Surviving Mars

 PC
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 218 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 218
  2. Mixed: 57 out of 218
  3. Negative: 41 out of 218

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  1. mhunke
    Mar 20, 2018
    4
    This game is basically an ALPHA release. It is clearly incomplete, and missing many basic features. It's actually quite mind-blowing.

    For example: - You can barely zoom out - You cannot select more than one unit at once - You cannot queue multiple commands whatsoever The biggest flaw, however, is the fact that you cannot connect your domes (settlements) in ANY MEANINGFUL    This game is basically an ALPHA release. It is clearly incomplete, and missing many basic features. It's actually quite mind-blowing.

    For example:

    - You can barely zoom out

    - You cannot select more than one unit at once

    - You cannot queue multiple commands whatsoever

    The biggest flaw, however, is the fact that you cannot connect your domes (settlements) in ANY MEANINGFUL WAY. They can share resources. That is all.

    You cannot have citizens living in one dome, and working in another. No matter how closer together they are. A citizen cannot take even one step outside to use a neighboring domes services (like a medical clinic).

    Once you realize this, GOOD LUCK enjoying the game. It completely ruined it and I stopped playing altogether. I wish I knew this before I wasted my weekend.

    I give it a 4 because beyond these core issues, the game shows great promise. I can't wait til it is actually a finished game.    … Expand
  2. Eleiren
    Apr 11, 2018
    4
    The first thing you realize once you start Surviving Mars for the first time is that there is no tutorial. Some may see this as a negative, I kind of liked it though.

    You are the first expedition to the red planet, figuring a lot of things out on the go via the tech tree and in a way it makes sense not to have a tutorial. You will make some mistakes and restart and eventually figure    The first thing you realize once you start Surviving Mars for the first time is that there is no tutorial. Some may see this as a negative, I kind of liked it though.

    You are the first expedition to the red planet, figuring a lot of things out on the go via the tech tree and in a way it makes sense not to have a tutorial.

    You will make some mistakes and restart and eventually figure out the basics. Easy to learn hard t master.

    The radio stations are enjoyable and have a lot of great music, feels a bit like the Sims with their own catchy tunes.
    The graphics are pretty and performance wise the game runs 100% fine for me, only in the late game lag becomes an issue, but that is expected.

    The tech-tree is randomized each play through giving you a new experience each time.

    Up until now the game sounds great and some may wonder why I rated it 3/10... Well buckle up:

    The most annoying issue is the fact that your domes do not interact with each other. You cant just build one residential dome, one for entertainment and one for work. Everything has to be in one dome, so each dome needs a residential building, some sort of food source and some form of entertainment.

    This completely destroys the colony feeling (at least for me) and makes micromanagement far less fun. It's plain annoying and makes dome building feel like a chore ("Did I place a Diner in this Dome already? Got Shops? Got work?") instead of being able to manage the colony at a greater scale....

    The UI is clunky and feels like its working against you at times with the way the mouse buttons are bound (Rover control).
    It just feels basic and not well thought out, you don't have an actual overview allowing you to see all colonists and their work (or lack of thereof).

    Talking about colonists... The Trait system is a nice touch, doesn't matter to much though at the end of the day. It was really hyped up that you had individuals that you had to take care of and not just a mass of anonymous little minions but at the end of the day that's what they feel like.

