This coming Tuesday marks the arrival of two major additions to Xbox Game Pass, with one of them being the brand-new and long-awaited farming adventure, Lightyear Frontier. We first heard about this title multiple years ago, and despite a few delays since, it's now finally ready to launch - at least in an "Xbox Game Preview" form.
Ahead of Tuesday's release, some critics have been getting hands-on with the early access version of Lightyear Frontier already, so we've got plenty of hands-on impressions to share. Here's what some of the reviews are saying:
Windows Central (4.5/5)
"Lightyear Frontier's development team is determined to bring its debut indie game to life. Despite an indefinite delay, the game's well-defined roadmap for expected updates promises an exceptional, comforting gaming experience. Although there's still room for improvement, the early-access farming simulator could transform into the cooperative game of my dreams."
TheGamer (4/5)
"Lightyear Frontier takes cozy farming sims to the next level as this one takes place in outer space. Not the kind of distant planet normally portrayed in video games, this one is peaceful, allowing you to build a home and craft a mech either alone or with friends."
IGN (7/10)
"Lightyear Frontier is already a fun farming and crafting game that takes some pretty simple genre basics and makes them exciting again by putting you in a big ol' stompy robot suit. Things can start a little slow and the story definitely ends too early as of its Early Access launch, but the charming world to explore and make your own outshines its current limitations."
GamesRadar (Positive)
"Lightyear Frontier is a delightfully peaceful adventure in an inviting world that shows a lot of potential in Early Access. While it's in need of a little refinement to make the experience more streamlined overall, the mech offers up a fun, fresh approach to farming, with a variety of tools to play with and a satisfying sense of progression."
Rock, Paper, Shotgun (Mostly Positive)
"Lightyear Frontier brings up just enough questions to feel uncomfortable and then sets you off on a loop with such forward momentum that you can’t do anything with them. And that momentum is fun, and its questions leave me curious, both of which are good things for an early access farming game. I will probably come back to both enjoy more of those chill, resource-guzzling days and to find out what the game has to say about them. Whether I’ll be satisfied in the end, though, remains to be seen."
As it's launching in "Xbox Game Preview" form, we're not getting many review scores just yet, but the majority of critics seem to have positive things to say about Lightyear Frontier in this early stage in its lifespan.
If you want to try it for yourself, there's a free demo available on the Xbox Store right now, while the Xbox Game Pass version arrives on Tuesday, March 19th. You can also watch the launch trailer up above!