Deliver Us Mars
- March 15, 2022
- KeokeN Interactive
- 7h median play time
Deliver Us Mars is an experience you won't soon forget, with remarkable storytelling and adventure set in a rich, interesting world.
"Deliver Us Mars" is a narrative-driven adventure game set on the red planet. As part of the Zephyr Initiative, players must uncover the truth behind a series of mysterious events that threaten the future of mankind's newly established colony. Through intense exploration, problem-solving, and interactive dialogue, players will face moral dilemmas and challenging decisions that will determine the fate of the Mars mission.
Reviews
- The environmental design is top-notch, particularly in larger scenes.
- The voice acting is great, and the story pacing is solid.
- The game successfully builds on the narrative of Deliver Us The Moon.
- The climbing mechanic is frustrating and poorly executed.
- The character models and animations are often jarring and lack realism.
- The game is heavily reliant on cutscenes, which can disrupt gameplay flow.
- story2,153 mentions
- 44 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The story of "Deliver Us Mars" is a continuation of its predecessor, "Deliver Us the Moon," featuring a compelling narrative that explores themes of family, trauma, and humanity's flaws. While the pacing is generally solid, many players found the plot riddled with inconsistencies and forced drama, detracting from the overall experience. Despite its shortcomings, the game is praised for its emotional depth, strong voice acting, and immersive atmosphere, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of story-driven games.
“The voice acting is great, and the story pacing is solid, never leaving you feeling rushed or bogged down.”
“A very enjoyable interactive sci-fi movie, with a compelling and very gripping and emotional story line.”
“The story is amazing and pulls you in 100 different directions right up until the end.”
“Because while it’s fair to ask a player to overlook a bit of forced drama or the occasional small plot hole for the sake of the narrative, it’s another thing entirely to have characters losing their temper over easily resolved non-issues or making massive nonsensical decisions just to advance the plot.”
“Even the inciting event behind the game’s whole story, the lunar colonists’ decision to travel to mars, is based on reasoning that doesn’t stand up to a moment’s scrutiny.”
“All of those concessions are made with the assumption that the story will excuse them, but unfortunately it's really bland, rather predictable, and is more of a family drama than an adventure, which is jumping the shark for the series.”
- gameplay890 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Deliver Us Mars" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding the climbing mechanics clunky and frustrating, often detracting from the overall experience. While some appreciate the narrative focus and engaging story, they note that the gameplay can feel repetitive and simplistic, resembling more of an interactive movie than a fully-fledged game. Overall, the game is seen as a step back from its predecessor, with technical issues and a lack of engaging mechanics holding it back from being truly great.
“The climbing mechanics felt very engaging and was a breath of fresh air from a lot of other games' 'follow the yellow line' climbing.”
“The gameplay is varied and consists of exploration, puzzles, and climbing.”
“I may even say that it became my favorite gameplay mechanic the more I got into it.”
“The gameplay is too fiddly - the axe sections in particular are just kinda flat and frustrating.”
“The climbing mechanic feels out of place in this game and is poorly executed.”
“The gameplay elements are actually most of what hold the game back, to be honest.”
- graphics530 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Deliver Us Mars" receive mixed reviews, with some praising the stunning environmental visuals and ray-tracing effects, while others criticize the character models and animations as outdated or poorly executed. Many players note technical issues, such as frame drops and graphical glitches, which detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the game showcases beautiful landscapes and atmospheric design, it struggles with inconsistent character rendering and optimization.
“Awesome gameplay, storytelling is great, visuals are insane! What more do you need?”
“The graphics and storyline are fully captivating and will keep you immersed the whole time.”
“Great visuals, stunning story, superb soundtrack and sound design!”
“Even on ultra graphic settings, the game feels cheap and half-baked - cut scenes are well made but most of them are not interesting enough to watch.”
“The graphics are dated and fuzzy, making the game look at least 15 years old.”
“The graphics are so horrible for a game released in 2023. My FPS keeps dropping to around 40 for such a small easy game, yet I can run other graphically demanding titles so much smoother.”
