As I drifted my massive Desert Raptor MKII mech by means of an expansive desert canyon, crowded filled with rocket-wielding hover bots and gun-toting bandits, I received the sense that Bounty Star may 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 hearth. It took me just a few tries to return out on prime, however as I neared the top of my transient hands-on time, Bounty Star left me keen to return again to its world later this 12 months when it launches for Xbox Sequence X|S.
In Bounty Star you play as Clem, a proficient fighter and mech pilot who’s managing some private trauma as a struggle veteran seeking to make up for a few of her previous actions – and hopefully turn out to be a power of excellent. Her journey takes place in an space generally known as the Pink Expanse, harking back to what can greatest be described as a post-apocalyptic American Southwest.
“I used to be in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by landscapes very similar to these within the recreation, and I couldn’t assist however assume how excellent they’d be for an immersive motion recreation setting,” explains Artistic Director & Designer Benjamin Ruiz. “The need to create one thing visually beautiful and set in a gorgeous desert was actually the spark for Bounty Star. Every part 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 12 months or two earlier than manufacturing formally started, however the thought was simmering for some time earlier than we actually received began.”
Ruiz defined to me that he at all times dreamed of making a Western, and Bounty Star could be very a lot rooted in that style, however mixing a lighter tackle the Armored Core type of mech gameplay that his inventive staff loves.
“We actually wished to concentrate on the on a regular basis lifetime of a bounty hunter,” Ruiz provides. “There’s a base-building side the place you’re getting ready meals, managing sources like clear water, and even elevating chickens — actually digging into the expertise of survival within the desert. We aimed to seek out an thrilling intersection between these parts: 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 prepare 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 might be wish to stay out this life in a sci-fi Western, giving me sturdy “Firefly” and “Serenity” vibes the place you don’t have a lot, however what you do have you’ll be able to name house; it has potential.
Customization is among the different key parts of Bounty Star and from what I might inform it appeared open-ended sufficient the place I might both play with any kind of mech that I wished to assemble, supplied I had the sources to place all of it collectively. Ruiz strengthened that assumption for me.
“There are a few completely different approaches you’ll be able to take,” Ruiz elaborates. “You’re at all times going to want each a melee weapon and a firearm, however you’ll be able to lean into one or the opposite, relying in your most well-liked play type. For example, some gamers would possibly concentrate on heavy armor and cost straight into fight, changing into a gradual however practically unstoppable power. Others would possibly desire 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 help programs. He talked about that even a number of the QA testers have been creating builds that might skip therapeutic altogether, blasting by means of encounters at excessive velocity. So, it appears you’ll have loads of flexibility to create distinctive mech builds and experiment with completely different fight methods when going up towards a wide range of enemies.
Enemies aren’t 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 answerable for assigning your bounties but additionally occurs to be an previous good friend. There’s additionally a service provider who gives you a number of the greatest gear obtainable within the recreation, working on the shadier facet of issues and brings a unique power in comparison with the Marshall based on 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 feels like there’s going to be all kinds of mission designs to maintain you engaged. Bounties typically work the identical approach all through the sport based on Ruiz. With Bounty Star operating on a day-night cycle, there will likely be days the place you’ll discover story bounties on the board, alongside a few facet bounties. Every one among these will ship you to a particular a part of the world, which will likely be distinct fight arenas of assorted sizes and shapes.
“Generally 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 simple fight challenges. There are additionally non-compulsory targets for gamers who get pleasure from replayability, corresponding to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a particular loadout. In the end, Bounty Star could be very a lot a third-person area expertise, however we’re centered on offering a wide range of methods for gamers to have enjoyable and strategy every mission uniquely.”
Very like 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 12 months when it launches on Xbox Sequence X|S.
