Starfield: Shattered SpaceIts early marketing teased a true delight for horror fans, and while it’s not as terrifying as I thought it would be, it does draw inspiration from some of the best sci-fi and horror franchises ever made. The first mission of the US Shattered Space DLC, dubbed “What Remains,” is a defining example of taking an underrated classic and restyling it for the Starfield Universe.
Much like its references to other sci-fi properties, including the obvious connections between Terrormorphs and Xenomorphs, along with innumerable Star Trek And Andromeda references, Shattered Space Main story and initial mission derives inspiration from a beloved sci-fi horror film that didn’t get as much shine when it was released in the late 90s. Although the narrative is almost identical, Shattered Space Sadly missed what made the inspiration so iconic to begin with.
Starfield’s “What Remains” is just like Event Horizon
Hellraiser in Space
As a devoted body horror fan, I have always loved event horizon. The 1997 classic film didn’t make much of a splash when it was first released, but it has since developed a pretty decent cult following. Those who haven’t heard of it are probably not alone, because it was never as impressive as other horror franchises of the 80s and 90s and never received a sequel – although I personally paid to see a modern reboot.
Directed by Paul WS Anderson (yes, the same director attached to The Fairly Terrible Resident Evil movie franchise), event horizon Takes place in the not-so-distant future of 2047 when the crew of the Lewis and Clark embarks on a mission to investigate a distress signal from the titular Event Horizon ship that went missing nearly a decade before the events of the movie. Although panned at the time of its theatrical release, the film actually has a pretty star-studded cast, with Laurence Fishburne, Sam Neill and Joely Richardson all serving as members of the crew.
[Warning: There are spoilers ahead for the first mission of Starfield: Shattered Space & the story in Event Horizon.]Just like Starfieldthe story, event horizonThe story revolves around gravity-drive technology gone wrongWhich eventually results in a folding of space-time, allowing horrible and hellish creatures to spawn on the ship and alter the crew’s frame of mind. In the movie, this would distort the space travelers and cause them to commit horrific atrocities, not unlike the Oracle starstation in “What Remains.”
The Starfield: Shattered Space and Event Horizon Story are almost identical
Gravity Drive technology is scary
When you get the distress signal in Starfield: Shattered SpaceThe player will find the space station called the Oracle and meet blue entities named Sirak Veth’all and Basira Mir – two Va’ruun citizens whose minds are slipping due to the serious drive technology malfunction. At the end of the first dialogue, Basira attacks the character, completely changed due to the erratic energy of the grave drive.
Through audio logs, dialogue and notes, it is Eventually discovered that an energy surge warped the crew’s minds and allowed other beings known as Vortex Phantoms to enter The ship. The plot is essentially the same thing that happens in Event Horizon, even down to gravity-drive technology being the ultimate culprit for this multiverse-spanning scenario.
There are major differences between Event Horizon & Starfield: Shattered Space
I wish Shattered Space was actually scary
Although the plot of event horizon And Starfield: Shattered Space They are almost identical, and it serves as an homage to the film in several respects, It lacks the main element that makes me love event horizon In the first place – the body horror and scares. While Shattered Space It does its best to create a creepy environment with some level of tension, it’s certainly not horrifying, and I didn’t really find myself scared a single time during my entire game.
Starfield has received its fair share of criticism, but I think they really missed the mark with it Shattered Space When it comes to the horror element.
Replacing grotesque body horror with glowing phantoms that look like Dr. Manhattan from Guard Undercuts that made event horizon So good and why it is a cult classic today. Similar to other great films like these Hellraiser franchise and lesser-known films like VideodromeFleshy, bloody sinus is replaced by entities that evaporate like ghosts with copied and pasted Starborn death animations.
In the movie, Sam Neil eventually turned into a maniacal and bloody freak with no eyes and a completely wild face. Although the actor was in 1994 In the mouth of madnessAnother great and underrated horror title, it was amazing to see the paleontologist from the original Jurassic Park Play such a visceral and horrifying role the first time I saw the movie. Unfortunately, no character, Va’ruun or otherwise, possesses the same gravitas or energy in Starfields latest expansion.
Starfield feels pretty derivative
Where are the original ideas?
Starfield has received its fair share of criticism, but I think they really missed the mark with it Shattered Space When it comes to the horror element. It’s not so much that they borrow a story almost directly from a better piece of media; It’s more like that They stripped that story of the elements that made it unique and memorable in the first place. This mission would have been a blast if I had to constantly look over my shoulder for horrifying enemies or if some of the more carnal or violent elements of its inspiration had made their way to the game.
Instead, we have a pretty neutered story that often finds itself too much in the “scientific” part of sci-fi, soaking up all the fun and horror of the DLC like a metaphorical wet vac. Essentially, I felt like I was playing the PG version of event horizon – The version that the high school teacher throws on the screen at the end of the school year. In fact, I wouldn’t blame anyone for missing the connection to the film entirely because, even as a fan, the shiny blue aesthetic and enemies used are so contrastingly different from the movie.
That said, it’s interesting how similar the two really are when you take a second to think about it. Without too much in spoilers, some portions of the later missions in Starfield: Shattered Space Just reinforce this point. Even though I think they missed the mark, it’s still nice to know that one of my favorite horrors from the late 90s is finally getting a little more shine.