- optimization185 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, frame drops, and crashes, even on high-end hardware. While some users experienced acceptable performance under certain settings, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial optimization improvements to enhance the gameplay experience. Many recommend waiting for patches to address these technical shortcomings before fully engaging with the game.
“Performance is good, atmosphere is great, level design is decent, and the story is much better than the first game.”
“I recommend this game, and I think that if you put the settings on medium, and use the upscaling, you may have a decent performance experience 90% of the time.”
“Graphics and optimizations are really good.”
“The game is extremely unoptimized.”
“Technical issues are definitely a problem in Deliver Us Mars: the DX12 renderer doesn't work at all, optimization is poor for something that looks about a generation behind sans crunchy textures, nor one so linear, set on a planet that is largely red desert.”
“I wanted to recommend this game but unfortunately the main reason I am not recommending it is the performance of the game; the visuals of the game don't look that great and feel pretty outdated, especially some textures are terribly bad.”
- music150 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many reviewers highlighting its emotional depth and suitability for various in-game situations. The soundtrack is described as superb, often compared to cinematic scores, and is noted for its immersive sound design that complements the visuals and narrative effectively. Overall, the music is considered one of the game's standout features, elevating both the storytelling and gameplay.
“Great visuals, stunning story, superb soundtrack and sound design (!!!).”
“The soundtrack was simply mesmerizing, and definitely added to the story.”
“Music hits the mark again - it really sets the tone and atmosphere of the game just like the first game, Deliver Us the Moon.”
“And skippable cutscenes are commonly used for more sobbing, sad music and 3 minute long camera pans with nothing happening - and then bam, you are teleported somewhere else with little explanation.”
“If there was a cutscene instead of them talking with some sad music, then it would definitely invoke something along the 'damn, people really messed up this time'.”
“The only positive I can give is the atmospheric music.”
- emotional128 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Deliver Us Mars" is highlighted by its gripping and thought-provoking narrative, which evokes strong feelings and investment in the characters' journeys. While some players found the emotional depth to be impactful and well-executed, others criticized the characters as overly flawed or the story as occasionally forced, leading to mixed reactions regarding engagement. Overall, the game is praised for its heartfelt moments, strong voice acting, and the ability to elicit genuine emotional responses from players.
“A truly thought-provoking and emotional roller coaster of a story; I found it difficult to put down.”
“This game gave this old man the most emotionally satisfying moment in any game I've ever played.”
“Playing as Kathy and following her journey was a bit emotional at times, and the cast did a great job at portraying these individuals.”
“Its plot lacks engagement, leaving players uninvested in the very boring storyline.”
“Absolutely boring story.”
- stability126 mentions
- 3 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 97 % negative mentions
The game has been widely criticized for its instability, with numerous players reporting a significant number of bugs and glitches affecting gameplay and graphics. Issues include character animations, graphical rendering problems, and frustrating mechanics, particularly with climbing and tool usage. While some players experienced no crashes, many noted that the overall experience was marred by these technical problems, suggesting that the game requires substantial patches to improve stability.
“The game looks and runs great if you disable ray tracing and the hair technology.”
“Runs great on 5700 XT and Samsung Odyssey G9 with Radeon RSR.”
“This is right on the line of a 'do not recommend' simply because it is so very buggy and unstable given the recommended system requirements...”
“The gameplay is awful, with consistent glitches that make progression impossible.”
“The actual gameplay felt unpolished, buggy, and shallow.”
- atmosphere107 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 41 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive quality, enhanced by stunning visuals and a captivating soundtrack that effectively sets the tone. Many players find the environment deeply engaging, contributing to a rich storytelling experience, although some critiques mention a loss of the original's atmospheric depth due to gameplay changes. Overall, the game successfully creates a compelling and atmospheric setting that draws players into its narrative and world.
“Great atmosphere and a well done story; this is a game you play for the experience of the story and the environments.”
“I truly believe this game to have an amazingly in-depth atmosphere that immerses you without you realizing that you've been playing the game for hours.”
