Lightyear Frontier is a relaxing off-world farming sim from FRAME BREAK and Amplifier Studios where you plant and harvest alien crops with mechs. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn’t do well, and if it’s worth getting.
Lightyear Frontier Review Overview
What is Lightyear Frontier?
Lightyear Frontier is a first-person farming sim set on an alien planet with equally alien crops, wildlife, and scenery. Unlike most games set on untamed alien planets, Lightyear Frontier does not have a survival or combat element, instead focusing on exploration, agriculture, and cooperation with both nature and technology to create the most relaxing off-world farming experience.
Lightyear Frontier features:
⚫︎ Customizable and rideable mechs
⚫︎ Easy-going gameplay mechanics focusing on exploration and farming
⚫︎ An expansive map full of alien flora and fauna to preserve and protect
⚫︎ Stunning solar punk-adjacent aesthetics
⚫︎ Online multiplayer for up to 3 other players
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Lightyear Frontier's gameplay and story.
 Lightyear Frontier |
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Lightyear Frontier Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Peaceful Exploration and Farming Mechanics A Celebration of Technology and Nature Stunning Graphics and Aesthetics Great Casual Multiplayer Experience |
Could Benefit from More Quality of Life Features Progression Could Be Clearer |
Lightyear Frontier Overall Score - 88/100
Lightyear Frontier is a wonderful and relaxing reminder that not all games have to be violent, scary, or suspenseful to be fun. This game thrives off of its simple exploration and farming mechanics, managing to keep me intrigued and excited for the next day without as much as a single enemy threatening my agricultural wonderland. Its wonderful mixture of technology and nature shines through every facet of its aesthetics and gameplay, one that creates a vibrant celebration of agriculture and natural preservation that I can’t seem to put down.
Lightyear Frontier Story - 8/10
This game’s story is simple but effective. There are no overarching schemes to get lost in, epic adventures to save the world, or convoluted reasons for your character to set up a farm—you simply do, and that’s all you need. The game’s innocent passiveness to the lore of the ruins and artifacts you unearth is refreshing in a time where every game needs pages of lore to be interesting.
Lightyear Frontier Gameplay - 9/10
Lightyear Frontier manages to straddle the thin line between the tedium of survival crafters and the peaceful monotony of farming sims. There’s always something to do, but you have all the time in this peaceful world to do it. You learn and explore out of curiosity, not necessity, which fosters a casual experience that still leaves room for a little bit of micromanagement. The game could still benefit from a few additional quality-of-life features, but it’s great as it is now.
Lightyear Frontier Visuals - 9/10
Lightyear Frontier gives a unique aesthetic to the tired and overused look of most survival crafters and farming sims. It eschews the gritty realism of castaway-type games and the intense futurism of other exploration games set on alien planets, settling instead for an agricultural derivative of the solar punk aesthetic. This works well for the game’s message of celebrating both nature and technology, as well as its farming and exploration mechanics.
Lightyear Frontier Audio - 9/10
Lightyear Frontier’s audio is as gentle and calming as its aesthetic and gameplay. The alien planet you’re on is free from apex predators and violent weather, freeing up its ample ecosystem to serenade you with the rustle of leaves, the gentle mewlings of wildlife, and the industrial hisses and clanks of your machinery while you work. It is an experience that I am all too unfamiliar with in the digital age and one that I didn’t think I’d long for so intensely right after.
Lightyear Frontier Value for Money - 9/10
$25 might seem like a lot for an Early Access game but Lightyear Frontier has shown plenty of promise and is far more than just a proof of concept. It's a great casual experience that you and your friends might be missing out on. It's already well worth it's price as an Early Access title; what more in the future when the devs inevitably improve upon the feedback of its earliest players?
Lightyear Frontier Review: No Mech’s Sky
I want to preface this review by declaring my appreciation for the concepts of space travel and exoplanetary colonization. I often find myself enthralled by the prospect of one day reaching the stars and adding another note to the ever-marching progress of human innovation. I found my adoration for this concept diminishing as of late, with our modern depiction of intergalactic colonization replacing yesteryear's noble optimism with capitalism's unforgiving bleakness.
For a while, I was content to let that spark sputter out and die, but Lightyear Frontier showed me—nay, it reminded me—that one does not have to exploit nature to benefit from it. That unnecessarily contemplative and verbose introduction aside, Lightyear Frontier is an amazing celebration of nature and technology that I enjoyed experiencing for myself. I have much to say about this game, so let’s get to it, starting with its unique premise and gameplay focus.
