As I drifted my giant Desert Raptor MKII mech by an expansive desert canyon, crowded filled with rocket-wielding hover bots and gun-toting bandits, I bought the sense that Bounty Star could be onto one thing particular right here. My mech, assembled from a wide range of elements wanting 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 a couple of tries to return out on prime, however as I neared the top of my temporary hands-on time, Bounty Star left me keen to return again to its world later this 12 months when it launches for Xbox Collection X|S.
In Bounty Star you play as Clem, a proficient 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 turn out to be a pressure of fine. Her journey takes place in an space often called the Purple 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 like these within the recreation, and I couldn’t assist however assume how good they might be for an immersive motion recreation setting,” explains Inventive Director & Designer Benjamin Ruiz. “The will to create one thing visually beautiful and set in a wonderful desert was actually the spark for Bounty Star. Every 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 12 months 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 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 inventive crew 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 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 fun 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 could 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 may name dwelling; 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 sort of mech that I wished to assemble, supplied I had the sources 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 want each a melee weapon and a firearm, however you may lean into one or the opposite, relying in your most well-liked play model. As an illustration, some gamers would possibly give attention to heavy armor and cost straight into fight, changing into a sluggish however almost unstoppable pressure. Others would possibly desire 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 a number of the QA testers have been creating builds that may skip therapeutic altogether, blasting by 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 will not be the one factor you’ll encounter in Bounty Star. There will even be a handful of key NPCs you’ll work together with. One in all them is the Marshall, who’s not solely answerable for assigning your bounties but in addition occurs to be an previous good friend. There’s additionally a service provider who affords you a number of the finest gear out there within the recreation, working on the shadier aspect of issues and brings a distinct vitality in comparison with the Marshall in response to Ruiz. He talked about that general, 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 method all through the sport in response to Ruiz. With Bounty Star working on a day-night cycle, there shall be days the place you’ll discover story bounties on the board, alongside a few aspect bounties. Every certainly one of these will ship you to a particular a part of the world, which shall be distinct fight arenas of assorted sizes and styles.
“Typically your objective is to seize a selected goal as a result of they’re a wished prison; 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 elective aims for gamers who get pleasure from replayability, equivalent to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a particular loadout. In the end, Bounty Star may 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 method every mission uniquely.”
Very similar to Clem’s makeshift dwelling, Bounty Star appears filled with potential, and we’re wanting ahead to seeing the way it all comes collectively later this 12 months when it launches on Xbox Collection X|S.
