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

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Widden
    Dec 3, 2018
    9
    Brilliant builder game, very interesting, reasonably complex mechanics, beautiful graphics & pretty good usability.

    I reckon the really negative older reviews were mostly due to a lot of things not completely polished at that point - but now the game is really well playable, bug-free, and the interface is user-friendly. And on top, there's some mysteries to uncover. :) The game    Brilliant builder game, very interesting, reasonably complex mechanics, beautiful graphics & pretty good usability.

    I reckon the really negative older reviews were mostly due to a lot of things not completely polished at that point - but now the game is really well playable, bug-free, and the interface is user-friendly.

    And on top, there's some mysteries to uncover. :)

    The game is tons of fun, with only some slight nags, nothing worth crying about.

    The main points that could improve IMO are the in the controls area, eg somewhat sluggish camera handling with mouse.

    Oh, and I think they've missed an opportunity by not having a game 'ending' of some sort.    … Expand
  2. Gabryells42
    Mar 24, 2018
    9
    A beautiful game with interesting dynamics. The tutorial that needs to be something, which makes the game a bit confusing at first. However, on afterwards it becomes very creative, mysterious and challenging.
  3. alexaltair
    Mar 27, 2018
    9
    Perfect game. A long waiting strategy/simulator/building game. Worth playing.
  4. adrenilinmatt
    Apr 11, 2020
    10
    amazing game, sunk so many hours into this already. dont understand the low user score here, only complaint i have with this game is too much micro management, visuals are gorgeous, it runs like a dream, well made overall.
  5. Sandro86
    May 17, 2020
    10
    I friggin love this game. No action, no violence and yet it is so immersive.
  6. Kedar89
    Apr 2, 2018
    10
    Very interesting game. I play a total of 30+ hours. The idea itself is very exciting, and the implementation is quite good.
  7. speedpitch
    Mar 18, 2018
    10
    Zum Glück gibt es kein Tutorial. - Da wir das erste Mal auf dem Mars sind und uns durchkämpfen müssen eine Zivilisation zu gründen. Ist dies genau der richtige Weg das Spiel mit Trial and Error zu beginnen.

    Grafik 9.5 - schöne Atmosphäre, viele liebevolle Details Musik 10 - mehrere Radiostationen zum Auswählen (ähnlich Fallout) Spiel 10 - Es gibt viele Perks, unendliche Variationen    Zum Glück gibt es kein Tutorial. - Da wir das erste Mal auf dem Mars sind und uns durchkämpfen müssen eine Zivilisation zu gründen. Ist dies genau der richtige Weg das Spiel mit Trial and Error zu beginnen.

    Grafik 9.5 - schöne Atmosphäre, viele liebevolle Details
    Musik 10 - mehrere Radiostationen zum Auswählen (ähnlich Fallout)
    Spiel 10 - Es gibt viele Perks, unendliche Variationen wie man voran kommt.
    Wiederspielwert 9,5 - viele Geheminisse zu entdecken

    Für mich nach Jahren, endlich eine wunderschöne Marssimulation.    … Expand
  8. umbershap
    Apr 24, 2018
    9
    Great game, It was the most clean launch I've ever seen. Played it over 70 hours and never faced with a bug. Soundtracks are also masterpiece specially quantum sonic radio. I hope they continue to support to this game. I don't know why meta score of this game is low.
  9. TopHatTortoise
    Apr 4, 2018
    10
    Surviving Mars captures the feel of managing a Martian colony, and cares enough about getting the science right enough to pass a nerd's basic immersion checks. It fills exactly the gaming niche you would hope it does

    More than that, the survival aspect maintains player engagement --- screw up and everyone dies --- with sufficient tools in place that such deaths occur fairly, caused by    Surviving Mars captures the feel of managing a Martian colony, and cares enough about getting the science right enough to pass a nerd's basic immersion checks. It fills exactly the gaming niche you would hope it does

    More than that, the survival aspect maintains player engagement --- screw up and everyone dies --- with sufficient tools in place that such deaths occur fairly, caused by player error or mismanagement of risk.

    The game's "mysteries" system add good story vignettes that provide mid-late game direction and enjoyment where other city builders can become dull.

