Bounty Star: A Charming and Cozy Post-Apocalyptic Mech Brawler

Hey, so picture this: I’m maneuvering my hefty Desert Raptor MKII mech through this sprawling desert canyon, dodging rockets from hover bots and bullets from bandits. It’s like… I don’t know—Bounty Star’s got this vibe that’s hard to shake. My mech’s this Frankenstein monster, probably pieced together from random garage finds, whacking enemies left and right. Took me a hot minute to not get blown up, but by the end? I was hooked. Now I’m just counting down the days until it drops on Xbox Series X|S later this year.

You step into Bounty Star as Clem—she’s got a murky past and a whole lot of skills with mechs. The story unfolds in the Red Expanse, kinda feels like a twisted, future America Southwest. I mean, if you’ve ever been to Sedona, Arizona, you’d get it. Benjamin Ruiz, the brains behind it all, told me that’s where inspiration struck him. He saw those jaw-dropping vistas and bam—game idea ignited. Funny how nature just smacks you with creativity sometimes, right?

Ruiz always had a soft spot for Westerns and mixed it up with mech battles reminiscent of Armored Core. What’s not to love? He wanted to nail the daily grind of a bounty hunter—think cooking, managing resources, raising chickens even. Like, you’re part gunslinger, part homesteader. It all just kinda melded together into Bounty Star.

The base where Clem operates, it’s like her own scrappy fortress. Power lines thrown about, a makeshift kitchen for rustling up meals—imagine the smell of whatever’s cooking wafting through the desert air. It’s a patchwork world that screams sci-fi Western. I swear, if you squint hard enough, you’d almost feel like you’re living in an episode of Firefly or something.

One rad thing Ruiz hit on was the customization. You’re free to mix and match your mech bits however you want. Heavy armor and smash through enemies? Sure. Or maybe dart around with lighter gear—speed’s your friend. Ruiz confirmed my thoughts, you get to choose, but you gotta manage a melee weapon and a gun, always. There’s this flexibility that just begs for experimentation.

Combat’s not even the whole story. There are characters—like, a Marshall who dishes out your bounties and a sketchy merchant with cool gear. It’s not just about shooting things but forming these meaningful connections. Ruiz really emphasized that.

And those bounties? Yeah, they spice things up. Day-night cycles change the pace, and missions range from nabbing criminals to just clearing out threats. Optional objectives too, for those after bragging rights or just more replay value.

End of the day, Bounty Star feels like it’s bursting with potential. Clem’s rough little homestead, it’s kinda symbolic of what the game’s shooting for. We’ll see if it all gels when it releases later this year on Xbox Series X|S. Can’t wait.