Lightyear Frontier Review (Xbox Series X/S & PC)

If I had a cent for every plot of land I’ve had to cultivate over the past several years, I’d probably have just enough to purchase another pair of hands to assist me in future exploits; specifically, a mechanical loader with the added bells and whistles that could transform even the most malnourished husk of a world into a beacon of light. FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios' Lightyear Frontier promises to bring just that: a semi-malnourished landscape that’s torn directly from the pages of a cult classic science fiction novel, and a mech suit that has the power to breathe life into the brittle bones of a former utopia.

At first glance, it’s easy to discredit the blueprint as just another vivid clone of a cliche-laden farming sim. And it is, in ways; at no point does it aim to tell you otherwise, nor does it dress itself up as being anything more than that. But there is, however, something that elevates its position as a generic sandbox game, and that’s its clever use of mechanical companions. Sure, it isn’t something that’s particularly unusual for modern gaming culture, but the fact that such towering bolts are more inclined to shower your ambitions with two green thumbs, and not, for example, fully loaded machine guns, does make the overall concept a little less commonplace.

It’s been a dozen or so hours since I first shook hands with PIP-3R and cultivated my first patch of grass, and so, in my mind, a solid portion of the work is over. However, before I knuckle in on those final sections of land, I ought to rewind it back and shed a little more light on Lightyear Frontier, so to speak. Care to join us as we get a little technical? Then let’s jump in.

One Small Step for Man, One Giant Leap for Mechanical Cultivators

When it comes to embellishing the narrative, Amplifier Studios hasn’t exactly gone out of its way to create something overly ambitious; in fact, it follows a guideline that’s been adhered to for decades: an ancient civilization has departed the ruins of a fairly broken society, and has since left a new generation to pick up the pieces and return its roots to their former glory. As it turns out, Lightyear Frontier isn’t any different, in the case that, from an explorer and fledgling cultivator’s perspective, the primary objective is to eradicate the polluted environment and, with the power of various tools and mechanical engineering, transform it into a communal haven for the citizens of the future — wherever they may be.

What’s different in Lightyear Frontier is that you aren’t given any villagers to befriend, and with that, far fewer fetch quests and character arcs to unravel. Instead, it’s just you, a giant mech suit, and a satellite dish named PIP-3R, whose only purpose is to orbit the planet and discuss various issues with you as you make gradual changes to the surface and unearth even more of its natural beauties and keystone features. There is a four-player co-op mode, but such an option isn’t really necessary in order for you to make the most out of the content that’s on display. In other words, if you’d rather stick on a lo-fi playlist and crack on with some good old-fashioned gardening work, preferably without the added drama of juggling additional players’ needs, then you’ll probably enjoy just about everything that Lightyear Frontier has in its casket.

A Better Tomorrow

If you’ve ever been the victim of a seemingly endless cycle of weeding, planting, and nourishing, then you’ll no doubt have a good idea of what to expect here. Unsurprisingly, Lightyear Frontier doesn’t stray all that far off the beaten path, but rather opts to carve out a relatively harmless and safe route that doesn’t require much effort to navigate. For the most part, goals mostly consist of peppering splodges of slime with fertilizer, and branching out to explore new areas for the sake of acquiring more materials for nifty upgrades and components. It’s all rather rinse-and-repeat, and at no point does it demand anything from you, other than a few short hours and a keen eye for nature’s inner secrets.

It is worth pointing out here that, while the game does feature its admirable share of environmental issues, there isn’t anything particularly threatening to deal with here. Fortunately for those who’d much rather sink their teeth into an easygoing renovation project than throw down with the world’s alien oppressors, Lightyear Frontier doesn’t actually have any combat. What’s more, it doesn’t have any strict rules for how you apply your cultivating techniques, or any tight deadlines that you need to work towards, either. Aside from having to deal with the pollution that often sweeps across your settlements and prevents certain things from growing, there aren’t all that many issues to overcome or strategies to integrate into the standard nine-to-five routine.

An average day in Lightyear Frontier goes like this: you wake up, lay the foundations for a new building, and set out to acquire the resources needed to craft it. Once you’ve built a landmark, you’ll then have the option to obtain new upgrades for your mech suit, and with them, new keys for alternate areas in the world map.

Oh-So Cozy

There’s a word that we can’t help but throw into the spotlight whenever games like this sprout up from the earth, and that, of course, is cozy. Sure, it’s a little cliche and overbearing, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s still one of the best ways to describe such things. From its quaint and colorful art style to its acoustic soundboard and subtle sound effects, Lightyear Frontier just about bears all of the appropriate hallmark qualities of a traditional cozy game, and it does the genre justice by delivering a gameplay loop that’s both rewarding and satisfying in all the right places.

There is one slight issue with the coziness of it all, though: PIP-3R — the drone that blabbers on day and night without taking a moment to breathe. Don’t get me wrong, it’s understandable that the devs would want to include some form of narration, what with the game’s world being devoid of any human life or major dialogue. With that said, I’d be lying if I said that such words were comforting or insightful, or even helpful, for that matter. For example, if I even thought about exiting my mech suit for a moment, then I’d have to endure the same small talk from the same lonely satellite. And when I say small talk, I mean, having to listen to the same three or four lines over and over again, and not being able to respond. If I had that choice, then I would’ve told PIP-3R to, well, not.

It’s nitpicking at this point, but it’s also something that’s worth pointing out. If, however, you was to remove the talkative companion from the equation (or at least whittle its lines down just a tad), then it’d no doubt be a much more enjoyable experience. Sorry, PIP-3R.

Verdict

Lightyear Frontier is an obvious choice for those who are looking to get lost in a web of traditional gameplay mechanics that don’t go much beyond what’s expected of a bog-standard life and farming simulation game. Saying that, it doesn’t do much more to make it any less unoriginal, either; the inclusion of mech and a talking satellite does give it flavor, for sure — but that’s about it. As far as the actual gameplay experience goes, it’s honestly hard to tell the difference between this and, well, any other game that aims to trickle down the same margins on the page. But then, I’m willing to overlook the few minor similarities and call it for what it is: a genuinely entertaining sandbox sim with a whole lot of heart and potential.

It’s early days yet, so it could very well be that the devs treat the project with some glossier and slightly more original components and gameplay features in future updates. For now, though, Lightyear Frontier has just enough to keep your undivided attention for a handful of hours or more — something that, quite frankly, a lot of top-shelf alternatives can’t quite tout in this day and age.

To cut a long story short, if you are the sort of gamer who enjoys hacking at tree stumps with an axe for hours on end, then you’ll no doubt enjoy the lion’s share of the content that fleshes out Lightyear Frontier. For everything else, though, you might want to consider planting roots in an alternate dimension, or better yet, in a world that doesn’t come loaded with a clingy satellite dish that practically gnaws at your ankles every waking hour of every day.