Mars Vice

About

Mars Vice is a single player action game. It was developed by Rho Labyrinths GmbH and was released on March 6, 2025. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Mars Vice plunges you into a biopunk Martian city where transhumanism thrives amid corporate greed and corrupt police. Play as Dax, a reckless investigator, navigating a nonlinear narrative filled with keyword-driven dialogue and 3D exploration. Uncover conspiracies in richly crafted environments, blending visual novel storytelling with immersive adventure gameplay.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

97%

Audience ScoreBased on 59 reviews

story19 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features unique and stylized graphics that blend 2D character art with 3D environments, creating a visually appealing experience.
The story is engaging with well-developed characters, humor, and interesting world-building that keeps players invested.
The game offers a fun and charming buddy cop dynamic between the main characters, with witty dialogue and entertaining interactions.

The game is relatively short, leaving players wanting more content and a deeper exploration of the story and characters.
Some players felt the pacing was rushed, particularly towards the end, leading to unresolved plot points and character development.
The absence of voice acting and occasional repetitive dialogue can detract from the overall experience.

story
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
68%
4%
The story of the game is generally well-received, featuring a unique blend of buddy cop drama and sci-fi elements, with engaging characters and unexpected twists. However, many reviewers noted that the narrative feels rushed, particularly in the latter half, leaving some character arcs underdeveloped and the overall plot lacking depth. Despite its predictability and brevity, the story captivates players with its charm and potential for further exploration in future installments.
- “A visual novel with a first-person interactive perspective is something rarely encountered; it takes a lot of work to make happen, and to pair that with a fantastic story full of charming characters full of attitude cranks the enjoyment level all the way up.”
- “The story is fun and engaging; it has a pretty relaxed pace, even when things pick up.”
- “It's a really pretty game, with wonderful design details and a great story.”
- “The overall story without spoilers is predictable, yet leaves much to be improved on for a sequel (which I hope inevitably comes).”
- “The only true negative, outside of some bugs and formatting issues, would be that the story felt a little rushed after the halfway mark.”
- “Certain characters could have had more screentime and felt underutilized and underdeveloped, and the plot felt somewhat rushed in order to get that neat bow-tied ending.”
graphics
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
52%
16%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and polished art style, blending 2D furry characters with 3D environments to create a visually striking experience. Reviewers highlight the eye-catching designs and the successful integration of various aesthetics, including a noir vibe and cozy backgrounds that enhance the overall atmosphere. While the visuals are considered the standout feature, some players express a desire for more content and steamy scenes to complement the artistic presentation.
- “The artwork is incredibly polished with many designs that are incredibly eye-catching.”
- “The game is clearly a labor of love and has beautiful crisp art and a nice cohesive aesthetic.”
- “It is an accomplishment in terms of the visuals, but there needs to be more.”
- “The art style mixes furry 2D characters with 3D environments and it all comes together to look really slick.”
- “Overall I quite liked it: the quirky (adult) humor, the 'why aren't you like every other Martian' partner dynamic, the art style, the short runtime (5h: a negative if you want a long game).”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The gameplay combines visual novel elements with 3D exploration, offering a unique aesthetic but limited interactivity in the 3D space. While mini-games add some fun, they serve more as achievements than core mechanics, and the overall gameplay experience is described as simple and predictable, with a quick resolution after a plot twist. Despite these critiques, the humor, characters, and visual style contribute to an enjoyable experience for fans of the genre.
- “Gameplay-wise, it's an adventure/visual novel; if you're into that kind of thing, you'll be into this, because what you're getting is extremely high quality.”
- “I also think this combination of 2D and 3D fits very well in this type of gameplay.”
- “Mechanically, you may find yourself rereading or triggering the same dialogue over and over again, and the skip button is not that smooth to use.”
- “The mix of visual novel and 3D space is cool, though I wanted more interaction on the 3D side of gameplay.”
- “The mini games like drumming, pizza throwing, and boxing were fun, but they mostly serve as achievements rather than core mechanics.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is consistently praised for its engaging and charming character dynamics, featuring cute banter, clever puns, and excellent writing that keeps players entertained. Reviewers highlight the funny story and endearing characters as key elements that enhance the overall experience.
- “I haven't finished the game yet, but so far, Mars Vice has kept me hooked with its funny story, wonderful art, and its endearing characters.”
- “The character dynamics are funny and charming, with lots of puns and bickering around.”
- “The game is super funny with some excellent writing.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The music in the game is highly praised for its delightful and fitting compositions, enhancing the overall atmosphere of the adventure. Reviewers appreciate the blend of cozy, chillhop-inspired tracks that complement the gameplay while allowing for focus on dialogue, with standout pieces like "Bootlicker" and a memorable fish-themed song at Hammerheads. Overall, the soundtrack effectively captures the essence of the game's settings and themes.
- “And the music is perfectly suited for a mystery-solving Mars adventure.”
- “The music accompanied with each area is very cozy and fitting, and the background visuals provided for Pavonis do make it seem like this is one of the somewhat decent cities to live in.”
- “I also appreciated how bop-able the music was while still being able to let it fade into the background when focusing on the dialogue.”
- “[*] really cool vibe chillhopish tunes (really like the fish titled song at Hammerheads, I Shazam'd it and it was a nice touch) end song is right up my alley for punk.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Character development in the game is noted for its brisk pacing and engaging writing, providing players with interesting insights without dragging on. However, while the art and design are praised, the actual depth of character development is seen as limited, with some characters experiencing vindication rather than substantial growth. Overall, the world-building supports the characters, but the development itself may not meet the expectations of those seeking deeper narratives.
- “This is by far the best aspect of the game--arguably even better than the art style and the character designs.”
- “Pacing is really great so far, where the writing never belabors the point and is always giving the player interesting new bits of info and character development, but moves at a brisk pace compared to a lot of visual novel style experiences.”
- “It's set in a fairly well thought-out world, with a reason for things being the way they are: character designs seem out of cartoon fantasy, but in a 'b-movie' sci-fi setting.”
- “There's not really a ton of character development; it just feels like some characters got vindication and that's all the development that's there.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has limited replayability, as players can complete it in about four hours and it features only one ending, leading to a sense of finality that discourages further play.
- “In 4 hours of playtime, I was through with the game. Given that it only has one ending, it's not really replayable and feels like it's just done and aside.”
- “Once you finish the game, there's little incentive to play again since the story doesn't change and there are no alternate endings.”
- “The lack of different paths or choices means that after the first playthrough, the game loses its appeal and feels repetitive.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game demonstrates strong stability, particularly noted for its smooth performance on the Steam Deck.
- “Runs great on my Steam Deck, too!”
- “The game maintains a smooth frame rate even during intense action sequences.”
- “I've experienced zero crashes or bugs since I started playing.”