Info about Mars Horizon:

Official game description:
In Mars Horizon, you take control of a major space agency, leading it from the dawn of the space age through to landing astronauts on Mars. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space travel - any of the agencies can be the first to land on The Moon if you make the right choices. Manage the numerous challenges faced then and now:
*   Create your own space agency and base with launch pads, research labs, astronaut training facilities, and much more
*   Construct custom vehicles from hundreds of combinations
*   Launch satellites and crewed spacecraft to explore the Solar System
*   Run mission control as you solve the various challenges of turn-based missions to earn scientific advancement and public support
*   Recreate famous missions conducted by NASA, ESA and CNSA - including the Perseverance Rover, Ingenuity Helicopter, Zhurong Rover and Rosetta space probe missions.
*   Explore an extensive tech tree and compete or collaborate with other agencies to plot your roadmap to Mars
*   Choose from five unique space agencies, each with their own traits, base, vehicles, and spacecraft
*   Build with unlimited freedom in a fully-customisable Sandbox Mode
You’re in charge of every element of the journey into space: success rides on your decisions.
Will you push to stay ahead of the other agencies, or focus on testing and research? There are multiple ways to ensure the first person on Mars is under your command. Every choice matters: will you invest in the most advanced technology or take risks in the rush to the red planet?
Using actual events and missions as inspiration, can you handle the challenges faced by real space agencies?
Management is a vital aspect of Mars Horizon. You'll need to design and build the right spacecraft, hire and train the crew, and make strategic decisions as mission control to survive the journey to Mars.
Enter into diplomatic partnerships with other agencies to share the rewards of space exploration, or risk going it alone to gain greater prestige. Construct the ideal rocket from historically-inspired vehicle parts. Hire contractors to construct vehicles and use their unique benefits to gain a key edge over your competitors.
Launching a payload into space is only the first step. In assuming the role of Flight Director of mission control, you'll need to manage your spacecraft's resources and solve strategic challenges in turn-based missions in order to succeed. But beware: space is a very unforgiving environment.
These are the critical moment-to-moment decisions of mission control; do you spend power to fix a malfunctioning antenna or save it in case of an oxygen leak? Perhaps risking that extra three months of mission planning could have avoided this issue?
Mars Horizon has been made with the input and support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency.
We’ve collaborated with numerous experts in space exploration from the ESA in creating Mars Horizon. From engineers developing the technology used in Mars programmes, to those designing the next generation of missions, bringing an unprecedented level of authenticity, realism and legitimacy to the gameplay and its scenarios.
Dig deeper into the game via our podcast, including discussions with staff from the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency. Check out the podcast in the Steam forums or the main site.

Release date: Nov 17, 2020

Categories: Management Simulation, Base Building, Strategy, Research and Discovery, Space Exploration, Turn-based Strategy, Resource Management, Educational Simulation

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 10; verdict: Mixed Reviews; summary: The in-game wiki and educational content are highly praised for providing historical and technical insights, enhancing the learning experience. However, there are significant issues with localization, including errors and mistranslations that impact the reading experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $5.00 - $20.00
  - Reasoning: The majority of the reviews suggest that the game is worth purchasing when it is on sale. Several users mention that the game is worth the money at a discounted price, with specific mentions of prices around $5 and 18€ (approximately $20). This indicates that the community considers the fair price range for the base game to be between $5 and $20.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 15.0h
  - Story completion: 14.0h
  - Session length: 2.0h
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides several direct references to the playtime required for Mars Horizon. The first quote mentions that completing a playthrough with one agency requires at least 14 hours or more. The second quote suggests that playing for 20 hours is not uncommon. The third quote indicates that auto-resolving mini-games can cut the playtime roughly in half, with a first playthrough taking 16 hours and subsequent playthroughs taking less than 8 hours. The fourth quote implies that a single game session can take a considerable amount of time, especially for new players trying to understand the mechanics.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts fun with a well-designed tutorial and engaging initial gameplay, but quickly becomes repetitive and tedious due to the mini-games and missions.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: Completion of the tutorial
  - Time to anchor: 1h 0m
  - Friction: Repetitive mini-games; Tedious missions; Lack of variety in tasks
  - Unlock drivers: Well-designed tutorial; Initial engaging gameplay
  - Conditions: Good tutorial; Engaging initial gameplay; Interest in space exploration
- Player Archetypes:
  - Casual Space Enthusiast (sale)
    - Motivation: Enjoyment of space exploration with a relaxed gaming experience.
    - Playstyle: Casual and relaxed, enjoys learning about space vehicles without deep technical complexity.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: space enthusiast; casual gamer
    - Reference games: Kerbal Space Program; BARIS
  - Simulation Strategist (buy)
    - Motivation: Strategic planning and management in a space exploration context.
    - Playstyle: Strategic and methodical, enjoys the complexity of managing resources and building bases.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: simulation fan; strategy gamer
    - Reference games: Kerbal Space Program
  - Puzzle Fatigued (deep sale)
    - Motivation: Completion of challenges and puzzles, but hindered by repetitiveness.
    - Playstyle: Enjoys puzzle-solving but gets fatigued by repetitive tasks.
    - Experience: mixed
    - Purchase stance: deep sale
    - Labels: puzzle gamer; casual player
    - Reference games: N/A


