Bounty Star

Bounty Star’s combination of mech combat and farming is equal parts compelling and tranquil, and Clem’s story is riveting. Sometimes, you have to get back in the robot and hope there’s a life on the other side.

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Bounty Star sounds more like a pile of ideas that don't mesh well, resulting in an uneven execution. The game doesn't stand out much, even though it has some interesting qualities.

Despite its good ideas and a range of systems that aim to add depth to the gameplay, Bounty Star fails to convince with its combat and static direction.

Bounty Star is a good time, with likable characters and an interesting setting ripe for exploration. Those are its strongest parts, but the rest of it is entirely serviceable despite some frustrating jank during combat and unrealized potential in the homesteading process. I could see a sequel to this game, with a bit more depth on the gameplay side, being a real hit that pleases mecha fans, story fans, and farming-sim fans alike.

Bounty Star is a fun time-killer if you want something straightforward and entertaining with an emotional core that doesn't ask all that much of you

Bounty Star from developer DINOGOD and publisher Annapurna Interactive is a lot of different things. It’s a narrative-driven game that features a heavy amount of customization and crafting. All of which goes through mech fighting, which might be the weakest part of the entire package.

Outside of playing a few hours of the first Red Dead Redemption, coupled with testing out a friend’s copy of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Westerns and mech games are a relatively untread genre for me. It’s not through active dislike…it’s just…there are so many other genres of games that no person can simply taste all of them equally. Bounty Star, in my opinion, presents a solid story of survival and overcoming trauma and grief that is unfortunately hampered by its gameplay. Had there been the provision of more frequent Bounties throughout the game, coupled with a stronger benefit of managing your “farm”, I think that this easily could have been at least a 9 out of 10 game. But it’s the little nagging thought that was in the back of my head that kept going “This story…doesn’t need this long to be told.”

Bounty Star is a game with an interesting concept but age-old storyline that reads as dry as the desert outside. I came into the game looking for more intense combat than what I have encountered thus far. A lack of openness to the world to go out and explore hits pretty hard too. I’d much rather travel via foot than go instance to instance. It’ll be the Thumb Culture Bronze Award for this one.

Bounty Star does have some problems, though. Some players might not like the repetitive tasks, occasional grind, and uneven pacing, and the mix of genres can feel strange at first. But for people who are okay with its weirdness, Bounty Star is a nice change from other mech shooters. It's thinking-provoking and fun at the same time.