Surviving Mars

Surviving Mars tasks you with leading humanity's first colonies on the Red Planet. But Mars is hardly forgiving, and it will fight you every step of the way.

The Tropico team plays it relatively straight on the red planet - but trouble is never far away.

Surviving Mars is a lot of hard work, but managing a burgeoning colony never stops being compelling.

All Surviving Mars' interlocking systems make for an arresting time-sink that merges logic, forethought, psychology and experimentation. If you're the sort of person who enjoys losing yourself in high stakes strategy, building and planning, Surviving Mars is worth a look.

Though I sometimes grew weary of the donkey-work of cables and repairs, I definitely relish the new state of sustained fear Surviving Mars brings to city sims. It means that even small accomplishments feel so much bigger.

My gripes aside, Surviving Mars might be the most fun I've had with a city-building game since SimCity 2000, and Haemimont has accomplished this feat by drilling down into the details, and zooming in on the kinds of small-scale community-building that I'd always felt the that city-builders with a grander scope lacked. The promise of robust modding support from launch could also ensure that the game has legs, or even that some of my complaints could be addressed by fans soon after they get their hands on the toolkit.

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 is a new twist on a classic game structure.

Surviving Mars Relaunched is an exciting but challenging strategy experience for those who enjoy a through challenge. Every decision matters in determining the fate of your colony.

For a city-builder, Surviving Mars does a pretty good job. The city-building mechanics are top-notch, the aesthetic is great, and the mysteries add an entirely new layer to the game.