Bethesda’s Starfield is set to launch in under six months. Despite several trailers and gameplay segments, the details of the sci-fi adventure are still unknown. Fans have suggested that the game may feature a land vehicle, similar to Mass Effect.
A Reddit user noticed a land rover in several Starfield trailers, suggesting that the game will involve exploration of terrestrial bodies, among the 1,000 planets to discover. To avoid tedious walking, Bethesda may provide vehicles for players to use.
One of the most obvious comparisons for Starfield is with the Mass Effect series, which is considered the sci-fi game king. In the original Mass Effect, there was a land rover called the Mako that allowed players to drive around the many planets in the game. Unfortunately, the Mako was not well received due to its messy controls, making even short distances frustrating to travel. The Mako was improved in the Mass Effect Legendary Edition.
Mass Effect: Andromeda featured massive open planets that required a lot of time to traverse in the land rover, despite better controls than the Mako. While the vehicle in Starfield’s trailers looks like a land rover, it may be the only option for easy traversal on large planets.
As ships won’t be able to fly directly from space to planetary surfaces, a speedy vehicle would be necessary for exploration. Alternatively, this could be a companion vehicle rather than one that players can control.
Companions are a staple of Bethesda RPGs, providing players with assistance in combat and exploration. In Starfield, players can recruit robotic aids as companions, although we have not seen much footage of them. These robots could serve various purposes, from combat to exploration, such as carrying resources. The land rover seen in trailers may be a robot companion that can carry items for players during their planetary travels.
The design of the rover suggests this theory is plausible, as it lacks a traditional cockpit or a driver’s seat. Instead, it features a large central box, which could serve as storage. Since collecting resources is a major part of Starfield’s gameplay, having a robot companion to carry these resources would be useful.
It’s possible that both theories about the rover are accurate, and land vehicles and storage robot companions coexist in the game. With the vast scope of Starfield, there could be much more to discover that we have not seen yet.
The land rover’s true purpose will be revealed when Starfield releases on September 6, 2023, and it will undoubtedly play an important role in players’ interstellar journeys.
