Open-world sandbox survival games always entice survival game enthusiasts, especially when it means stepping into unknown worlds whether they are blooming with alien life, or if they are desolate and barren lands where you have to start from scratch. Our next-door neighboring planet Mars is also a topic of discussion in the real world, where humans are actively planning and working to colonize the red planet to survive and grow in numbers. Following the same idea, Occupy Mars The Game works on the same principle where players will start from scratch, build their own colony, nurture, and survive.
Developed by Pyramid Games, I got to play Occupy Mars The Game thanks to the review code provided by the publisher. As a fan of survival and space exploration games, it got me excited to see what it would be like to colonize Mars and build a thriving community on the dry, cold red planet. While the main concept and the elements of Occupy Mars The Game aren’t something new, as we have seen many survival games such as No Man’s Sky and Osiris, what made Occupy Mars stand out was how closely it represents our near future space explorations to Mars.
While still in Early Access, the game has got its fair share of bugs and minor glitches. But that is far from being the main problem with the game. It all begins with the infuriatingly never ending tutorial that spoon-feeds every step. Considering that it was to be a “highly technical” game, I initially thought that the tutorial really wanted me to get to grips with everything that is to come later. The tutorial also shows a pre-built and highly functional Mars station, giving us the first look at what you can and will build in the game when it comes to colonizing the planet.
And just as you are getting used to the monotonous tasks of learning botany, collecting items, and learning about resource materials, things start to take a dramatic turn when a rocket fails to launch, blows up, and destroys the Mars base. This is where the game truly begins, and in all honesty, it is the point where the game actually starts to get good. Your escape pod contains all your life survival necessities while venturing out on the surface of the planet to start all over again. From mining rocks, and looking for water, to making solar panels for electricity. This is where you can have control over the game and create a new Martian base that you see fit.
The environment of the planet is what challenges the player at first, from the hostile environment and elements to meteor showers, storms, and radiation that can put your life at risk. Once you get used to that, you can build your own base, explore the planet even further, and on rovers to cover large distances and carry materials. The nighttime on the planet is exactly how you would expect it to be. It becomes uncomfortably dark as the sun goes down, forcing the player to make lights from LEDs. However, things get easier as you progress in the game and get a lot of help from robots.
The visuals of the game are quite underwhelming. From the design of things like dead-in-the-eyes NPCs, buildings, and items, nothing really stands out or pleases the eye. The Martian surface is also quite dull, making it all seem like the game engine wasn’t fully utilized. It is by no means the worst that I have ever seen, but it didn’t really strike me as the best either. When I did get used to all the issues, I began getting the hang of things and had built a decent base that I was actually really proud of. But right when I wanted more, there was nothing left to do. There are no additional missions waiting for you, no items to research, and no areas to go and explore that you haven’t already. And that is what left me feeling empty and slightly disappointed, to say the least.
Final Verdict:
All things said, Occupy Mars: The Game needs a lot of refining before it can actually considered be a complete game. Although the developers have said it to be a technical survival game, it is nothing ground breaking when it comes to this genre. The concept of the game is fantastic, and quite frankly, it is what got many players excited about the game. The game promised what it would be like to colonize Mars in the very near future, but lacked in giving the true feeling of what it could actually be. Nonetheless, there is likely more content to be added to the game, which might bring new missions, additional tasks, and even more items. But before that, there is a lot of refining to do, with a touch of fun that can make the game more exciting. If you are interested in the game, you can download the early access version from the game’s Steam page
Early Access Final Score: 4.0/10
