As I drifted my massive Desert Raptor MKII mech by way of an expansive desert canyon, crowded filled with rocket-wielding hover bots and gun-toting bandits, I acquired the sense that Bounty Star is likely to be onto one thing particular right here. My mech, assembled from a wide range of components trying prefer it was in-built somebody’s storage (as a result of it was), dispatched these difficult foes with a wide range of heavy melee assaults and cannon fireplace. It took me just a few tries to come back out on high, however as I neared the top of my temporary hands-on time, Bounty Star left me keen to come back again to its world later this yr when it launches for Xbox Collection X|S.
In Bounty Star you play as Clem, a gifted fighter and mech pilot who’s managing some private trauma as a conflict veteran seeking to make up for a few of her previous actions – and hopefully grow to be a drive of fine. Her journey takes place in an space referred to as the Purple Expanse, paying homage to what can greatest be described as a post-apocalyptic American Southwest.
“I used to be in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by landscapes very like these within the recreation, and I couldn’t assist however assume how good they might be for an immersive motion recreation setting,” explains Artistic Director & Designer Benjamin Ruiz. “The need to create one thing visually gorgeous and set in a phenomenal desert was actually the spark for Bounty Star. Every little thing began to fall into place from there. I started outlining the idea that very morning, impressed by these breathtaking views. That was about 5 years in the past. It took a yr or two earlier than manufacturing formally started, however the concept was simmering for some time earlier than we actually acquired began.”
Ruiz defined to me that he at all times dreamed of making a Western, and Bounty Star may be very a lot rooted in that style, however mixing a lighter tackle the Armored Core model of mech gameplay that his artistic workforce loves.
“We actually wished to give attention to the on a regular basis lifetime of a bounty hunter,” Ruiz provides. “There’s a base-building facet the place you’re making ready meals, managing assets like clear water, and even elevating chickens — actually digging into the expertise of survival within the desert. We aimed to search out an thrilling intersection between these components: the enjoyable of a Western, the detailed lifetime of a bounty hunter, and the joys of piloting a mech within the open desert. That’s how Bounty Star got here collectively.”
As I explored Clem’s run-down storage that serves as her base of operations and residential, with energy strains strewn about, a make-shift kitchen within the nook to cook dinner meals (which can provide her stat bonuses in fight), and barrels filled with munitions hiding in plain sight, the world of Bounty Star is mixing a few of my favourite issues about what it could be wish to reside out this life in a sci-fi Western, giving me robust “Firefly” and “Serenity” vibes the place you don’t have a lot, however what you do have you may name house; it has potential.
Customization is likely one of the different key components of Bounty Star and from what I may inform it appeared open-ended sufficient the place I may both play with any sort of mech that I wished to assemble, supplied I had the assets to place all of it collectively. Ruiz bolstered that assumption for me.
“There are a few totally different approaches you may take,” Ruiz elaborates. “You’re at all times going to wish each a melee weapon and a firearm, however you may lean into one or the opposite, relying in your most popular play model. As an example, some gamers would possibly give attention to heavy armor and cost straight into fight, changing into a gradual however practically unstoppable drive. Others would possibly favor lighter builds, prioritizing velocity and agility over sheer toughness.”
As Ruiz defined to me additional, the customization system allows you to tweak round seven core properties and select from a wide range of firearms, melee weapons, and assist techniques. He talked about that even a few of the QA testers have been creating builds that will skip therapeutic altogether, blasting by way of encounters at excessive velocity. So, it appears you’ll have loads of flexibility to create distinctive mech builds and experiment with totally different fight methods when going up in opposition to a wide range of enemies.
Enemies should not the one factor you’ll encounter in Bounty Star. There can even be a handful of key NPCs you’ll work together with. Considered one of them is the Marshall, who’s not solely liable for assigning your bounties but in addition occurs to be an outdated buddy. There’s additionally a service provider who provides you a few of the greatest gear obtainable within the recreation, working on the shadier facet of issues and brings a distinct power in comparison with the Marshall in accordance with Ruiz. He talked about that total, whereas the forged of different characters isn’t large, those you meet are designed to have significant and memorable interactions with you within the recreation.
And one can’t be a bounty hunter with out some bounties, and it appears like there’s going to be all kinds of mission designs to maintain you engaged. Bounties usually work the identical manner all through the sport in accordance with Ruiz. With Bounty Star operating on a day-night cycle, there shall be days the place you’ll discover story bounties on the board, alongside a few facet bounties. Every one in all these will ship you to a selected a part of the world, which shall be distinct fight arenas of assorted sizes and shapes.
“Typically your purpose is to seize a specific goal as a result of they’re a wished legal; different occasions, you’re tasked with clearing out all adversaries within the space,” Ruiz provides. “Some bounties require you to be extra cautious and apprehend somebody, whereas others are easy fight challenges. There are additionally non-compulsory aims for gamers who take pleasure in replayability, similar to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a selected loadout. In the end, Bounty Star may be very a lot a third-person enviornment expertise, however we’re targeted on offering a wide range of methods for gamers to have enjoyable and method every mission uniquely.”
Very similar to Clem’s makeshift house, Bounty Star appears filled with potential, and we’re trying ahead to seeing the way it all comes collectively later this yr when it launches on Xbox Collection X|S.
