Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars is perfectly suited for all the Elon Musk out there without the money of Elon Musk.

Surviving Mars is the best extra-terrestrial city builder currently on the market. Micromanagement-heavy and somewhat obscure, dedicated genre fans will nevertheless love it.

A potential play time of 100+ hours to see each mystery play out also ensures a ton of entertainment return on a meager investment of ~$40 USD. For those who love the city-sim genre, this is a no-brainer.

If we ever try to colonise our red neighbour, it’s going to be one of the greatest challenges that mankind will ever undertake. Though Surviving Mars makes a game out of it, Haemimont have brilliantly kept that hard edge, as it constantly pushes and tests your ability to plan with survival in mind, especially with the unpredictability of the Mysteries of Mars. There’s plenty of ways to improve it and put more colony control in the hands of the player, but the first landing is already off to a great start.

If one can get past these early hours, especially newcomers to the genre, then Surviving Mars will prove to be a joy. It's a truly-rewarding game and feels even better building a city with such unforgiving odds, backed by the strangeness of classic sci-fi. Surviving Mars is a gem and is sure to only go further through the stars from here.

Your first moments on Mars might be filled with doubt and confusion. But when you see through the dust storm and see the possibilities of Surviving Mars you will stick around for many hours to come.

Haemimont Games delivers a Sci Fi RTS that is deep and original. But Surviving Mars is tough on the control side (at least console version) and we miss some more variety.

A vast array of technology makes room for endless infrastructure combinations with a wonderful level of detail. A lack of content really brings down the game a few notches because the gameplay begins to feel repetitive after a while. Although the title has a lot of awesome details with science fiction flair, it doesn't bring any new surprises after a single playthrough. Whether players are seeking a challenging simulation or a chill Martian sandbox, Surviving Mars is a title that is worth a try.

There's a phenomenal level of detail, and it's incredibly satisfying to see everything come together. It's just a shame there isn't more guidance. [May 2018, p.79]

An enjoyable twist on the usual city building formula, that simulates the dangers of planetary colonisation impressively well – although it could have done with a slightly lighter touch.

Surviving Mars does not speak to the casual gamer, but it's also a good city-builder. Its creators Haemimont Games deeply love science-fiction, and they demonstrated it by giving their game a variety of scenarios together with its citybuilder nature. It deserves time to be appreciated, but seeing your colony become operative is always a satisfaction. Veterans could find a relatively new way to see science-fiction on their genre. Due to rigid gamepad controls, newcomers may consider the PC.

Fun and interesting, Surviving Mars is a kind-of-SimCity in the Mars surface that challenges the player to create his own civilization, buildings and survival system, adding some exploration mechanics.

A dearth of tutorials and a lack of consistent narrative can hamper the early stages of Surviving Mars. But have patience and this city builder emerges as an entertaining and addictive experience with tons of replay value and a dark streak of humour.

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.

Playing Surviving Mars is like watching someone put a kitten in a plastic bubble. It’s cute for a while, wobbling around in its new environment. But then you realize that the kitten is going to suffocate, and you are going to spend hours watching it slowly run out of air and die. Trying to get the kitten out of the bubble is hopeless. You don’t know anything about bubbles, and the kitten isn’t telling you. Have fun, kids!