0 
0 Bounty Star is a 3rd person action game with a blend of mech combat and homesteading. Developed by DINOGOD with publishing by Annapurna Interactive (Stray, Neon White), it is available now on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. You can also pick it up for PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, or Game Pass.
Not Quite Trucking in Bounty Star
I feel like I really missed out on getting into the whole mech genre. Not only in gaming but elsewhere. I read a few RoboTech (I think?) books back in my early days. But I never got into Mechwarrior or Gundam or the like. Honestly think games like Armored Core look awesome but never get myself to check them out. I saw Bounty Star coming up though and decided to take a look. Check out my thoughts below.
Gameplay
Bounty Star is a 3rd person action game. Right at the start it sets the stage for the main character, Clem: substantial personal loss. Which leads right on into them having a self-pity attitude as they try to pick up pieces and make a new life. Doing so will involve picking up some bounties on bandits and wildlife and earning standing with the local faction.
Bounty Star features the bounty hunting via mech right up front. Behind the scenes between the bounties though there’s a bit of base management and preparing for the next bounty. A white board reminds you of the things you need to do before embarking. Of course you have to make sure to get a food buff too. Things can eventually be grown to be more self-sufficient. Otherwise you can just buy ingredients right from the recipe.
This Feels Too Basic
I’m only just through Chapter 3 in Bounty Star and I don’t know that I’ll play much more. I can’t tell if I’m still in some kind of tutorial limbo or if the game opens up more soon. But I’m honestly quite bored. The story itself is just not engaging enough. The way the bounties play out too just feels lacklustre for the setting and environments. We get that this is now some apocalyptic Western barren area now but at least add some details.
I was also expecting more customization options for gear right out of the gate but instead found nothing until unlocking a vendor. I went into Bounty Star hoping for drops from enemies, variable stats, etc. akin to looter shooters or roguelite randomness I guess. But this definitely wasn’t the case. The pacing is sluggish and mechanics like dodging enemies feels inconsistent.
Bounty Star seems like it wants to be so much. But instead it outwardly overpromises then immediately underdelivers. It needs to engage and hook in the audience, not bore them. If the pacing picks up at a later point they have no way of knowing. Getting through those first few hours needs to be much more exciting than it is now.
Graphics & Audio
I have been playing Bounty Star on PC via Steam. I didn’t, however, play any of the game on my Steam Deck. There aren’t a whole lot of graphic options, but then again there isn’t a whole lot of detail to refine. In a day of gaming in open world environments as a norm for this style of Fetch mission structure, the small instances are a bit of a disappointment.
There’s a jukebox in the home base of Bounty Star. It plays some light guitar Western/country sounding music in the background. Constantly. Hitting it to change the track just changes it to something sounding almost the same. The audio track while out on bounties basically turns into white noise at least.
Longevity
As with most games that have a good number of achievements and collectibles, it depends on how much of a completionist you are. Bounty Star isn’t looking to me as quite what I was expecting though. So unless I find something major to change my mind soon I’ll probably be done with it early. I’m also not sure if this is a one-off linear story game or if there’s any amount of repeatable content at any point. What I’m trying to say is that I really don’t know the longevity of this one.
Final Thoughts
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.
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoy this article, check out my other reviews here.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
