Surviving mars

The red planet. Setting foot on the red planet has long been a subject of science fiction for humanity, but plans to "get it over with" are well underway.

In the game Surviving Mars, you play as the leader of this colonization project. Decisions will vary on expanding, what colonists to bring, resource management and much more. You're a handful of snowflakes in a desert full of dangers, both internal and external.

The game

Your goal is to create a self sufficient settlement. Initially you can request extra settlers and resources from earth, but that well will dry up eventually. You'll have to mine, research and expand your base. Much like any city builder, except with added resource management and more disasters.

Disaster!

Depending on the area and "difficulty" of the spot you plant your initial base in, you will be faced with various dangers. Extreme cold, Dust and electrical storms, meteor storms and rebellion from within. Not to mention certain resources simply running out.

Sightseeing

The world is immersive, you can do a full 360 degree rotation, zoom in and our etc. You can get super close to even the individual colonists within your base. You can't really make out face details, but from a size perspective that's pretty up close and personal. Just remember to take a few minutes every so and then to really enjoy the reddish scenery of this game. Even just take a second to enjoy the sunrise.

Every problem has a solution however, and it's up to you to figure out how to handle each of them in a timely manner, before your colonists die - and they will. Hopefully for them it's of old age and not a meteor to the head, starvation or asphyxiation.

Keep your people happy (and alive)

Colonists are a picky bunch. You'd think just being kept alive and fed would be enough for a settler but no,. they want to socialize, gamble, shop, exercise. Honestly, they have high expectations for your base. If their expectations are not met their morale may drop and become renegades. Prepare to deal with some sincerely awful effects if that problem grows. Rockets may fail to lift off and explode - causing millions worth of damage. Hostile takeovers and earth-military incursions are also among the possible threats. Don't think for a second this is a simple city builder sim, you'll have politics to deal with as well.

But, you can shape the world to your liking. Giant domes, beautiful scenery. And since the game is released by Paradox you can place a sure bet on a lot of DLCs coming your way to further improve the game's options.

You can find Surviving mars on the humble store, steam and various consoles.

Release date: 15 Mar, 2018

Minimum system requirements: Windows 7 - 64 bit or newer, 4th gen intel i3 CPU or equivalent, 4 GB Ram, HD 4600/Geforce 620, Radeon 6450 or equivalent GPUs with 1 GB of Video ram, 6 GB available Hard disk space.