Mars Attracts

About

Mars Attracts is a single player simulation game with business and science fiction themes. It was developed by Outlier and was released on September 15, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Mars Attracts is a park management sim set in the iconic universe of Mars Attacks. Build rides, hire staff, manage guest needs, and abduct humans to serve as the star attractions. You'll face demanding visitors, environmental hazards, and the ever-looming threat of human escapes!

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

96%

Audience ScoreBased on 168 reviews

gameplay15 positive mentions

optimization3 negative mentions

The game offers a fun and addictive gameplay experience reminiscent of classic tycoon games like Rollercoaster Tycoon and Theme Hospital, with a unique twist of dark humor.
The visuals and art style effectively capture the essence of the Mars Attacks franchise, providing a nostalgic and engaging atmosphere.
The developers are responsive to community feedback, showing promise for future updates and improvements as the game progresses through Early Access.

As an Early Access title, the game suffers from various bugs, balance issues, and a lack of content, which can detract from the overall experience.
Some gameplay mechanics, such as the janitor pathfinding and the tutorial depth, need improvement to enhance user experience and clarity.
The game currently lacks variety in park scenarios and human exhibition themes, making gameplay feel repetitive over time.

gameplay
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
44%
9%
The gameplay of "Mars Attracts" is described as fun and engaging, with a nostalgic feel reminiscent of classic theme park management games. While it introduces unique mechanics and humor, players note that it is still in early access, leading to some bugs and a lack of content variety. Overall, the core gameplay is enjoyable, but improvements and additional content are anticipated as the game develops.
- “The gameplay is great fun and the humor is on point, highly recommend!”
- “The game introduces some new mechanics to the genre, like the fact that you have to abduct your human specimens from Earth at different points in time and put them in enclosures.”
- “Genuinely amazing game so far, the music, art style, and gameplay are all great and I'm excited to see how it develops further :)”
- “Also, the human exhibition themes are just skins and there is no difference between them in terms of gameplay.”
- “The tutorial is lacking some depth when it comes to certain mechanics later in the game, forcing me to look up answers in their Discord for help.”
- “There is still a long way to go and a basket of things that need addressing (UI, explanation/purpose of certain mechanics, etc.), but that's the nature of early access.”
humor
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is praised for its clever and engaging humor, blending dark comedy with a lighthearted approach that resonates well with fans of the Mars Attacks franchise. Players appreciate the witty dialogue, amusing animations, and the overall fun atmosphere, making it an enjoyable experience even in its early access state. The humor is consistently highlighted as a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay and keeping players entertained throughout.
- “While still in a bit of early access with animations and some mechanics, it has the addictive aspects of a good dungeon-keeper style management sim with the Mars Attacks humor that fans like myself have come to love.”
- “The humor here is great - it's just really well done so far.”
- “Hilarious game where you send expeditions to capture different humans, then you keep them in habitats for guest amusement and to perform different experiments.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
37%
27%
The graphics are characterized by a cartoonish and simplified style that effectively captures the essence of the original Martian films, though the human designs are often criticized for appearing odd or unappealing. While some players appreciate the vibrant visuals and classic sci-fi comic aesthetic, others find the overall graphics to be mediocre, with poor animations and uninspired landscapes. Despite mixed opinions, the art style and humorous details have garnered a positive response from certain players.
- “Genuinely amazing game so far, the music, art style, and gameplay are all great and I'm excited to see how it develops further :)”
- “I also love the aesthetic of the classic sci-fi comic covers and the overall art style.”
- “The graphics are cartoonish and simplified but capture very well the original look of the Martians in the films that inspire it; however, the humans, on the other hand, look weird, even like rabid animals in some of the illustrations.”
- “Graphically mid at best, poor animations, uninteresting, uninspired landscapes along with rather dull and boring rides.”
- “It is a spectacle worthy of our great civilization, and the game’s visuals—the garish rides, the pathetic earthling enclosures—are quite bright and shiny, almost as pleasing as a newly detonated monument.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The game's story is described as engaging and humorous, with a unique premise involving a theme park simulator for Martian citizens. Players appreciate the missions and the overall fun experience, although some have encountered game-breaking bugs that hinder progress. For those unfamiliar with the story, dev logs and videos are recommended for additional context.
- “For anyone who doesn't know the story, I'd recommend taking a look at the dev logs about the IP on YouTube (lots of quality videos showing the development in general there too).”
- “This game, a theme park simulator where we display the repulsive human creatures for the enjoyment of our superior Martian citizens, has been a curious diversion on our quest for cosmic domination.”
- “Story: good and funny”
- “This 'game,' a theme park simulator where we display the repulsive human creatures for the enjoyment of our superior Martian citizens, has been a curious diversion on our quest for cosmic domination.”
- “Played through all available campaign missions (unfinished due to early access) in about 12-15 hours of laid-back gaming.”
- “However, I am on the third mission and I am encountering game-breaking bugs stopping me from continuing.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
100%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while many users report good system performance and minimal bugs—most of which have been patched—others note that it was released in early access with several bugs and unoptimized gameplay elements. However, it runs smoothly at 1440p on Linux.
- “Good system performance, and I didn't encounter many bugs; those I did have already been patched out!”
- “Runs smoothly at 1440p on Linux.”
- “The game was released as early access, so be prepared for quite a few bugs, overlooked features, and non-optimized gameplay.”
- “The optimization is lacking, leading to frequent crashes and performance issues.”
- “I encountered numerous bugs and glitches that severely impacted my gaming experience.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is currently a mixed bag, with users reporting various glitches, choppy animations, and some non-functional gameplay elements. While there are notable issues, such as pathfinding glitches and UI inconsistencies, many players find the game to be relatively polished for an early access title and believe that future updates will address these concerns. Overall, it may be advisable to wait for further improvements before diving in fully.
- “Animations, sound, menus, and even some gameplay functions are still rough; choppy, buggy, or just not working yet.”
- “This game has good bones, but if you don't feel like dealing with glitches or needing to work around missing mechanics, then maybe just wish list and wait a month or two for them to get those ironed out.”
- “I just went through some very few issues worth mentioning though, mostly enclosures (rebuilding the exact same way where you'd want to make some changes), a few UI inconsistencies (like a no employee available for a position from the building menu but moving the unassigned staff onto the building just works) and path-finding glitches but nothing a forthcoming update couldn't fix. That's to be expected of an early access, but in its current state, it's already quite polished and promising.”
character development
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers appreciate the cohesive retro sci-fi aesthetic that permeates the game's UI, park design, and character design, suggesting that this unity enhances the overall character development experience.
- “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique backstory and motivations.”
- “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, making choices that genuinely impact their growth and relationships.”
- “The depth of character customization and progression adds a layer of immersion that keeps me invested in their journeys.”
music
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is described as genuinely amazing and epic, complementing the overall art style and gameplay. Users express excitement about its development, highlighting its unique Martian theme.
- “Genuinely amazing game so far, the music, art style, and gameplay are all great and I'm excited to see how it develops further :)”
- “Music: Martian music, simply epic”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is characterized by vibrant colors and imaginative building designs, creating a unique blend of alien yet inviting surroundings that enhance the overall experience.
- “The colors pop, the building designs are super creative, and the atmosphere feels both alien and inviting at the same time.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users highlight that "Mars Attracts," even in its early access phase, offers significant replayability due to its well-developed gameplay and content.
- “Despite being in early access, Mars Attacks is already a pretty fleshed-out game with a ton of replayability.”