Starfield will be more of a hardcore RPG according to Todd Howard

Starfield
(Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

New Starfield gameplay details have been revealed by director Todd Howard.

Speaking to The Telegraph yesterday following Starfield's big unveiling at E3 2021, Howard revealed some smaller details about the game. The director describes it as "a bit more hardcore of a role-playing game than we've done," with things likes "choosing your background" enabled for the character creation system. 

"We’re going back to some things that we used to do in games long ago that we felt have really let players express the character they want to be," Howard continued.

Elsewhere, there are details of how Starfield functions in the minute-to-minute gameplay. "It is a first-person and third-person game, like our other ones," the director says, referring to how The Elder Scrolls and Fallout games would let the player manually switch between playing in both first and third-person perspectives at any given time.

Howard continues by referencing Starfield's "large scale goals and storytelling," while maintaining that gameplay will feel just as rewarding. The Starfield game director also makes sure to mention that the new game isn't going to ape the feel of Star Wars of Star Trek - Starfield is very much its own thing in tone and style.

Right now, these are pretty much all the gameplay details we have to go on about Starfield. Bethesda previously revealed that the upcoming RPG would use an overhauled game engine, and would feature an entirely overhauled animation system for characters and items. As for how Starfield actually plays though, we'll have to wait a fair few months more to see it in action for ourselves.

The wait for Starfield isn't going to be an easy one, and there's plenty of pressure on Bethesda for its first new IP in 25 years. As revealed yesterday during Xbox's big E3 2021 showcase, Starfield will launch on November 11, 2022, and will release on PC, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S (as well as Xbox Game Pass on day one), skipping out on PlayStation entirely in the wake of Bethesda's acquisition by Microsoft

If you're looking to upgrade your gaming setup before Starfield's arrival, head over to our Prime Day TV deals guide for the best price for 4K visuals.

Hirun Cryer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.