It was a year and change ago that we first blasted off into the spacefaring odyssey of Starfield, and while it wasn’t without its issues, there was a galaxy to explore and a wide range of factions to meet. It is with one of the more enigmatic factions that we find ourselves grappling with in Shattered Space, The Var’uun.
I’ve spent about 15 hours with the DLC exploring the open world, side questing and sinking my teeth into the campaign. While I will be diving into what I’ve played, we will be keeping this mostly spoiler free but some minor spoilers will be inevitable.
In Shattered Space we find ourselves in a space bending mystery on the devastated Var’uun homeworld of Var’uun’kai, battling phantoms, zealots and the aftermaths of a cataclysm.
Taking place predominantly on the brand new world, Var’uun’kai, Shattered Space opts for a more contained experience doing away with the planet hopping in favour of hoofing it around our new environs. From the austere aesthetics of Dazra to the rocky outcrops of the badlands Var’uun’kai is a visual feast, with its own unique flora and fauna. The new content doesn’t end there either with a bunch of new weapons and Var’uun armour to beef up your arsenal against the new threats you’ll be facing
While the scope of our adventure is more restrained than the base game's galaxy I found myself running into similar issues with the exploration. As I hop, skip and boost myself across the new world, outside of completing side quests, I found very few organic encounters that stuck out. That is not to say there were none but the majority of exploration ended with me feeling like I’d stumbled onto an outpost too early and would have to make my way back during an actual quest.
One instance where the exploration did grip me was in a side quest I stumbled into talking to an old man at a shrine. Armed with only a slate and my scanner I was sent on a pilgrimage across Var’uun’kai. Having no map markers and just some clues to guide me felt really engaging as I took a break from the greater mystery of the DLC to enjoy a meditative walk around this new world.
It isn’t all doom and gloom though as the story and side missions is where the DLC really comes to life, but even that comes with its own asterisks. Thrust into a world facing cataclysm and the political upheaval as the three houses seek to gain power, we’re set on a path to restore order and save the Var’uun Speaker.
While the story had me intrigued I could not shake the feeling that it lacked that spark to make it truly special. Shattered Space gives you a world full of promise and choices but only a few of those choices felt like they made any meaningful impact.
Shattered Space feels like an uncut gem, full of potential but not able to show its best self. The moments of cosmic horror, political machinations and human grief show a promise that the DLC, unfortunately does not fully realise.
While I don’t subscribe to the idea that price should guarantee a certain length, Shattered Space is a whopping £25.99 on PC and £29.99 on Xbox. I would recommend waiting for this to drop in price before diving in.
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