Mars Base
- October 17, 2022
- Khuong Le
- 10h median play time
Get on SteamWelcome to Mars Base, humanity’s foothold on the Red Planet! Join the expedition as an interstellar botanist and make history: turn barren soil into fertile farmland, grow food for colonists’ tables, and unearth the secrets of Mars! Are you ready to science the “crop” out of everything?
Mac OS
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features charming pixel art graphics and a nostalgic aesthetic reminiscent of classic games.
- There is potential for enjoyable gameplay with elements of farming, exploration, and building, especially as new settlers arrive and activities expand.
- The developer is responsive to feedback and actively working on patches to improve the game.
- The game is currently plagued by technical issues, including crashes and unintuitive controls, making it frustrating to play.
- Many players find the lack of guidance and clarity in quests leads to confusion and a feeling of being stuck.
- The game feels unfinished and lacks depth in gameplay mechanics, leading to repetitive tasks without meaningful progression.
- story13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game has received mixed feedback, with players noting a lack of clarity in quest tracking and insufficient explanations for objectives, leading to confusion and frustration. NPCs are described as lacking depth, often repeating the same lines and offering minimal engagement, which detracts from the overall narrative experience. While there are some story elements present, they are not compelling enough to draw players in, and the limited areas and repetitive quests contribute to a feeling of stagnation in the storyline.
“I'm not very far in the story as I only played 30 minutes, but I can see myself playing this game a lot.”
“Some things are insufficiently explained (like a quest I didn't know was aimed at the park building), sometimes I keep opting out of a quest because I'm trying to make the dialogue display faster and click the decline option, sometimes I feel punished for talking to someone because I get a 5-step set of instructions I can't opt out of.”
“The NPCs are soulless cutouts; all of them have like one quest (a few as of yet don't even have quests) and then they just repeat the same 1-2 lines every day, again unfairly comparing to Littlewood where each NPC has a distinct personality, their own wants out of the town, you can hang out with them, flirt with them, etc.”
“The NPCs are soulless cutouts; all of them have like one quest (a few as of yet don't even have quests) and then they just repeat the same 1-2 lines every day. This is unfairly compared to Littlewood, where each NPC has a distinct personality, their own wants out of the town, and you can hang out with them, flirt with them, etc.”
“Some things are insufficiently explained (like a quest I didn't know was aimed at the park building). Sometimes I keep opting out of a quest because I'm trying to make the dialogue display faster and click the decline option. Sometimes I feel punished for talking to someone because I get a 5-step set of instructions I can't opt out of.”
“The little scraps of story are something, but not really compelling thus far.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be a mixed experience, with some enjoying the gradual progression from basic tasks like soil extraction to more complex activities such as farming, fishing, and combat. While the initial grind can feel tedious, the unique blend of sci-fi elements and farming mechanics offers a rewarding sense of exploration and invention, reminiscent of classic titles like Harvest Moon. Overall, it may appeal to those who appreciate a slower-paced, resource management gameplay style, especially if purchased on sale.
“Turns out I needed to sleep another couple of nights before the farmer showed up to give me the blueprint for the greenhouse, which was where I ended up farming.”
“What starts out as little more than extracting soil from Mars turns to farming, then fishing, then combat, then cooking, and so on.”
“Light farming and building while having to use lower materials to upgrade to better ones.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming pixel art style, evoking nostalgia for 16-bit console aesthetics and reminiscent of classic titles like Pokémon. Players appreciate the retro design and vibrant character portraits, contributing to an enjoyable visual experience, particularly for fans of the genre. Overall, the graphics enhance the game's appeal, especially in its unique space-themed setting.
“So far I'm just shy of 10 hours played and I'm liking it; the pixel art graphics are great, and the characters, although lacking in dialogue, have good-looking portraits.”
“I've been looking forward to this game, and first things first, I absolutely love the graphics in this game.”
“I'm finding it intriguing so far with graphics reminiscent of the 16-bit console era.”
“I got some mild enjoyment out of it, and if you'd like a Mars aesthetic for a farming game, maybe buy on sale and check it out.”
“It kind of brings back Pokémon-type pixel art graphics but in an outer space setting.”
“It's cute, graphics-wise, at least if you like pixel art.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- -20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a town-building mechanic reminiscent of "Littlewood," where players engage in daily tasks to grow their town and unlock new features. However, some users find the planting mechanics confusing and express a desire for customizable key bindings. Additionally, navigating the quest system can be cumbersome, requiring multiple menu interactions to access active quests.
“Gameplay was also good, but I would've loved to be able to change the key bindings as I'm used to the WASD + IJKL keyboard-only play for games like this.”
“Now I haven't completed the game yet, but I can see where the Littlewood suggestion came from; it has a very similar gameplay loop of starting a town from nothing, building up your town by using your energy on daily tasks, and slowly unlocking more features as time goes on and your town grows.”
“After a few extra hours of gameplay, I finally found a way to reread my active quests while on the go. They are listed next to the characters' description, but accessing them feels like a journey through different menus, reminiscent of when we had to open 10 different folders just to play solitaire in the '90s.”
“One of the basic mechanics of this game is planting, and I kept thinking I was doing something wrong when I tried to figure out how to plant.”
“In and of itself, it isn't a bad thing. The gameplay loop is very similar to Littlewood, but it lacks the push Littlewood had.”
“After a few extra hours of gameplay, I finally found a way to reread my active quests while on the go. Not a quest menu per se, but they are listed next to the characters' description. However, going there is like a whole journey through the different menus, reminding me of when we had to open 10 different folders just to play solitaire in the '90s.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its relaxing and enjoyable nature, appealing even to players who typically mute in-game music. Users express excitement about discovering more tracks as the game evolves, highlighting the effective integration of music with the overall experience.
“The music is great too; I'm looking forward to finding more tracks as the game expands.”
“The music has also been a good choice, coming from someone who normally mutes the music in the games I play.”
“Overall, I’m enjoying the chilled nature of the game; the music is very relaxing and I love the pixel art.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Users have reported occasional texture glitches, particularly when planting taller crops in front of smaller ones, causing them to flicker when approached. Overall, while stability issues are present, they appear to be minor and do not significantly impact gameplay.
“There are a few texture glitches where if you plant a tall crop like corn or wheat in front of a smaller crop, it blinks on and off when you are near it.”
“The game frequently crashes during gameplay, making it nearly impossible to progress.”
“I experienced multiple instances of the game freezing, requiring a restart to continue.”