To be perfectly candid, I was expecting this game to be exactly like No Man’s Sky. I mean, with its mechs, alien planet exploration, and resource-gathering, could you blame me? I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I realized two hours into my playthrough that this isn’t a game about the exploitation and subsequent processing of alien resources—it was a calm, collected farming sim where you grow alien crops and tend to alien livestock.
There is no survival element to this game—no hunger, thirst, rest, energy, or anything of the sort—as your only goal is to…well…discover. Be it alien ruins, new areas, new crops, new animals, or new ways to decorate and organize your exoplanetary farmstead. This isn’t to say that there’s no conflict or danger in this game, however, because—as if to double down on the conservationist standpoint this game has pushed thus far even further—you’re going to spend every other day or so combating pollution and toxicity spread around the area.
You’ll be seeking these patches of pollution out and clearing them for the most part, which will, in turn, unlock new places to explore. Other times, these toxic globules and dead weeds will literally rain from the sky to threaten your crops. It’s a good thing you’ve got an all-around farmhand to help you defend against the corrupting deluge and clean up right after. That’s right, you’ve got a mech!
Although the mech itself is unnamed, I’ve come to call mine "Betsy", and this sophisticated farming implement is what stands between you and unforgiving manual labor. This is easily one of the game’s defining features, replacing the tools and logistics mechanics that similar games might have.
You barely do any of the mining, woodcutting, harvesting, planting, watering, and pollution-fighting yourself, as your mech comes equipped with a variety of upgradeable tools. You’d think that a mech like this would be used for some kind of combat, but the closest thing this hunk of metal has to a weapon is its Seed Shooter, which it uses to plant seeds by firing into planter boxes.
As you progress, newer materials become available, and more upgrades can be attached to your mech, allowing you to clear tougher patches of pollution, which will unlock new areas with new materials, rinse, and repeat. It’s a simple but effective gameplay loop where discovery, routine, and creativity are rewarded over skill and min-maxing. It’s as casual as it can get and I’m here for it. Just ‘cause it’s the final frontier, doesn’t mean it has to be a fatal frontier.
As for graphics and aesthetics, this game looks stunning and unique, respectively. Although the game isn’t hyperrealistic by any means, the game’s stylized look works well with its detailed particle effects and phenomenal lighting. Speaking of its stylized look, the game is an odd duck among other titles with similar premises like Satisfactory and ASTRONEER. Instead of the vaguely futuristic, sterile look that those games have, Lightyear Frontier opts for a more retro-solar punk look with agricultural stylings and sci-fi elements thrown in.
The mech doesn’t look like it came from Titanfall, rather, it looks like a tractor with legs. Your buildings are made from plain painted wooden boards straight from Stardew Valley, and your machines look like they’re ripped from the 1950’s. It’s a visually relaxing aesthetic free from hard edges and boring color palettes, so it’s a definite plus in my book.
Audio-wise, this game keeps the chill train going with its relaxing background music, robust sound effects, and calming nature sounds. There’s actual voice-acting in this game and it’s not half bad. I wish the mech could talk too, but it’s not really a downside that it doesn’t.
Overall, this game gets my casual chill sesh seal of approval. Lightyear Frontier is a great game to play by yourself or with your friends if you’re just looking to kill time and have fun on a lazy weekend afternoon. It manages to scratch that gaming itch well without raising my BPM or being boring. It ain’t No Man’s Sky, that’s for sure—and I mean that as the highest of praises.
Pros of Lightyear Frontier
| Things Lightyear Frontier Got Right |
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Peaceful Exploration and Farming Mechanics A Celebration of Technology and Nature Stunning Graphics and Aesthetics Great Casual Multiplayer Experience |
Peaceful Exploration and Farming Mechanics
I say peaceful, but "tranquil" is a better way to describe this game because there is conflict, just not in the form of enemies or hostile creatures. This is a game about farming and it doesn’t ever stray from that idea. Everything you do is for the betterment of your farm. Unlike other farming sims, however, there is no pressure to turn a profit or a time limit to restore the farmstead—you’re simply here to live and enjoy.
You can go ahead and explore ruined structures as well, though don’t expect any ancient evils or tomb guardians to bar your way. As the game repeatedly assures you, nothing will pop out from the rubble to rearrange your face with its fists. You’re rewarded with decorations for your trouble but it doesn’t feel like a cop-out because this was a sidequest to your farming gig to begin with.
Nothing ever feels boring even if nothing is threatening you half the time. I’m telling you, this is THE casual experience.
A Celebration of Technology and Nature
There are very few games that purposefully celebrate nature and technology in equal measure. Off the top of my head, I can only name Subnautica and ABZU, which are both set underwater. Lightyear Frontier celebrates terrestrial nature and agriculture as symbiotic concepts that aren’t necessarily exploitative—despite what modern technology has wrought in the real world.
