Surviving Mars Review Summary

Enjoyable and fun gameplay: Many players found the game to be enjoyable and fun, with engaging and excellent gameplay. The game runs smoothly and provides an entertaining experience.

Standout city-building game: The game is considered a standout entry in the city-building genre, with beautiful strategy elements and solid city-building mechanics.

Satisfying colony building: The game is praised for its colony-building aspects, with players finding it fun and satisfying. It is considered one of the better colony builder and resource management games.

Interesting and understandable mechanics: Players appreciate the game's mechanics, finding them interesting and understandable, although some may find them complicated.

Unique Mars setting: The game's unique setting on Mars, with its striking and desolate landscape, appeals to many players. The ability to terraform Mars adds to the game's appeal.

DLC Criticisms: There are numerous complaints about the number, quality, and pricing of DLCs. Players find them expensive, poorly executed, and not worth the investment.

Removal of Original Game: The original game and its DLCs have been removed from the store, forcing players to repurchase the game for future access and updates.

Game Bugs and Crashes: The game is reported to be buggy and prone to crashes, with many players experiencing game-breaking bugs that have not been fixed.

Forced Repurchase for Updates: Players are dissatisfied that they need to buy the relaunched version of the game to get bug fixes and new content, which they believe should be provided for free.

Minimal Improvements in Relaunch: The relaunched version of the game is seen as a reskin with minimal improvements, requiring players to pay again for the same game with minor changes.

Colony and settlement management: The game focuses heavily on colony and settlement management, including base building, city planning, and resource management.

Challenging gameplay and scenarios: Players face various challenges and events, including randomized scenarios and decision-making trials that test their strategic skills.

Mars colonization theme: The game is set on Mars, focusing on building settlements and colonies, with operations and events specific to the Martian environment.

Terraforming and environmental progression: The game includes terraforming mechanics, allowing players to modify landscapes and environments, particularly in the context of Martian colonization.

Resource logistics: Resource extraction, transportation, generation, and distribution are key aspects of the gameplay, requiring strategic planning and management.

Game-breaking bugs and crashes: Several users have encountered game-breaking bugs, frequent crashes, and freezing issues. Some specific issues include the game locking up, becoming unresponsive, and crashing more than ten times a day.

MacOS-specific issues: There are specific issues related to MacOS, including the need for optimization for MacOS Silicon series chips and graphics problems on Mac. Some users also report that the game runs better on Linux compared to MacOS.

Visual and graphical issues: Some users have noted visual bugs and graphical problems, although visual and performance are considered strong points by others.

Cursor and freezing issues: Specific issues include the mouse cursor getting stuck in a corner and the game freezing completely.

Cloud save issues: There are reports of issues with cloud saved games, indicating potential problems with saving and loading game progress.

Recommended DLCs enhance gameplay: Several DLCs are frequently recommended by players, such as Space Race, Green Planet, and Colony Design Set. These DLCs are noted to significantly enhance the gameplay experience.

Mixed feelings on specific DLCs: While many DLCs are recommended, some like Project Laika are not well-received by players.

Recommended for specific genres: The game is highly recommended for fans of base building, survival games, and the space genre. It is also suggested for those who enjoy economy management and complex logistical challenges.

Positive recommendations: Several players strongly recommend the game, highlighting its fun base-building aspects and the depth of management it offers.

Free updates and legal availability: Players appreciate that bug fixes and fundamental upgrades for the relaunched version are provided for free. They also value keeping the old version and its comments available on the store.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00.

Game completion: 30.0h.

Endgame: 100.0h.

The game has a slow and tedious early phase with a steep learning curve, but it becomes more enjoyable in the late game as players master the mechanics and strategies.

Reported time to anchor: 2h.

Friction: Steep learning curve; Slow pacing; Tedious early game; Lack of in-depth tutorials.

Unlock drivers: Learning game mechanics; Mastering strategies; Reaching late game.

Strategic Veteran: Long-term strategic planning and experimentation. Motivation: Mastery and strategic depth. Stance: sale.

Value-Conscious Critic: Casual building and management. Motivation: Fair pricing and value for money. Stance: deep sale.

Disillusioned Fan: Previously engaged but now disillusioned. Motivation: Fair treatment and respect for long-time players. Stance: no buy.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback reveals several key themes impacting the Steam Deck experience. Users have mixed feelings about controller and touchscreen usability, with some finding it challenging to use the controller for precise movements while others appreciate the touchscreen features. There is a strong desire for the game to be officially verified for the Steam Deck, as many users report that it runs well on the device. Battery life and management are significant concerns, with some users experiencing faster battery degradation due to frequent charging. The removal of Linux support by Paradox has led to frustration among Linux users. Additionally, there are reports of game instability, including frequent crashes and bugs, which negatively impact the user experience.

Linux and Proton: The game previously supported native Linux, but this support was removed after Paradox took over. This removal of native Linux support is a significant issue for Linux users, as it forces them to rely on compatibility layers like Proton, which may not provide the same level of performance or stability.

Monetization: The analysis of user reviews for 'Surviving Mars' reveals significant dissatisfaction with the game's relaunch and monetization practices. Key issues include the forced repurchase of the game for bug fixes, charging for updates that should be free, perceived corporate greed, aggressive DLC monetization, and abandonment of the original game. These practices are seen as predatory and unethical, leading to a highly negative user experience.

DLC mentioned: A reviewer mentioned the DLC. No further details were provided.

Game was pirated: A reviewer admitted to pirating the game. This feedback may not be relevant to legitimate players.