Lightyear Frontier early access review: Mech-anical magic in need of a tune-up

A desire for a fresh start away from the hustle and bustle of the city, an emphasis on farming, and cozy gameplay you can relax with; the premise behind life Lightyear Frontier might feel familiar at first, but make no mistake—this isn’t your average farming sim and your massive Mech friend is determined to prove it. Whether it’s successful, though, I’m unsure.

Set on an alien planet you crash onto, Lightyear Frontier follows you and your Mech pal as you set out to explore a vast new world. Along the way, you farm, craft, collect, forage, and otherwise live the lifestyle you’d expect in a game that blends sci-fi and cozy mechanics. And herein lies my issue with Lightyear Frontier; it entirely meets my expectations—no more, no less.

Pointless and overly complex Mech-anics

Mechs are the most essential aspect of gameplay in Lightyear Frontier, but they’re often the most annoying. Your Mech is comically clumsy and clunky, and it’s the gateway through which you do everything in this game, which means the mechanics can become tiring.

Using your Mech, you can farm with an array of complex tools that are multifunctional, like the Irrigation Hose you can use to water your crops or clear away noxious slime piles, and the Vacuum Harvester you can use to harvest plants or catch pesky weed seeds with.

Switching between tools can take a while since it’s tough to recall which tool you need for each situation and which type of ammo you should use. I spent longer staring at the tool wheel than I ever did actually using my tools. And anytime I used them, there was a good chance I would somehow trip over nothing and end up going through the tedious process of hopping out of my Mech to flip it back over and get back to work.

Somehow, the Mech and tool systems simultaneously feel like too much and not enough. Both are complex to use, but their actual functionality also feels useless. You can usually accomplish the same task using a variety of tools, so it doesn’t make sense having so many to choose from, and it’s frustrating that I’m so reliant on a Mech that I can’t even carry a single item without it.

Eventually, you can upgrade your Mech and tools to improve all their basic functionalities. But at its core, I’m still unsure if the Mech is more of a helpful tool or a hindrance, and the same goes for the tools it provides.

Peaceful planet vibes

Visually, Lightyear Frontier stuns with vibrant colors and a sensational alien planet packed with spectacular detail. The world is like nothing I’ve ever seen in a life farming sim, and I spent longer exploring it than engaging with any other activity the game offers.

Sustaining and improving this brilliant planet is critical, with some of Lightyear‘s tasks featuring a subtle underlying environmentalism message that reinforces this. Most parts of the alien world are barren and polluted, but you can bring them back to life by steadily clearing away weeds and noxious slime piles. It’s hard work and takes a lot of time and effort, but doing so unlocks new creatiures to befriend and resources to utilize.

I really like that you’re encouraged to help sustain the environment rather than tear it down. It’s very fitting for the farming gameplay and pushes you to work on harmoniously fitting into the world you’ve found while also helping it thrive.

No combat, big problem

I’m not usually the kind of player who’s super into combat mechanics, but with Lightyear Frontier, it feels like a fundamentally missed opportunity. The massive Mechs are begging for a bit of combat ability, especially when you have hazardous events like the weed seeds attacking your garden, and all you can do about it is point your vacuum at them and hope for the best. Mechs have all kinds of tools but can’t efficiently take on more than one of these pests at once, which is a bit silly and very frustrating.

Lightyear Frontier is about relaxing farming and exploration, but it’s often so calm to the point of being boring, which leaves it desperate for just a bit more action. Everything seems a bit too mellow and lacking any real point.

None of the progress I made felt rewarding, and nothing I did seemed to have that great of an impact on my gameplay or the world around me. If you’re looking for total relaxation with no real risk or reward, this is the perfect game for you. Otherwise, you’ll probably find yourself as unmotivated to progress as I am.

Lightyear Frontier is a vibrant, relaxing, and enjoyable experience, but it’s got a long way to go to measure up with the many other acclaimed farming sims out there. I’ve enjoyed my time with it, but I’ll likely not return to it.

I’m hopeful that the dev’s plans for future content might lure me back in, though. I do have a soft spot for the vibrant alien world and my overly clumsy Mech friend.