“For a game that took place nearly entirely in a vacuum, it was one of the most atmospheric games I've played in the last few years.”
“Was not bad but the first one was so much better in the atmosphere department.”
“While the graphics and atmosphere remain top-notch, the addition of a talking protagonist takes away from the immersion and meditative experience that the original game offered.”
“I can't put my finger on it but at times it is either too bright or too dark, washing out much of the carefully crafted atmosphere.”
- grinding77 mentions
- 1 % positive mentions
- 6 % neutral mentions
- 92 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a significant issue with grinding in the game, particularly due to repetitive and tedious mechanics such as climbing and puzzle-solving. Many players found these elements frustrating and overly drawn out, leading to a loss of enjoyment and engagement. While some appreciated the challenge of certain puzzles, the overall sentiment suggests that the game suffers from excessive tedium that detracts from the experience.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Ultimately, I feel like they should have asked 'is this fun?' a bit more as the longer sections are kind of tedious...”
“After 11 hours with the game, I was forced to stop playing because all of the fun was sucked out of it by having to yet again, for what felt like the millionth time, do the same type of tedious and very unforgiving climbing and jumping platforming element that I had been agitated by so many times before in the game.”
“The climbing actually becomes the only thing you do in the final 2 hours and it's really, really tedious with clunky mechanics.”
- character development22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Character development in the game has received mixed reviews; while some players appreciated the depth and thematic focus on humanity's impact on Earth, others criticized the characters' designs and behaviors as robotic and lacking emotional engagement. The dialogue and backstory elements were noted as valuable, but many felt that the character designs detracted from the overall experience, leaving some characters in a state of apathy. Overall, while the writing shows promise in character development, the execution in design and emotional depth leaves room for improvement.
“I enjoyed the character development, and while the throwback scenes could have been done better, I think it adds to the story to understand the various characters' behavior and actions. The dialogue is important, as there are little pearls here and there.”
“Character development was pretty good.”
“The writing focuses on character development and includes a common theme of humanity destroying Earth, similar to the first game.”
“While I understand the 'character development', the persona itself is constantly in a blank state of apathy except for the moments where she interacts with the holograms or NPCs.”
“I’m hoping they are setting her up for character development but I haven’t seen any so far.”
“This one hides a good story but it is terrible in terms of character design.”
- replayability19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many reviewers noting that it can be completed in about 10 hours and offers little incentive to play again unless pursuing achievements. While some players found value in the initial experience, the consensus is that the game lacks depth and variety for repeated playthroughs.
“Unless you want to 100% the game, it doesn't hold much replay value, but I don't see that as a downside as I came to this game as soon as I finished Deliver Us the Moon because I had to know what happened after the events of Moon.”
“It was worth the purchase, but probably has low replay value.”
“Replay value mainly for Steam achievement completionists.”
“Unless you want to 100% the game, it doesn't hold much replay value, but I don't see that as a downside as I came to this game as soon as I finished Deliver Us The Moon because I had to know what happened after the events of Moon.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a standout feature, with players finding the quirky character designs and awkward hair physics amusing, often laughing at moments that were likely intended to be serious. Despite some technical glitches, the humor remains a consistent highlight, contributing to an overall enjoyable experience, even if it sometimes detracts from emotional engagement with the storyline.
“Also, they didn't forget to include lots of humor, which is essential!”
“The sometimes awkward hair physics made me laugh.”
“I'm laughing out loud more than feeling invested in the story.”
Critic Reviews
Deliver Us Mars review
A serious display of sci-fi storytelling talent, even if the production falls short of space age.
75%Deliver Us Mars review
Deliver Us Mars is heavily focused on story and exploration, both of which it does fairly well. It’s no thrill-a-minute blockbuster, but fans of the first game will find a lot to like here.
70%Deliver Us Mars Review – The Red Planet
Deliver Us Mars is an easy game to recommend to those looking for a captivating and well-told story, but at the same time it's weighed down by significant gameplay and technical issues.
70%