Mars: War Logs

RPG veterans should check the game out and give it a spin, if only to see the genuinely brilliant ideas at the game's core. Mars: War Logs isn't exactly a good game, but I have hopes that the next one, if there is a next one, given more time and a bigger budget, will be able to realize all the potential and promise oat the heart of this game.

73%Game Brain Score

story, gameplay

grinding, stability

73% User Score Based on 1,554 reviews

Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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About

"Mars: War Logs" is a post-apocalyptic RPG set on a colonized and war-torn Mars. As protagonist Roy, players must navigate the political and social struggles of the planet while making moral choices that impact the narrative. With a focus on combat and crafting, players can develop their skills and abilities to survive in this brutal world.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

73%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,554 reviews

story466 positive mentions

grinding41 negative mentions

Interesting setting and lore that draws players in.
Decent character progression and skill trees that allow for customization.
Engaging story with choices that impact the outcome.

Clunky combat mechanics that can be frustrating, especially in larger fights.
Repetitive quests and backtracking that can make gameplay tedious.
Poor voice acting and dialogue that detracts from the overall experience.

story
1,428 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
61%
7%
The story of "Mars: War Logs" is a mixed bag, with many players appreciating its intriguing premise and character-driven narrative set in a dystopian Martian environment. While the game features meaningful choices that can impact the storyline and character relationships, some reviewers noted that the plot can feel rushed and lacks depth, leading to a somewhat predictable and linear experience. Overall, the game is seen as a decent, if flawed, entry in the RPG genre, appealing primarily to those who prioritize story over gameplay mechanics.
- “A solid RPG in which the entertaining story is told by alternating characters.”
- “The story is actually really nice and I think the friendship of the two main characters is done very well and feels real.”
- “The story is well told, there are decisions to make that alter the story and how the NPCs deal with you, there are at least two romance options possible, and from the looks of it there are at least two pretty big branching paths depending on a single choice you make that changes the story heavily.”
- “The storyline, touted as a key selling point, is a convoluted mess.”
- “The story is a mess; it's as if a monkey with ADHD edited some scenes, just random jumps to random locations, NPCs look the same, companions and antagonists also often do not make a lick of sense. This really is the weakest point of the game.”
- “It's clear the devs had a very grand political story in mind but lacked the budget to create a game of that size and length to do it justice.”
gameplay
402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
63%
15%
The gameplay of "Mars: War Logs" has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it to be average and often repetitive. Combat mechanics are frequently described as clunky and frustrating, with issues such as limited enemy variety and tedious encounters. While some appreciate the RPG elements and skill trees, the overall experience is marred by a lack of polish and innovation, leading to a gameplay experience that feels dated and uninspired.
- “A fine role-playing game which entertained me well during the 12 hours of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay kept me hooked.”
- “The main thing is that the gameplay is good, challenging but not overly so and otherwise satisfying with the skills you gain actually proving useful.”
- “It's a basic action-adventure game with some strange gameplay ideas (like a gun is 'just a one-use skill in combat') and a mediocre story with a few lame twists that are not really twists anyway.”
- “The lackluster combat mechanics contribute to an overall sense of monotony, as players are forced to endure uninspiring encounters throughout the game.”
- “The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive - combat, run around, combat, talk to someone, combat.”
graphics
288 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The graphics of "Mars: War Logs" are generally considered dated and lackluster, especially for a game released in 2013, with many reviewers noting that they fall short of contemporary standards. However, some players appreciate the atmospheric world design and aesthetic, which effectively captures the harsh Martian landscape, despite the visuals being described as mediocre or bland. Overall, while the graphics may not impress, they are deemed acceptable for an indie title, with a few standout elements in art style and environmental detail.
- “Moreover, 'Mars: War Logs' impresses with its atmospheric world design, which brings the harsh Martian landscape to life with detailed environments and striking visuals.”
- “The graphics are pretty good, especially considering the time this game came out.”
