As I drifted my giant Desert Raptor MKII mech by way of an expansive desert canyon, crowded stuffed with rocket-wielding hover bots and gun-toting bandits, I bought the sense that Bounty Star is likely to be onto one thing particular right here. My mech, assembled from quite a lot of elements trying prefer it was in-built somebody’s storage (as a result of it was), dispatched these difficult foes with quite a lot of heavy melee assaults and cannon hearth. It took me just a few tries to return out on high, however as I neared the tip of my temporary hands-on time, Bounty Star left me keen to return again to its world later this yr 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 warfare veteran trying to make up for a few of her previous actions – and hopefully change into a drive of fine. Her journey takes place in an space referred to as the Crimson Expanse, paying homage to what can finest be described as a post-apocalyptic American Southwest.
“I used to be in Sedona, Arizona, surrounded by landscapes very similar to these within the sport, and I couldn’t assist however assume how good they might be for an immersive motion sport setting,” explains Inventive Director & Designer Benjamin Ruiz. “The will to create one thing visually beautiful and set in a stupendous desert was actually the spark for Bounty Star. All the things 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 thought was simmering for some time earlier than we actually bought began.”
Ruiz defined to me that he all the time 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 inventive staff loves.
“We actually needed 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 may give her stat bonuses in fight), and barrels stuffed with munitions hiding in plain sight, the world of Bounty Star is mixing a few of my favourite issues about what it could be prefer to reside 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 possibly can name dwelling; it has potential.
Customization is likely one of 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 needed to assemble, offered I had the sources to place all of it collectively. Ruiz strengthened that assumption for me.
“There are a few totally different approaches you possibly can take,” Ruiz elaborates. “You’re all the time going to want each a melee weapon and a firearm, however you possibly can lean into one or the opposite, relying in your most well-liked play model. As an illustration, some gamers would possibly concentrate on heavy armor and cost straight into fight, turning into a sluggish however almost unstoppable drive. Others would possibly choose lighter builds, prioritizing pace and agility over sheer toughness.”
As Ruiz defined to me additional, the customization system enables you to tweak round seven core properties and select from quite a lot of firearms, melee weapons, and assist programs. He talked about that even a few of the QA testers had been creating builds that might skip therapeutic altogether, blasting by way of encounters at excessive pace. 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 quite a lot of enemies.
Enemies will not be the one factor you’ll encounter in Bounty Star. There may also be a handful of key NPCs you’ll work together with. Considered one of them is the Marshall, who’s not solely chargeable for assigning your bounties but in addition occurs to be an outdated buddy. There’s additionally a service provider who affords you a few of the finest gear accessible within the sport, working on the shadier aspect of issues and brings a distinct vitality in comparison with the Marshall in keeping with Ruiz. He talked about that total, whereas the solid of different characters isn’t enormous, those you meet are designed to have significant and memorable interactions with you within the sport.
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 typically work the identical method all through the sport in keeping with Ruiz. With Bounty Star operating on a day-night cycle, there can be days the place you’ll discover story bounties on the board, alongside a few aspect bounties. Every considered one of these will ship you to a particular a part of the world, which can be distinct fight arenas of varied sizes and styles.
“Typically your aim is to seize a selected goal as a result of they’re a needed legal; different instances, 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 optionally available goals for gamers who take pleasure in replayability, akin to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a particular loadout. Finally, Bounty Star may be very a lot a third-person enviornment expertise, however we’re targeted on offering quite a lot of methods for gamers to have enjoyable and method every mission uniquely.”
Very like Clem’s makeshift dwelling, Bounty Star appears stuffed with potential, and we’re trying ahead to seeing the way it all comes collectively later this yr when it launches on Xbox Sequence X|S.