    Finally, the strong mod support means that the game's sub-optimal UI has already been fixed, and signals a high likelihood of excellent mod content in the future    … Expand
  10. PinkusPaekus
    Dec 12, 2020
    10
    Чудесная игра. Очень атмосферная. Всё потрясающе проработано. Потенциал для многократного прохождения с различными настройками сложности и изменяемыми условиями - присутствует :)
  11. Jenne
    Jul 10, 2021
    10
    I wasn't impressed with Surviving Mars at launch. In just two hours I found a lot of bugs and a mountain of features and systems that clearly needed a bit more time in the oven. When I saw it in a bundle with Aven Colony and Stellaris for 18 euro though I gave it another shot. And boy has this game grown. I immediately bought the season pass and with all the content the game is simplyI wasn't impressed with Surviving Mars at launch. In just two hours I found a lot of bugs and a mountain of features and systems that clearly needed a bit more time in the oven. When I saw it in a bundle with Aven Colony and Stellaris for 18 euro though I gave it another shot. And boy has this game grown. I immediately bought the season pass and with all the content the game is simply amazing. It already swallowed 30 hours of my time and I still feel haven't seen anything yet. A minor gripe - too bad the visuals are not nearly as sexy as the Tropico games, especially the UI looks cheap and old. I think it's a mistake for strategy/building game devs to underestimate visuals, it's what sells. But the rest of the game is phenomenal. The depth and complexity is absolutely spot on for my tastes, it's one of my favourite games of the last decade.… Expand
  12. Klewer
    Jul 27, 2021
    8
    A great little sim city style game about developing a colony on Mars. Plenty of depth and replay ability. Well worth your time and has different challenges and scenarios to keep you interested.
  13. Spartan91
    Jun 19, 2018
    9
    This is a fun, game that's relaxing and stressful at the same time. It's not for you if you don't have the patience, it's not that easy to get into and takes it's time. You have to constantly deal with your colonys problems and make sure that you're planning for the long term. It also brutally punishes any mistakes you make, you might spend hours on a colony and by the time you realize youThis is a fun, game that's relaxing and stressful at the same time. It's not for you if you don't have the patience, it's not that easy to get into and takes it's time. You have to constantly deal with your colonys problems and make sure that you're planning for the long term. It also brutally punishes any mistakes you make, you might spend hours on a colony and by the time you realize you did something wrong it might be entirely too late to do anything about. With you desperately and hopelessly struggling to safe it.
    I liked the graphics and design of the game, the whole look really adds to the experience. Controls are simple and easy to learn. I would have liked some more statistics to help plan my production and figure out my colonys consumption of resources. I guess it adds to the challenge, forcing you to do more planning yourself.
    The story elements are a fun addition to the game, really adding to the replay value.    … Expand
  14. Leviax
    Nov 22, 2018
    10
    Игра получилась хорошей. Неплохая графика как для стратегий. Интересное взаимодействия между НПС.
  15. Psiraphim
    Mar 21, 2019
    8
    Отличный градостроительный симулятор другой планеты. Интересные события, хорошо продуманная экономическая составляющая. С точки зрения реализма есть некоторые проблемы (куполы бессмысленные, потому как проще отдельные здания связывать трубами-переходами, питание только растениями и быстрый полет) но все перекрывает юмор. Don't Panic!Отличный градостроительный симулятор другой планеты. Интересные события, хорошо продуманная экономическая составляющая. С точки зрения реализма есть некоторые проблемы (куполы бессмысленные, потому как проще отдельные здания связывать трубами-переходами, питание только растениями и быстрый полет) но все перекрывает юмор. Don't Panic!
  16. Genek13
    Feb 10, 2022
    9
    One of the best sim-economy-strategy games I played in recent years. The atmosphere and mechanics are driving you in to hours with this game.
  17. Ryhley
    Dec 27, 2019
    9
    I played it on Mac. It counts as PC game ? I absolutely loved it. The graphics was great, the tempo of a game was good, sometimes the amount of disasters at same time, same region was a bit too much. But Definitely a game worth several hours per level. And few dozens in general (so far :) ).
  18. Gorbunov2004
    Jul 18, 2021
    9
    Игра прикольная но через пару часов быстро надоедает и больше в неё играть не хочется. Как стратегия игра хорошая, меню отвратительное и кривое. Но все равно колонистом быть прикольно!
  19. CompleteIdiot
    Mar 17, 2021
    8
    I thoroughly enjoyed the game overall. It has plenty of fun mechanics, and seeing your colony grow is very pleasing visually. Great concept and overall solid execution. But unfortunately the end game is quite lacking for me. You build all the wonders, see a pretty colony and feel happy for a while. But having an additional run with different difficulty settings seems unnecessary, as thereI thoroughly enjoyed the game overall. It has plenty of fun mechanics, and seeing your colony grow is very pleasing visually. Great concept and overall solid execution. But unfortunately the end game is quite lacking for me. You build all the wonders, see a pretty colony and feel happy for a while. But having an additional run with different difficulty settings seems unnecessary, as there is little incentive to do so. The variations between runs is not there, you will gain the same tech and focus on the same economic points. I recommend the game for anyone who wants to play something strategic for 10-15 hours.… Expand
  20. Hensin
    May 4, 2022
    9
    Очень атмосферная игра с возможностью создавать свою колонию, развивать ее, как тебе хочется, что построить в первую очередь, а что во вторую. При этом люблю усложненные варианты игры, где побольше метеоритов, песчаных бурь и торнадо. Нравится огромное количество модов к игре и обновления до сих пор выходят, т.е. разработчики игру не бросили. Но при этом хотелось бы побольше разныхОчень атмосферная игра с возможностью создавать свою колонию, развивать ее, как тебе хочется, что построить в первую очередь, а что во вторую. При этом люблю усложненные варианты игры, где побольше метеоритов, песчаных бурь и торнадо. Нравится огромное количество модов к игре и обновления до сих пор выходят, т.е. разработчики игру не бросили. Но при этом хотелось бы побольше разных рельефов, которые можно было бы выбрать в начале игры. Хочется увидеть более сложные ландшафты, где построить базу было бы вообще очень сложно.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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]
See all critic reviews »