Earth vs Mars

About

Earth vs Mars is a single player and multiplayer tactical turn-based strategy game with warfare and science fiction themes. It was developed by Relic Entertainment and was released on October 29, 2025. It received positive reviews from players.

Earth vs Mars is a turn-based strategy game where players lead Earth's military against a relentless Martian invasion. Use the unique “Splice-O-Tron” to create powerful hybrid supersoldiers by combining humans with Earth creatures. Command diverse units, from acid-raining cheetah-flies to devastating human-rhino hybrids, to defend the planet and turn the tide of battle.

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90%

Audience ScoreBased on 48 reviews

story5 positive mentions

character development3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and engaging tactical experience reminiscent of Advance Wars, with a unique DNA splicing mechanic that adds variety to unit composition.
It features a well-designed campaign with a good variety of missions, allowing for a quick learning curve and enjoyable gameplay that is easy to pick up and drop.
Despite some balance issues, the game is polished and runs smoothly, providing a solid value for its price point, making it a great choice for fans of turn-based strategy games.

The game suffers from technical issues, including frequent crashes and performance problems, which can detract from the overall experience.
UI design and mechanics are criticized for being clunky and uninspired, with excessive dialogue and customization options that may overwhelm players.
Some units and abilities feel unbalanced, leading to frustrating gameplay moments where certain strategies dominate, making it less enjoyable for some players.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
55%
17%
The game's story, while not deeply intricate, provides an engaging backdrop for its tactical gameplay, featuring a campy retro sci-fi theme centered around an Earth vs. Mars conflict. Players appreciate the variety and challenge of the missions, which are well-designed and maintain a good pace, though some experience technical issues that can disrupt progress. Overall, the narrative complements the gameplay, offering a fun and immersive experience despite its simplicity.
- “Story-wise, although still over-the-top, it's a bit less ridiculous than Advance Wars; in fact, the DNA splicing gives a vibe of all life on Earth contributing to the defense of the planet against the Martian invasion.”
- “⭐ rating: 8/10 – expansive, tactical, and thought-provoking — a gripping interplanetary conflict that blends strategy and storytelling with cosmic flair.”
- “This game screams retro vibes with a great and funny storyline that will not only make you laugh but keep you immersed.”
- “This can soft lock a mission where you have to force the game closed, and if you haven't saved during the mission, you'll wind up starting over.”
- “Story is barely there, but keeps the campy retro sci-fi campaign going.”
- “Missions have good difficulty at 'normal' setting and the premise/storyline is solid.”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of experiences, with some players criticizing the poor UI design and clunky mechanics that hinder enjoyment, while others praise the engaging splice-o-matic feature and the fun, lighthearted narrative reminiscent of Advance Wars. The game is generally easy to understand, with a campaign that effectively introduces mechanics and unit variety, making for a compelling and quirky strategy experience.
- “The spliced super soldier mechanics are fun and add needed unit variety to the game.”
- “The game is easy to understand and the campaign does a good job easing you into all of the mechanics and what the units can do.”
- “This splice-o-matic feature inspires and leads a mechanically compelling take on the tiny-wars experience, as well as a tonally fun and slapstick-style narrative journey that mimics the lighthearted energy Advanced Wars puts out.”
- “Poor UI design and clunky mechanics that seem to be made by someone who never played strategy games before.”
- “Wasted 15 minutes on dialogue, 5 minutes on customization, and 3 minutes on gameplay fighting with the 'wait' button.”
- “The mutation mechanic, and the unit composition it is nestled in, are fun.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The graphics have received mixed feedback, with some players finding the cartoonish art style reminiscent of Clash of Clans unappealing initially, though it can become more enjoyable as gameplay progresses. Despite the vibrant visuals, there are concerns about performance, as even high-end systems experience unexpected fan noise during gameplay at 1080p. Overall, while the graphics may not be universally praised, they offer a unique aesthetic that some players appreciate over time.
- “The visuals are nice, gameplay is fairly balanced day one (just got a patch today 11/5), the DNA splicing gives you variety in customized units.”
- “I didn't care for the art style at first, but it has grown on me, especially when you start splicing your troops up more and more.”
- “Also, I have the latest i9 with 128 GB RAM, 4080 Super, all of which usually stays quite cool, which is why I was surprised to hear the fans rev up to max during a turn-based game with cartoon graphics running at 1080p.”
- “I have the latest i9 with 128 GB RAM and a 4080 Super, which usually stays quite cool. That's why I was surprised to hear the fans rev up to max during a turn-based game with cartoon graphics running at 1080p.”
- “Very subjective, but the Clash of Clans-like art style is not for me.”
- “The only issues I have are on the graphics side.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The campaign mode features an attempt at humor and character development, but reviewers find it to be simplistic and lacking depth.
- “The campaign mode's attempt at humor and character development is certainly present, but it feels basic.”
- “The campaign mode's attempt at humor and character development is certainly there, but feels basic.”
- “Character development is shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
- “The characters feel one-dimensional, and their growth throughout the game is minimal at best.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is noted for its retro vibes and engaging storyline, which effectively elicits laughter and keeps players immersed. However, some reviewers feel that the humor and character development in the campaign mode are somewhat basic. Overall, the humor is appreciated, but it may not be as sophisticated as some players might hope.
- “This game screams retro vibes with a great and funny storyline that will not only make you laugh but keep you immersed.”
- “The campaign mode's attempt at humor and character development is certainly there, but feels basic.”
- “I like the humor.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates strong stability, with users reporting smooth performance and no glitches or crashes during gameplay.
- “The game ran well, and I had no glitches or crashes during my playthrough.”
- “I experienced a smooth gaming experience with no stability issues.”
- “The performance was solid throughout, with consistent frame rates and no interruptions.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
Players express a desire for enhanced optimization features, specifically a resolution scaler that allows for adjustments up to 200% for downsampling and down to 25% for improved performance. They also mention the need for better integration with temporal super resolution (TSR) for upscaling, highlighting the absence of internal resolution settings.
- “It would be great to have a resolution scaler/slider that goes up to 200% for downsampling, or down to 25% to save performance, especially with the use of TSR for upscaling.”
- “The optimization options are fantastic, allowing players to fine-tune their experience based on their hardware capabilities.”
- “I appreciate the ability to adjust settings for better performance without sacrificing too much visual quality.”
- “It would be cool to have a resolution scaler/slider that goes up to 200% for downsampling (or down to 25% to save performance), especially with the use of TSR for upscaling, as there is no internal resolution shown.”
- “The game struggles with optimization, leading to frequent frame drops and stuttering during intense scenes.”
- “Despite having a powerful PC, I find myself having to lower settings significantly to achieve a stable frame rate.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users feel that while the game's advertising could have been more effective, the overall monetization strategy is considered a success.