    I feel like these are symptoms of a greater underlying issue. The game feels like and early release title. And is certainly not worth it's 40$ price tag. Not yet at least.    … Expand
  3. Octomort
    Mar 18, 2018
    0
    There is potential for this game. However at the moment it should be called survive the tutorial rather than survive Mars. I am a gamer of some thirty years experience. I want to like this game. The graphics are reasonable for an Indie, the premise is good. but at the state of development I am writing about, it is user off putting. if you can borrow the game give it a try but do not buyThere is potential for this game. However at the moment it should be called survive the tutorial rather than survive Mars. I am a gamer of some thirty years experience. I want to like this game. The graphics are reasonable for an Indie, the premise is good. but at the state of development I am writing about, it is user off putting. if you can borrow the game give it a try but do not buy it, not yet. The interface can be annoying and more of a problem than actually living on Mars!… Expand
  4. Jrud05
    Mar 15, 2018
    3
    I’m not digging the fact that domes can’t be connected.
    The game should also have an in-depth tutorial available since it has a bit of a learning curve. Luckily there are plenty of YouTube videos that help figure things out.
    My biggest concern so far though is the level of challenge, it just doesn’t seem to be very difficult. It would seem as if the game would need to be tough especially    I’m not digging the fact that domes can’t be connected.
    The game should also have an in-depth tutorial available since it has a bit of a learning curve. Luckily there are plenty of YouTube videos that help figure things out.
    My biggest concern so far though is the level of challenge, it just doesn’t seem to be very difficult. It would seem as if the game would need to be tough especially right at the beginning instead of the challenge only increasing as you play.
    The game seems to be mostly focused on logistics. It’s annoying to have to spend most of your time moving materials around.
    Hopefully with some updates, this game can be all it’s cracked up to be.    … Expand
  5. Janherbergh
    Mar 18, 2018
    2
    The games lacks a tutorial and the control layout on PS4 is confusing and complicated. But the worst thing (and the one makes de game totally unplayable) is the small text font they use on screen. Maybe it works on Pc, but not on the normal installation of a game console. The support is awful and there's no answer on the multiple complaints on Paradox forum. It's a. absolute waste of my money.
  6. yosa1
    Apr 7, 2018
    4
    This is a mars colonization simulation that aims to add discovery, tight management with a sandbox feel. I find its various systems to be a mess; the overall feel of the game is mediocre.

    Game play - you start with automated builders to set up a supply chain before you can colonize, those drones are controlled by various control stations, drone rovers and the rockets that you use for    This is a mars colonization simulation that aims to add discovery, tight management with a sandbox feel. I find its various systems to be a mess; the overall feel of the game is mediocre.

    Game play - you start with automated builders to set up a supply chain before you can colonize, those drones are controlled by various control stations, drone rovers and the rockets that you use for supply; the problem I noticed right away is not all drones are active across command areas when there is enough free space at a command. Time management in this game is a mess, structures will wear down by the time time you unload a cargo rocket full of the material it needs for maintenance,
    resource producing buildings will stop working or produce slowly at this point impacting any functional resource chain. Hex based assets and main grid do no work with a managed area, never have; the inability to make a pipe line in the direction that is needed ruins layout design. Time is handled in an asinine manner in whereby the tasks you take do not represent a believable in game disbelief, instead it feels fine tuned to make resources thin.

    Graphics - there great, they are detailed, there is an adequate zoom; no bugs nor lack thereof.

    Sound - adequate, not the best not the worst, and in a game like this, a looping soundtrack is about the norm.

    I would say the game play and shallow feel of this game weigh it down heavily; play it if your a fan of the genre, otherwise you will be disappointed.    … Expand
  7. telefoonboek
    Mar 24, 2018
    0
    I am writing a bad review sadly. Paradox does have an excellent marketing department, they are really active on social media and other gaming media. They know their advertising and they got me really hyped about the game.

    However the hype is bigger then the game itself. The graphics themselves look good, but it does a very poor job explaining itself. A turtorial is almost non existant.    I am writing a bad review sadly. Paradox does have an excellent marketing department, they are really active on social media and other gaming media. They know their advertising and they got me really hyped about the game.

    However the hype is bigger then the game itself. The graphics themselves look good, but it does a very poor job explaining itself. A turtorial is almost non existant. And thats where it ends for me.    … Expand
  8. Latviga
    Mar 19, 2018
    0
    Worse game I've ever played. It gets so boring so fast so fast. PlanetBase was a much better game.
  9. TitaniumDragon
    Nov 18, 2018
    3
    Surviving Mars is a 2X game. I say 2X because it is about half of a 4X game – it has the explore and expand parts down, but you’re just colonizing a dead planet, rather than competing with anyone else. The “risk” is that of a natural disaster of some sort or other striking your fledging Martian colony, but without anything really pushing back against you, it ends up feeling like you’reSurviving Mars is a 2X game. I say 2X because it is about half of a 4X game – it has the explore and expand parts down, but you’re just colonizing a dead planet, rather than competing with anyone else. The “risk” is that of a natural disaster of some sort or other striking your fledging Martian colony, but without anything really pushing back against you, it ends up feeling like you’re going through the motions.

