Lightyear Frontier Preview: Unconventional Mech-anics

ign.com:

In the wake of Stardew Valley’s revitalization of the genre after Harvest Moon and Story of Season’s popularity waned, I’ve been enjoying a rush of new farming sim games that explore the familiar mechanics in new ways. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin focused specifically on a single crop while weaving in 2D action combat. Slime Rancher emphasized the collection, care, and breeding of adorable little creatures. And now Lightyear Frontier is preparing to revisit familiar farming gameplay from behind the controls of an extremely unusual farming implement: a war mech.

For my hands-on preview, I was able to explore a small portion of Lightyear Frontier’s first area. I got a feel for basic farming, and was able to build some basic structures like a plant bed and a silo, plant seeds, water them, and harvest. It’s a familiar loop for farming sim fans of all stripes: collect resources, use resources to build things that help you get more resources, repeat. The primary distinction is that instead of playing as a little dude in overalls, you’re piloting a repurposed battle mech to do all your farming chores. The mech is large and slow moving, but what it lacks in speed it makes up for in really big, efficient farming guns that eliminate the typical early-game farming sim tedium of hauling a can of water up to each square, watering, then moving to the next. You can just spray ‘em all at once, easypeasy.

One thing that didn’t quite click for me (but may still) is the inherent silliness of being in a mech at all. I understand the purpose is a thematic one, in that you’re using a war mech and its war weapons as a tool to build a peaceful existence. Literal swords to plowshares. But in my limited demo the mech felt less like a repurposed gundam