When its release date comes around, Lightyear Frontier seeks to answer a very valid question: what if Stardew Valley featured lush 3D graphics and gave you a customizable mech to aid with all your farming needs? It then goes beyond the thrills of robot-powered agriculture by also featuring an open world that invites exploration, deep crafting, and mystery-driven narrative.
With interest in the title rekindled following June 2022’s Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, here is everything we know about Lightyear Frontier, including details about its release date, gameplay, story, and more.
Lightyear Frontier Release Date
Lightyear Frontier initially aimed for a Spring 2023 release on both PC, Xbox Series X/S,Xbox One, and Game Pass, which it ultimately ended up missing.
During 2023’s Xbox Games Showcase Extended, it was revealed that the title is now slated to launch at some point in early 2024.
Lightyear Frontier Story
Lightyear Frontier will feature a mystery-driven narrative that players can follow while learning how its beefier crafting and farming systems work. That being said, the developer plans on making it not at all intrusive.
The story does have a definite end, although you can keep playing on indefinitely, its prevalent role being that of giving players a sense of purpose.
Lightyear Frontier Gameplay
Developer Frame Break’s philosophy revolves around creating “games that break the mold” and mixing together elements from different genres in new ways, which is what prompted Lightyear Frontier’s varied blend.
There’s a lot that’s familiar, from breaking down resources to planting and caring for crops or freely placing down the buildings in your farm. The game does, however, have a few tricks of its own up its sleeve.
Its highlight is, naturally, the mech that lies at the center of its gameplay. Controlled in both first-person and third-person, it’s an avatar that you can customize with an array of different cosmetic options and tools which change what it can do.
Each arm can equip up to 4 tools like the seed shooter, which helps when you’re looking to get your farm going, an irrigation tool that keeps your crops happy and growing, or the vacuum harvester, which is used to pick up resources.
Lightyear Frontier’s mech also has access to several transform modes that change its movement system. One showcased during a press event in early June gave it treads, allowing it to use boosters and move around quickly.
A drone that’s leashed to it gives you a better look at your surroundings. Although you can’t fly too far when controlling it, several filters give you additional information about the environment and resources around you.
The mech and its modules can be customized in the garage that’s part of the crashed ship which brings you to the game’s planet.
Every couple of upgrades, you get a key upgrade, like a drill that lets it dig through hard rocks which block off areas of the world.
The crashed ship also acts as a home base in the beginning. In it, you can also sleep – getting some rest in between breaking down resources and exploring the map – as well as use the research station – the game’s main form of progression – to unlock new buildings and mech upgrades.
Once you’ve mapped out the map and managed to get a steady flow of resources coming it, any surplus can be sold at the merchant. He’s only available for a few hours, so you’ll need to plan your day around his arrival.
Lightyear Frontier also has its own economy, the value of each resource rising and falling every week.
The merchant store also trades basic resources, seeds of any discovered plants, as well as additional mech modules that alter carrying capacity, your fuel tank, or duplicates of the basic tools that allow you to dual-wield them.
Lightyear Frontier’s approach to survival doesn’t involve death. You only shoot to create and, while there are no fail states, there are challenges on the path to creating a sustainable farm.
Weather, for example, affects crops. You’ll have to water them less when it rains, but other conditions might be able to harm plants unless you’ve built shelter for them.
As you explore more of the planet, you also encounter alien plants who positively despise water.
You don’t have to go at it alone, either, as up to 4 players can team up in co-op to share duties.
Where can I buy Lightyear Frontier and how much does it cost?
Lightyear Frontier’s PC version is available on Steam. Its Xbox counterpart will make its way to the Microsoft Store closer to release. There’s no word on how much they’ll cost, but we should learn more over the coming months.
Lightyear Frontier Trailer
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