    The game tries to differentiate itself from other, similar games – as a game with real-time building and development going on, it tries to create some time pressures, and you have to lay out electrical lines and pipes to transport life-giving water and air, as well as use autonomous drones to explore the surface and build stuff. But in the end, it all ends up falling a bit flat.

    You are in charge of overseeing the colonization of Mars. You aren’t an actual character, but the standard impersonal RTS commander. The game starts with you deploying a rocket to Mars full of the stuff you’re going to need to set up your colony. Rather than starting you off with people on the planet, instead you start off with a bunch of drones and some prefab structures to help set up your first colony. You must set up some water condensers, some oxygen refiners, set up some fuel manufacture (so you can send your reusable rocket back home), and eventually build a glass dome for you to build your colony inside, using metal you’ve scrounged from the surface and cement you’ve refined using an autonomous factory.

    This is all pretty rote; while you get the chance to slowly learn how the game works, this part is pretty challenge-free, and is mostly just going through the motions.

    Only once you’ve got that glass dome built – and some buildings inside that – is it wise for you to summon another rocket, this one full of people. Each of these rockets can contain up to 12 colonists. You get to pick from a list of colonists of various professions, with various perks and flaws – some might be religious and thus have higher morale and never commit suicide, while others might be gluttonous, eating twice as much food. Some of these perks and flaws are better than others, and as you don’t have fine control over who the volunteers are, you have to go over a list of a few hundred people to find the ones you actually want, using some filters to find ones with particular traits or professions you want.

    This sets you into the next phase of the game, where you must keep these colonists alive for 10 sols (the game’s year-equivalent, though it treats each one as if it were a day). This is not really challenging if you’ve set yourself up properly, as all you really have to do is make sure people don’t starve to death and have something to do, like research technologies, grow food, or serve it to other people in the diner.

    Once you manage to keep those 12 alive, you can start requesting more colonists from Earth.

    Over the rest of the game, you research more advanced technologies, giving you access to new, better buildings, as well as various passive perks. Meanwhile, you work on expanding your base, building more domes, and eventually dealing with the offspring of colonists, working to train them up to be your next generation of colonists, while still bringing over more people from Earth.

    Unfortunately, the game as a whole is kind of mediocre. If you aren’t paying attention, your stuff can break down, but once you build up a decent enough supply line, it basically becomes impossible to fail and you just gradually steamroll your way over the surface of Mars. The game has a ton of micromanagement to pay attention to, but it also feels like a lot of it is outside of your direct control, as the little builder drones you have zip around and do their thing without your direct input most of the time. It’s a bit annoying to watch them not build something you want them to build, or to let something accumulate somewhere until the building can’t produce any more until a drone comes by, but even that can be circumvented by building or importing more drones.

    In the end, it all felt kind of tedious. Gradually building out your stuff without having any opposing force or faction is just kind of dull; it’s like a game of civilization where you never have to interact with any opponent and can just keep building up your cities and never react to anything. I encountered no serious setbacks, with the worst thing I faced being a broken water chip which cost me a bit of money to replace. While I intellectually appreciated that the game tried to be a bit simulationist in order to make it feel like you were colonizing a lifeless planet, it didn’t translate into fun gameplay.

