Go For Launch: Mercury

About

"Go For Launch: Mercury" is a realistic space flight simulation game that accurately recreates the experiences of the Mercury Seven astronauts. The game features fully interactive spacecraft interiors and exteriors, detailed rocket models, and a full scale recreation of Earth as seen from low orbit. It is an educational tool as well as an entertainment product, designed to educate and engage players in the fields of astronomy, spaceflight, and history.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 100 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability6 negative mentions

The game offers a highly immersive experience with realistic audio and visuals, making players feel like they are part of the Mercury missions.
Despite being in early access, the game has shown consistent updates and improvements, demonstrating the developer's commitment to enhancing the simulation.
The attention to historical accuracy and detail in the spacecraft controls and procedures is commendable, appealing to space enthusiasts and simulation fans.

The game is plagued by bugs and incomplete features, leading to frustration for players, especially those using certain VR headsets.
Many players find the pacing slow, with long countdowns and waiting periods that detract from the overall experience.
As an early access title, it currently lacks sufficient content, with only a few missions available and some gameplay elements not functioning as intended.

story
66 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
9%
85%
6%
The game's story revolves around a realistic simulation of the Mercury space missions, providing players with an immersive experience that closely follows actual mission protocols and audio recordings from the astronauts. While it captures the essence of the missions effectively, players note that only a limited number of missions are currently available, and various bugs detract from the overall experience. Fans of space history and simulation will likely appreciate the attention to detail, but those seeking a more interactive or expansive gameplay may find it lacking.
- “This is a great simulator for space nerds like myself who can overlook some of its rough edges - the more you know about the Mercury missions the sim depicts, the more enjoyment you'll get out of it.”
- “Very immersive simulation with the actual audio recordings putting you right into the pilot's seat for a replay of the founding missions of today's space program.”
- “What could be better for fans of Project Mercury than to follow the real-world operating procedures in parallel with the audio track from the actual missions?”
- “It has only four of the six manned Mercury missions, and of those four, there are visual issues where you don't see certain details like smoke or spent stages out the window.”
- “Go for launch: Mercury is still in early access, so you can only fly three of the planned seven Mercury missions and some features are incomplete and/or buggy.”
- “Too many bugs killed the mission.”
graphics
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
63%
19%
19%
The graphics in the game are widely praised for their beauty and detail, particularly in the orbital environment and spacecraft design, showcasing a strong sense of immersion. However, some users noted visual issues, such as missing details like smoke and spent stages during missions. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, making the game a worthwhile experience for fans of space simulation.
- “The graphics are very good, and with the new introduction guide that the developer has recently released to help newcomers get to grips with the controls, it's well worth supporting this lone developer and rewarding their hard work.”
- “Beautiful graphics, especially the orbital environment, showing this is clearly a labor of love.”
- “Highly detailed spacecraft, fully interactive, historically accurate, good graphics.”
- “It has only four of the six manned Mercury missions, and of those four, there are visual issues where you don't see certain details like smoke or spent stages out the window.”
- “The graphics are lacking in detail and immersion, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- “The visuals feel outdated and do not meet the expectations set by other games in the genre.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
38%
25%
The atmosphere is enhanced by impressive audio and visual effects, particularly during the thrilling experience of leaving the atmosphere, where engine sounds transition from loud to quiet. While some elements may feel rough around the edges, the overall immersive experience is well-received.
- “The audio and atmosphere are immersive and engaging.”
- “The ignitions are very loud, and the engine noise gradually grows quieter as you leave the atmosphere, creating a realistic experience.”
- “Atmospheric and light effects are really good, enhancing the overall experience.”
- “The ignitions are very loud and engine noise gradually grows quieter as you leave the atmosphere.”
- “A bit rough around the edges, but the basic thrill of leaving the atmosphere is worth the occasional awkwardness of flipping some switches.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is currently in early access, leading to a number of bugs and incomplete features, particularly with the checklists and mission elements. While players can generally progress through missions despite these issues, the presence of glitches is notable and expected in an alpha state, with hopes for improvements in future updates.
- “Go for launch: Mercury is still in early access, so you can only fly three of the planned seven Mercury missions and some features are incomplete and/or buggy.”
- “It has its fair share of glitches and non-working items that are to be expected of an alpha, and hopefully will be smoothed out in future updates.”
- “Abbreviated checklists are provided with an optional 'helper' function which highlights the next step, and although sometimes the checklists can be buggy, the mission almost always continues as long as you've checked the most important steps.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The gameplay is notably lacking, with users expressing that there isn't much to engage with in this aspect of the game.
- “There isn't a lot of gameplay here.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The music in the game is generally praised for effectively setting the mood, though there are instances where it overpowers important audio elements, such as historical speeches.
- “Good music to set the mood.”
- “On one menu, the music drowned out the broadcast of Kennedy's historic speech.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that younger players are particularly affected by the prevalence of ads in the game, leading to concerns about the impact of monetization strategies on their experience.
- “Younger players are constantly bombarded with ads, which is really frustrating.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, especially for younger audiences.”