The built-in questing system really does a fine job at holding your hand early on so you don't get lost, but you could from this moment on completely ignore the main storyline and start hunting down food, digging to dangerous depths for ore and kick-start the creation of your new outpost.

Arriving at an unknown planet, with little in terms of resources or food, your only choice is to beam down as your character begins to figure out what's going on. Things quickly take a turn for the worst during your graduation, but you're provided with the tools and means to start adventuring and make a hastily escape aboard your cruiser. Kicking things off in the tutorial mission, your character is introduced to the world of Starbound on Earth. There's not a whole lot that changes depending on your selection, but you do get a different style ship and pet, the former which can be later upgraded massively to house looted goodies and your able crew. You start at the character creation screen, as is always the case with adventure games of this nature.