    All in all, Surviving Mars is mostly a game of surviving tedium. It just doesn’t ever excel in any way, and the game struggles to engage you more than passively.    … Expand
  10. Elysium82
    Mar 26, 2021
    0
    This game gets 0 for sure. It feels like a lame beta release. The colonists do whatever the hell they wish to. That is the only realistic thing...I assume on Mars that would mean death, but whatever. So, in a nutshell: this game is the perfect example of how a lame AI should work.
  11. nahuelst
    Sep 15, 2021
    0
    Y tuvieron que arruinar todas mis partidas guardadas, ya no sirven más, para poner el parche DLC que yo ni siquiera compré. Una absoluta falta de respeto hacia los jugadores de este juego. Lo tendré muy en cuenta en mis futuras compras, en las cuales dudo mucho que incluya a estos desarrolladores tan cínicos.
  12. Tomaso
    Jan 28, 2019
    2
    Replayability is not meant to be reached only with some randomized events - the gameplay should feel good at first.
    Here, the gameplay is feeling bad - not enough management options, no proper aim to add drive to the game.
    The game is about setting the colony, but you can't even connect your domes in any sensible way. If you are into economic simulators/city builders/tycoon, avoid at    Replayability is not meant to be reached only with some randomized events - the gameplay should feel good at first.
    Here, the gameplay is feeling bad - not enough management options, no proper aim to add drive to the game.

    The game is about setting the colony, but you can't even connect your domes in any sensible way.
    If you are into economic simulators/city builders/tycoon, avoid at all costs - it will only make you mad because you will not be able to get things done in the colony, like they should be done.

    The first couple of hours may feel interesting but only because you have to learn basic operations... Then you find out there's nothing more left, and you can't even optimize these simple actions.

    It feels like an ALPHA version with basic features set up, but no one ever taken time to think about how to connect these features into satisfying and deep gameplay.
    Quite a potential, but... wel... maybe they will reach ~60% of it with DLCs, as always with Paradox.

    All this stupid pace of the game could appeal to somebody who haven't ever played a well designed game like this. For all the others - it will get tedious faster than you'd expect.    … Expand
  13. Malah
    Apr 9, 2021
    2
    I really like the game. There is a lot of planning involved in building your base since you can fail quickly. I enjoyed playing the game even when my first few days were just failures because I was forgetting about something. Music is really well composed. However, I have never finished any scenario, it took ages to upload the saved game to Epic store and in most cases it didn't work atI really like the game. There is a lot of planning involved in building your base since you can fail quickly. I enjoyed playing the game even when my first few days were just failures because I was forgetting about something. Music is really well composed. However, I have never finished any scenario, it took ages to upload the saved game to Epic store and in most cases it didn't work at the firs attempt. Each time I tried to play I needed to wait ages for the synchronisation with a cloud so at some point I just give up. Which is a shame because the game seams is great. I regreat that i get it on epic store.… Expand
  14. Bushido95
    Sep 28, 2021
    4
    Игра кажется не завершена и довольно таки скучная, но если это реально финальная версия, то это печально.
  15. Rnoviok
    Dec 4, 2021
    4
    A game with an interesting idea but for me monotonous and quickly boring .
  16. MaxBouncer
    Feb 26, 2023
    0
    Se você está pensando em comprar esse jogo é possuiu um macOS com o sistema Ventura não compre porque o jogo não funciona desde a atualização e o suporte pouco se importa com isso. Eles continuam vendendo o jogo em diversas plataforma informando que ele funciona em macOS na versão atualizada mas o fato é outro. Você pode entrar no site deles e procurar a area de suporte que vai terSe você está pensando em comprar esse jogo é possuiu um macOS com o sistema Ventura não compre porque o jogo não funciona desde a atualização e o suporte pouco se importa com isso. Eles continuam vendendo o jogo em diversas plataforma informando que ele funciona em macOS na versão atualizada mas o fato é outro. Você pode entrar no site deles e procurar a area de suporte que vai ter comprovado a minha informação.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

67
#67 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
52
#52 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 39
  3. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Sep 13, 2018
    80
    Slow but hypnotically absorbing building strategy game. You will feel great while conquering the inhospitable planet, pity for designer’s mistake in not being able to connect the domes. [Issue#285]
  2. Jeuxvideo.com
    Jun 23, 2018
    65
    Surviving Mars surely doesn't lack charm and depth. Dedicated gamers will be pleased to establish a massive colony. Others will probably look for a more structured and organized game.
    Read full review
  3. CD-Action
    Jun 5, 2018
    70
    The depth of systems overseeing gameplay is commendable. It’s a shame though that few players will find enough patience to endure poorly balanced pace and experience Surviving Mars’ biggest strength – its inventive endgame. [05/2018, p.82]
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