Bounty Star Review

Bounty Star is one of those rare indie games that tries something merging genres that shouldn’t work but has a real good charm and mostly pulls it off. You play as Clem, a former mech pilot trying to rebuild her life in a desert, post-apocalyptic desert known as the Red Expanse. Between mech battles, bounty hunts, and quiet moments of farming, you’re balancing chaos and calm in equal measure.

The idea sounds strange what if Armored Core style mech fights meets all the different style farming sim fames but that’s pretty much what this is. And surprisingly, it works. The world of Bounty Star feels like a mash-up of the wild wild west and sci-fi mech which again shouldn’t work but the way it’s presented to you is fantastic.

Clem’s story is one of redemption starting off with the world at her feet to having nothing to show for it and starting again from rock bottom. Full of sadness and guilt she is on a quest to find purpose once again. Spending most her time chasing down bounties, mowing down the bad guys. In return making ends meet to repair her mech and slowly rebuild and expand her hideout.

The storyline doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it fits the tone of what they are trying to achieve here. Whist it’s mostly a text box adventure with some voice acting in scenes, Clems dialogue gives you a mixture of wit, sarcasm and determination throughout as you uncover her history and coming to terms of being hero to zero on a redemption run.

Combat is the star of the show. You pilot a dusty old Desert Raptor MKII a chunky, clunky yet satisfying mech that moves with real weight. Each mission sends you out to hunt a bounty usually a powerful outlaw in their own custom mech or base which proves tricky. The more bad guys you deal with the more you are rewarded as eventually you can buy and create different weapons and augmentations that aid your combat. With plenty to choose from such as machine guns, giant swords and lasers you will have to tinker to make sure you match your loadouts to make bounty runs easier as enemies have certain weaknesses and resistances.

There is a temperature system that keeps things interesting. Fire too many missiles and your mech overheats but if use too much coolant and you risk freezing your systems. You’re always managing energy, movement, and positioning it’s not just slamming buttons to kill everything as quick as possible it’s about timing loadouts with warm afternoons or cold desert nights which add a bit of logic before going in guns blazing.

The only downside? Missions can start to blur together after a while. You’ll revisit similar desert outposts and fight similar enemy types just with different colour palette. The core gameplay loop is fun, but variety could be stronger and starts to feel like a very linear experience after long play sessions. There are optional missions you can take on during bounties that add replay value and different setups to experiment and unlock but gets a bit same old over time.

When not shooting bad guys, you are back at home at your hideout. Here you can tend to farming duties, raise animals, craft equipment and upgrades as well as being able to cook meals before combat that give various temporary combat buffs. This is a surprisingly chilled contrast to combat and tinkering and tending to stuff gives you an advantage later on as the more effort you put in the more you are rewarded and less grinding later on to make important advancements. You will be able use materials from missions to upgrade your mech, power systems, and living quarters which improve combat and quality of life. However, farming feels more like a light side activity than a fully integrated system and is very casual. You can mostly ignore it and still progress just fine but made progress a lot easier for myself.

Customisation is one of the best parts of the game. You can swap weapons, armour plates, boosters, and paint jobs for your mech. Every part affects stats like weight, temperature control, and attack speed. Completing missions earns you credits and salvage, which you can spend on better parts or upgrades for your base. There’s also a satisfaction in fine tuning your mech to suit your playstyle whether that’s a fast, hit-and-run setup or a heavy tank build that shrugs off damage.

Graphically, Bounty Star has cel-shaded look and warm desert palette fit the Western theme perfectly. The environments such as the canyons and rusted outposts all have a worn, dusty feel. It’s not the prettiest looking game in the world but during the night the glowing mechs and neon surroundings are very impressive. That being said you will notice stiff animations in spots and lip-sync issues, it isn’t the best but makes up for it in presentation.

The soundtrack is catchy and becomes an earworm with western inspired soundtrack to match the landscape it suits the mood of when you are relaxing at the hideout or taking out bandits. Voice acting is solid between Clem and some of the main characters you come across in adventures. Sound effects are very satisfying during combat with all the variety of weapons to choose from each explosion and melee swing sounds and packs a satisfying punch.

Voice acting is solid across the board. Clem’s weary delivery fits her character, though some supporting voices can sound flat. Sound effects, especially during combat, give every explosion and melee swing a satisfying punch.

This is a focused single-player story about one person, one mech, and a dusty road toward redemption. Bounty Star isn’t groundbreaking but it’s special as it dares to be different, and that’s rare. Whether you’re fine-tuning your mech loadout, tending your garden, or just watching the sun set over the desert, it’s got heart.