Yasmine Hubbard

It’s hard to deny that Vampire Survivors propelled the bullet-hell genre into the mainstream when it was released back in 2021. Since then, many games have tried to capitalize on its success by adding their own creative spin to the formula, and quite honestly, why not? It’s an addictive gameplay loop, and making a few adjustments can totally elevate the experience into something new and different. You only have to look at titles like BALL x PIT and Megabonk to see this concept in full swing.

Harvest Moon is arguably one of the most well-known farming simulation franchises out there. Surprisingly, many players are unaware of the series’ complicated history. To give a brief rundown, Natsume localized the Harvest Moon games up until Harvest Moon: A New Beginning. The original developers, Marvelous, then began publishing the games through their own localization branch, XSEED, under a new alias, Story of Seasons.

There is something about giant robots brutally ripping through reprehensible enemies that never gets old. Whether it’s landing a well-placed headshot or ruthlessly dicing through ratchet mercenaries, it’s easy to get lost in these types of games, as they rarely fail to raise your heartbeat from the high-paced action. This is why Bounty Star adding farming and base building to the gameplay formula might seem contradictory, as these genres tend to be more affiliated with a “relaxed tone”.