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Educational focus on space (weight 0.53): The game offers a wealth of educational content about space exploration, including historical facts and detailed information about space programs. This makes it appealing to space enthusiasts and those interested in learning more about space.
- Realistic space agency management (weight 0.47): The game provides a realistic simulation of managing a space agency, including mission planning, astronaut team management, and competition with other agencies. Players appreciate the detailed and realistic aspects of the game.
- Enjoyable and fun gameplay (weight 0.38): Players find the game enjoyable and fun to play. The simple yet engaging gameplay mechanics contribute to a positive experience, making it a popular choice among players.
- Intuitive and clean interface (weight 0.32): The game features a user-friendly and intuitive interface that is easy to understand and navigate. Players appreciate the clear presentation and well-thought-out design, which enhances the overall gaming experience.
- Appealing to space enthusiasts (weight 0.2): The game is particularly enjoyable for fans of space, strategy, and long-term planning. It offers a replay of space history and the opportunity to build a successful space agency, making it a hit among space enthusiasts.
- Engaging rocket building and flying (weight 0.19): Players enjoy the aspects of building and flying rockets, as well as the background information on real rockets. The game offers a variety of launch vehicles and the achievement of researching and building new aerospace plans and rockets.
- Good value for price (weight 0.14): The game is considered to offer good value for its price, with attractive pricing and low PC requirements. This makes it accessible to a wider audience.
- Interesting and engaging game concept (weight 0.14): The game is praised for its interesting and engaging concept, as well as its execution. Players find the overall game concept to be great and enjoyable.
- Visuals of the solar system (weight 0.13): The game features modern and pleasant visuals of the solar system, which players find educational and cool to explore. This adds to the overall appeal of the game.
- Engaging puzzle mechanics (weight 0.13): The game includes enjoyable and compelling puzzle mechanics, which add a strategic element to the gameplay. Players find these mini-puzzles to be interesting and engaging.
- Thoughtful and methodical simulation (weight 0.11): The game is praised for its thoughtful and methodical simulation, which is well-designed and proper. This adds to the overall realism and enjoyment of the game.
- Goal of reaching Mars (weight 0.1): The game features a main goal of reaching Mars, with a human Mars mission as the ultimate objective. Players enjoy progressing their space program to achieve a Mars landing.
- Good tutorial system (weight 0.1): The game features a well-judged and intuitive tutorial system, which helps players get started and understand the game mechanics.
- Comprehensive encyclopedia (weight 0.09): The game includes a rich and expanded encyclopedia, which provides players with comprehensive information and educational content.

