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Bounty Star, or known in-game as The Morose Tale of Graveyard Clem, is unlike anything I’ve played in a while, which is insane coming from someone who plays everything that comes across their desk. This is the very first game by developer DINOGOD, and while I’m of the firm belief that you should trust smaller teams, there’s always a bit of skepticism. I can absolutely confirm that the blend of fast-paced mecha combat and cozier features like homestead upgrading and farming struck the perfect balance in Bounty Star.
A Truly Morose Tale
Have you ever been to an arcade and sat in one of those seated games that quite literally put you in the cockpit of a fighting robot? I think that’s a bit of what I expected when I first saw the trailer for Bounty Star, not much story and a major focus on finding cool ways to destroy your enemies.
Bounty Star has a lonely narrative focusing on Clem, a woman whose empathetic decision cost her team’s lives, pushing her into a life as a bounty hunter in a post-post-apocalyptic world, who uses her mecha, known in-game as Raptors, to rid the Red Expanse of bandits and other bad guys. With that going on in the background, there’s food to be made, upgrades to Clem’s shack of a home to be implemented, and a whole lot of crafting to be done.
The story is pretty flimsy after that, with the rest of it relying on Clem’s journey via journal writings after hunts. Clem is definitely an interesting character, whose outward appearance clearly shows that she cares only for the love of mechs and fighting. She’s tough, uncaring, and likely, very smelly. She is also clearly traumatized by her decision from the beginning of the game, as shown in gestures such as excessive leg shaking and a generally pessimistic attitude. However, I can’t help but feel like there was so much more to her that wasn’t shown on screen. I’d have loved to see that.
Different Strokes for Different Folks
there are three types of gameplay in Bounty Star: survival, mech combat, and farming. When at Clem’s garage, you have the option to purchase materials and resources to craft new weapons and upgrades for your Raptor. You can also cook food that acts as buffs while in combat, as well as farm for those same resources. When you’re out, hunting for a bounty, the gameplay changes to within the Raptor, shooting and slashing your enemies until you’ve completed what you set out to do.
I have to say, I was very pleased with this loop of collecting myself in a hub area before going out and getting blown up, which happened a lot. When on the field, tensions were high as you tried to defeat your enemies while also keeping a close watch on the Raptor’s vitals, like heat retention and health. I also enjoyed that there isn’t a very severe punishment for failing, allowing you to start over or go back to the garage to craft a new collection of upgrades.
There were times when I felt that this was somewhat repetitive, which could very well be attributed to the number of times I would explode and need to reevaluate my Raptor upgrades. But I also felt that there was a steady progression of new gameplay features unlocked, which definitely helped. With every new feature unlocked, taking on bounties became cheaper or much easier to prepare for.
The difficult progression, though? Unforgiving at times. However, it presented some really unique challenges that I definitely found myself trying to overcome. You won’t believe how many times I tried to just run to the end of bounties to achieve the 30-second par time.
A Rugged Beauty
You’re pretty confined to the limits of the garage, and wherever the particular bounty you’re working on takes place, it makes things feel a little claustrophobic at times. The aforementioned challenges within bounties are fun, but finishing them makes how small these areas are feel much more noticeable.
You can complete bounties in the morning, afternoon, and evening, which offer beautiful atmospheric changes, bringing a whole new world of color to the Red Expanse. There were so many times I wanted to run to a golden cliffside, only to be blocked by the area limitations.
Clem’s garage and homestead are rather big, and considering the aforementioned features progression, exploring it in its entirety couldn’t really be done as fast as when you’re out on the field. This helped offset the small gameplay areas, since there was always something new to look forward to whenever you returned from a successful hunt.
Escape to the Red Expanse
I thought that Bounty Star was incredibly fun, parenthesizing fast-paced combat with cozier gameplay like farming and caring for animals. I also very much enjoyed the narrative of painting Clem as having anxiety and other mental health attributes without having to spell them out. However, I couldn’t help feeling that there was more to be discovered, only to be stopped by invisible fences and, at times, dry dialogue.
I am not going to say that the gameplay for Bounty Star is exactly like other popular games in the mech genre. However, I would absolutely recommend it for players who are skeptical about trying out games like Mecha BREAK and DAEMON X MACHINA. I’d also recommend it to those who enjoy cozier gameplay features and a bit of challenge, like Stardew Valley or Rune Factory.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Bounty Star - PS5 Reviewed
Bounty Star successfully merges fast-paced mecha gameplay with cozier features like farming and animal handling, though at the expense of small gameplay areas and short challenges.
Pros
- Excellent mecha combat.
- Expansive upgrading and crafting options.
- Great protagonist with a real-world personality.
Cons
- Limited combat areas.
- Dry dialogue at times.
