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 acquired the sense that Bounty Star could be onto one thing particular right here. My mech, assembled from a wide range of components wanting prefer it was inbuilt 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 high, 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 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 power of fine. Her journey takes place in an space often known as the Purple Expanse, harking back 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 suppose how excellent they’d 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 good looking 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 concept was simmering for some time earlier than we actually acquired began.”
Ruiz defined to me that he all the time 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 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 side 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 seek 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 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 wish to dwell 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 dwelling; it has potential.
Customization is likely one of the different key components 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, offered I had the assets to place all of it collectively. Ruiz strengthened that assumption for me.
“There are a few totally different approaches you’ll be able to take,” Ruiz elaborates. “You’re all the time 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. As an illustration, some gamers may give attention to heavy armor and cost straight into fight, turning into a gradual however practically unstoppable power. Others may favor lighter builds, prioritizing velocity and agility over sheer toughness.”
As Ruiz defined to me additional, the customization system permits you to tweak round seven core properties and select from a wide range of firearms, melee weapons, and help techniques. He talked about that even among the QA testers have been creating builds that may 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 towards a wide range of enemies.
Enemies should not the one factor you’ll encounter in Bounty Star. There will even be a handful of key NPCs you’ll work together with. One among them is the Marshall, who’s not solely chargeable for assigning your bounties but additionally occurs to be an outdated buddy. There’s additionally a service provider who provides you among the finest gear obtainable within the sport, working on the shadier facet of issues and brings a distinct vitality in comparison with the Marshall in line with Ruiz. He talked about that total, whereas the forged 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 seems 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 in line with 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 certainly one of these will ship you to a selected a part of the world, which will likely be distinct fight arenas of varied styles and sizes.
“Generally your aim is to seize a selected goal as a result of they’re a wished prison; 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 optionally available goals for gamers who take pleasure in replayability, comparable to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a selected loadout. Finally, Bounty Star could be very a lot a third-person enviornment expertise, however we’re centered on offering a wide range of methods for gamers to have enjoyable and strategy every mission uniquely.”
Very similar to Clem’s makeshift dwelling, Bounty Star appears stuffed with potential, and we’re wanting ahead to seeing the way it all comes collectively later this yr when it launches on Xbox Collection X|S.