Here, you farm without greed, without a need to cut corners or take more than you need to meet a deadline or quota. Here, technology is harmonious with nature, allowing mankind to benefit from it without ruining the delicate balance it had before we came to collect. It's a celebration of both concepts’ greatest aspects, and I think that’s a rarity in the current gaming scene.
Stunning Graphics and Aesthetics
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m a fan of how this game looks. I’m a fan of mechs in general, but I haven’t seen a lot of them look like this and it’s growing on me like corn on dirt. The agricultural stylings of this softer sci-fi solar punk aesthetic make everything easier on the eyes and sell the relaxing, casual nature of the game well.
More to that, it just stands out in a genre that’s saturated with admittedly generic sci-fi art direction. Put a yacht-shaped space cruiser here and a blaster rifle there, and you’ve lost me. This one has the benefit of being stylish as heck and practical to boot because it isn’t the most taxing on most systems while still looking good.
Great Casual Multiplayer Experience
Casual is great to play by yourself because you get to set your own pace and proceed as you see fit. It also helps those who don’t have the time or skill to play competitive games find solace in the hobby of gaming. That being said, casual is way more fun with friends, and Lightyear Frontier is no exception.
Apart from the obvious benefit of having more mechs working at the same time to build an alien farmstead faster, the lack of combat and relaxing pace make it a genuinely great game to catch up to friends with. It’s much easier to hold conversations when massive bugs aren’t trying to bite your head off after all.
Cons of Lightyear Frontier
| Things That Lightyear Frontier Can Improve |
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Could Benefit from More Quality of Life Features Progression Could Be Clearer |
Could Benefit from More Quality of Life Features
Despite how relaxing things are in this game, the gameplay itself could benefit from a few quality-of-life features. It’s not necessary to the point of being unplayable, but if Lightyear Frontier truly aimed to be the most relaxing alien farming sim on this side of the nebula, it’s going to have to add a few things.
For one thing, the game’s physics-based item collection and traversal could use a little bit of toning down. I like the notion of launching my fruit across the grassy plains for my mech to catch and store, but the looseness of the gravity tether makes doing so a bit of a pain, as the slightest incongruence in trajectory will see your produce being launched to orbit.
Another change would be with the game’s building system. Satisfactory is the gold standard for quality-of-life when it comes to base-building and I think Lightyear Frontier should take notes. For one thing, let me build with materials in containers. I hate having to take them out and lug them around for me to build them. It’s especially painful in the early game before you unlock the carrying capacity upgrade.
Progression Could Be Clearer
I love this game's exploration mechanics to bits, but sometimes I feel like that it leaves you to your own agricultural devices for a bit too long. Progression in this game is a bit clunky at the moment, not really telling you what to do next in the clearest way possible. You can very well discover the areas in the wrong order and the game won't tell you which of them could be cleared with your current upgrades. The game does have a waypoint system, although you set the actual waypoint yourself, meaning that you've got your limited knowledge to work with and not much else.
Is Lightyear Frontier Worth It?
Definitely, This Game is a Multiplayer Must-Have
Lightyear Frontier is a casual multiplayer experience that actually keeps things interesting without making you and your friends rage about balancing issues. $25 might seem like a higher price for a multiplayer game that you and your buddies will have to purchase separetely, but the game's lack of time limits and easy-going pace means that you can take your sweet time and enjoy hours upon hours of alien agriculture whenever you see fit. Its visuals and gameplay surely make up for the price and its Early Access status all but guarantees that there are more features, improvements, and EA supporter bonuses to come.
| Steam |
Xbox |
| $24.99 | |
Lightyear Frontier FAQ
Where Can I Find Red Crystals in Lightyear Frontier?
Red Crystals can be found in an area north of The Meadows called Pine Heights. They grow from small nodes found along cliff faces and walls. They are only available once you cleanse Pine Heights from Noxious Slimes.
How Do I Buy and Sell Resources, Items, and Blueprints in Lightyear Frontier?
You gain access to the Merchant's Landing after the game's tutorial, which requires Red Crystals to be built. Once you build it, the Merchant will arrive immediately, allowing you to buy and sell resources. She will leave before the evening and be back by noon every day as long as the Merchant's Landing is available.
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Lightyear Frontier Product Information
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| Title | LIGHTYEAR FRONTIER |
|---|---|
| Release Date | March 20, 2024 |
| Developer | FRAME BREAK, Amplifier Studios |
| Publisher | FRAME BREAK, Amplifier Studios |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One |
| Genre | Casual, Simulator |
| Number of Players | 1-4 (Online Multiplayer) |
| ESRB Rating | PEGI 3 |
| Official Website | Lightyear Frontier Website |
