Bounty Star is a Cozy, Post-Apocalyptic Mech Brawler Brimming with Charm - Xbox Wire

[ad_1]

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 just a few tries to return out on high, however as I neared the tip 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 Sequence 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 change into a drive of excellent. Her journey takes place in an space generally known as the Pink 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 suppose how good they might be for an immersive motion recreation setting,” explains Artistic Director & Designer Benjamin Ruiz. “The will to create one thing visually gorgeous and set in a phenomenal 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 yr or two earlier than manufacturing formally started, however the concept 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 could be very a lot rooted in that style, however mixing a lighter tackle the Armored Core model of mech gameplay that his inventive group loves.

“We actually needed to deal with the on a regular basis lifetime of a bounty hunter,” Ruiz provides. “There’s a base-building facet 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 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 traces 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 might be prefer to dwell 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'll be able to name dwelling; it has potential.

Customization is without doubt 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 needed 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 wish 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 model. As an illustration, some gamers may deal with heavy armor and cost straight into fight, turning into a gradual however almost unstoppable drive. Others may desire lighter builds, prioritizing velocity 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 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 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 in opposition to 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 among them is the Marshall, who’s not solely liable for assigning your bounties but additionally occurs to be an previous good friend. There’s additionally a service provider who provides you among the greatest gear out there within the recreation, working on the shadier aspect of issues and brings a special vitality in comparison with the Marshall in line 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 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 usually work the identical method all through the sport in line 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 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.

“Generally your objective is to seize a selected goal as a result of they’re a needed felony; 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 non-obligatory aims for gamers who get pleasure from replayability, corresponding to finishing a bounty inside a sure time or utilizing a particular loadout. Finally, 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 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 yr when it launches on Xbox Sequence X|S.