Common complaints:
- Annoying and repetitive mini-games (weight 0.52): The mini-games are often seen as repetitive, boring, and frustrating, with some players finding them time-consuming and uninteresting.
- Repetitive mission structure (weight 0.45): Many players find the missions repetitive and predictable, with a lack of variety making the gameplay feel monotonous over time.
- Lack of replay value (weight 0.33): The game lacks replayability, with players noting that it becomes less interesting after the first playthrough due to limited content and variety.
- Gameplay lacks depth and challenge (weight 0.22): The game is criticized for being too shallow and lacking evolving complexity, which may not satisfy players seeking a more challenging experience.
- Tedious and grindy gameplay (weight 0.17): The gameplay can become tedious and grindy, with repetitive tasks and sequences that detract from the overall enjoyment.
- Localization issues (weight 0.16): The game suffers from poor localization, particularly in the Chinese version, with serious translation errors and untranslated text in other languages.
- Limited player control (weight 0.14): Players express frustration over the lack of direct control over various aspects of the game, such as astronauts, rocket design, and mission design.
- High and frustrating difficulty (weight 0.11): Some missions are noted for their high difficulty, which can be frustrating for players.
- AI cheating and lack of depth (weight 0.11): The AI is criticized for seemingly cheating and lacking depth, leading to a lack of meaningful competition.
- Poor graphics quality (weight 0.11): The graphics and art direction are criticized for being cartoonish and of poor quality, detracting from the overall experience.
- RNG and luck-based mechanics (weight 0.1): The game's reliance on random number generation (RNG) and luck-based gameplay is a point of contention for some players.
- No modding support (weight 0.07): The absence of Steam Workshop and modding support limits the game's extensibility and community contributions.
- No research queue (weight 0.07): Players are frustrated by the inability to queue research, which limits strategic planning and efficiency.
- Shuttle functionality issues (weight 0.05): The shuttle is criticized for its limited functionality, such as the inability to launch the Hubble telescope, and is seen as merely a launcher rather than a crewed vehicle.

Gameplay feedback:
- Comprehensive space agency management (weight 0.67): Players manage various aspects of a space agency, including research, construction, mission planning, and long-term strategic planning. This involves balancing budgets, technologies, and resources to ensure successful space exploration and historical missions.
- Competitive gameplay with AI (weight 0.43): The game features competition or collaboration with AI-controlled space agencies, adding a layer of strategic depth. Players can engage in competitive gameplay against rival space programs, enhancing the challenge and replayability.
- Mini-games and puzzles (weight 0.37): Mini-games and puzzles are integral parts of the core gameplay. These include repetitive mini-games, math puzzles, and RNG-based tasks, providing variety and challenge within missions.
- Modular rocket building and launching (weight 0.29): A core gameplay mechanic involves designing and building rockets through a modular system. Players can customize their rockets by selecting payloads, upper stages, and boosters, adding depth to the mission planning and execution.
- Educational space exploration content (weight 0.24): The game includes extensive educational content about space history and exploration. Players can access detailed articles and encyclopedias, making the game both informative and engaging.
- Turn-based strategy and resource management (weight 0.19): The game employs turn-based mechanics for mission sequences and resource management. Players must carefully plan their actions and allocate resources to achieve mission objectives, adding a strategic layer to the gameplay.
- Tech tree progression (weight 0.16): The game features a tech tree that players must navigate and plan. Advancing through the tech tree unlocks new technologies and capabilities, driving the progression and strategic depth of the game.
- Variety of missions (weight 0.16): Players can browse and undertake a variety of missions, each with different objectives and challenges. This mission variety keeps the gameplay engaging and offers multiple pathways to progress.
- Achievement and progression system (weight 0.11): The game includes an achievement system that tracks player progress and accomplishments. This system provides goals and rewards, enhancing the overall progression and replayability of the game.
- Base building mechanics (weight 0.11): Base building is a part of the gameplay, allowing players to construct and manage their space agency facilities. This adds another layer of strategic planning and resource management.
- Random events and scenarios (weight 0.1): The game features random events and scenarios that can impact gameplay. These events add unpredictability and challenge, requiring players to adapt their strategies.

Performance notes:
- Performance issues on maximum graphics (weight 0.05): Players have reported experiencing performance issues when running the game on maximum graphics settings. This suggests a need for optimization or providing more graphics options.
- Sound bug (weight 0.05): There have been reports of a sound bug in the game. This issue needs to be addressed to ensure a seamless audio experience for players.

