass Effectlets the player dive into a whole web of intrigue from the start, with many dilemmas to handle, as well as a proper boss battle against a local crime lord. In these games, players can find exciting side quests without having to walk too far, while such things don’t happen inStarfielduntil the player leaves New Atlantis again.
New Atlantis still has its good points, being where the player first meets Constellation as well as the first place to meet recruitable crewmates. When seeingwhatStarfield’s New Atlantis has to offer, players may want to tackle the city’s side quests over the course of multiple visits. That way, they can treat the side quests as essentially downtime between major adventures, rather than a solid block of missions to be finished one after another, which could significantly help the game’s momentum.Starfield’s New Atlantis is a stunning city in space, but other games have used the starting city formula better.
Starfieldis available now for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