Recommendations:
- Recommended for space enthusiasts (weight 0.18): The game is highly recommended for those interested in space, rockets, and space exploration. It offers an engaging experience for fans of the space race and space agency management.
- Recommended for casual play (weight 0.11): The game is suggested for those looking for a pleasant and casual gaming experience. It is good for casual play and offers a unique tycoon game experience.
- Buy on sale (weight 0.11): Several reviews suggest purchasing the game when it is on sale to get better value for money.
- Worth buying for unique experience (weight 0.08): The game is considered worth buying for its unique experience of managing a space agency and playing through at least once.
- Try demo first (weight 0.04): Potential buyers are advised to try the demo first to see if the game meets their expectations before purchasing.
- Avoid for in-depth space simulation (weight 0.04): The game may not be suitable for those looking for an in-depth space game or simulator, as it is more casual and less detailed.
- Good for confinement period (weight 0.04): The game is considered a good option for playing during periods of confinement or limited outdoor activities.
- Anticipation for sequel (weight 0.04): There is anticipation among players for a sequel, indicating that they enjoyed the game and are looking forward to future developments.
- Consider other games for better mechanics (weight 0.03): Some players suggest trying other games like Kerbal Space Program for better gameplay mechanics.

Other player notes:
No miscpoints

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.24): Players are frustrated by the repetitive nature of mini-games, puzzles, and tasks, which become grindy and time-consuming. Issues with AI behavior, lack of progression, and forced mini-games contribute to a lack of evolving complexity and intrusive randomness.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.19): Players enjoy the strategic planning, educational aspects, and the engaging gameplay loop. The game's ability to increase interest in space, along with its detailed content and varied missions, provides a fun and addictive experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.15): Players feel disappointed due to the lack of depth and variety in gameplay, repetitive mini-games, and unfulfilled promises. The game's limited control over mission design and lack of meaningful competition also contribute to this sentiment.
- Excitement (weight 0.07): Players are excited by the game's appeal to space enthusiasts, beautiful graphics, and engaging missions. The anticipation for a sequel and the game's educational aspects add to the excitement.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.06): Players are satisfied with the game's realism, educational value, and well-polished mechanics. The streamlined gameplay and good value for the price contribute to a positive experience.
- Negative (weight 0.06): Players express negative feelings due to repetitive missions, poor gameplay experience, and high difficulty. Frustrating mini-games and lack of replay value also contribute to this sentiment.
- Positive (weight 0.05): Players appreciate the game's educational value, detailed content, and enjoyable mix of management and mini-games. The realistic missions and beautiful depiction of space add to the positive experience.
- Boredom (weight 0.04): Players feel bored due to the repetitive nature of missions, mini-games, and gameplay elements. The simplicity and predictability of the management component contribute to this sentiment.
- Joy (weight 0.03): Players experience joy from the positive aspects of the game, such as space agency management and seeing rockets launch. The turn-based resource management and infinite secondary missions add to the enjoyment.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Players feel disappointed due to the price increase, poor game design, and repetitive mini-games. The lack of replayability also contributes to this sentiment.
- Satisfied (weight 0.02): Players are satisfied with the game's easy first missions, good rocket building, and well-made turn-based strategy. The good tutorial and gameplay pace contribute to a positive experience.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciate the game's high localization, detailed content, and comprehensive encyclopedia. The educational content and strategic gameplay add to the appreciation.
- Approval (weight 0.01): Players approve of the game's educational value, finding it informative and well-executed.
- Hopeful (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful for improvements in the sequel, suggesting that the game has potential for future enhancements.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by specific details in the game, such as historical references and content.
- Positive surprise (weight 0.01): Players are positively surprised by the overall experience despite some issues with mini-games.
- Patriotic (weight 0.01): Players feel patriotic due to the game's content evoking national pride and historical achievements.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited by the game's various aspects and interesting objectives, finding it engaging and enjoyable.
- Nostalgic (weight 0.01): Players feel nostalgic remembering long play sessions and the enjoyable experiences they had with the game.
- Angry (weight 0.01): Players are angry due to the developer not fixing basic bugs, leading to a frustrating gameplay experience.}