- “Graphically, for its time, it was an amazing job from such a small studio.”
- “The graphics cannot match the ambition the game conveys throughout the experience, nor it's up to par with contemporaries.”
- “Graphically, Mars: War Logs is a disappointment.”
- “The visuals fail to immerse players in the Martian setting, robbing the game of the atmospheric quality that could have elevated the overall experience.”
atmosphere
75 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
37%
7%
The game's atmosphere is frequently praised for its immersive world design, detailed environments, and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. While many players appreciate the gritty, atmospheric setting reminiscent of sci-fi classics, some critiques highlight inconsistencies in visual immersion and character depth that detract from the potential of the atmosphere. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a strong point, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite its flaws in other areas.
- “Moreover, 'Mars: War Logs' impresses with its atmospheric world design, which brings the harsh Martian landscape to life with detailed environments and striking visuals.”
- “The game's soundtrack also contributes to its immersive atmosphere, enhancing the player's sense of immersion in the world of Mars.”
- “It has great atmosphere, excellent locations, a good mix of characters, and a brilliant soundtrack.”
- “The atmosphere and backstory of the world are especially good, even though the cities don't actually feel alive: they are filled with people that exist only to be there.”
- “The game is not epic, without atmosphere.”
- “During cutscenes or dialogue exchanges you can also notice the seams where bits are played based on your choices, which kind of kills the atmosphere.”
music
62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
61%
5%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the soundtrack as a standout feature that enhances the immersive atmosphere, particularly in menu and action sequences. However, several players find the overall sound design and ambient music to be forgettable or mediocre, lacking in memorability and depth. While some highlight the dynamic and fitting nature of the music, others criticize it for being uninspired and not contributing significantly to the gameplay experience.
- “The game's soundtrack also contributes to its immersive atmosphere, enhancing the player's sense of immersion in the world of Mars.”
- “The music kicks and really matches well with the neat atmosphere of the game.”
- “The music was great throughout, and that end title track is a great end to a great game.”
- “The sound design is another letdown, with forgettable music and uninspired voice acting.”
- “The soundtrack is fitting yet nothing special and the outdated sound design does nothing to help the experience.”
- “Music is boring and forgettable.”
grinding
41 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often leading to frustration with the combat mechanics and quest design. Many reviews highlight the monotony of revisiting the same areas and engaging in similar combat encounters, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the story and gameplay. While some players appreciate the potential for fun in the mechanics, the overwhelming sentiment is that the grinding becomes a chore rather than an engaging experience.
- “Running through the same streets over and over can be tedious.”
- “While the art side of things looks interesting, it all falls apart when the game design starts forcing you to backtrack through the same areas that are put together by the same assets over and over again until it becomes so tedious, you're not interested in the story anymore.”
- “In the end, I simply couldn't be bothered grinding through the quests to find out the rest of the story.”
humor
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
97%
3%
The humor in the game is a mix of intentional and unintentional comedy, with many players finding the dialogue and voice acting to be amusingly poor, leading to laugh-out-loud moments. While the writing can be hit-or-miss, with some characters delivering hilariously bad lines, the overall experience is described as entertaining and filled with funny choices and interactions. Despite its flaws, the humor adds a unique charm, making it a memorable experience for those who appreciate its quirky style.
- “Really nice and budget eurojank, doesn't overstay its welcome and has an interesting enough story, very funny and janky in some parts.”
- “But it's bad in a good way and it gets a thumbs up if only because of how much the bad dialogue made me laugh.”
- “The writing and voice acting in this game is so bad it's funny (most of the time), but the gameplay is good.”
- “Oh, and enemies reset literally every time you leave an area, which becomes unfunny very quickly due to the numerous hard fights that you are prone to repeat over and over again.”
stability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
97%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and optimization issues that can disrupt gameplay and immersion. While some users experienced smooth performance with no issues, others noted significant problems such as clipping, AI glitches, and combat-related bugs. Overall, the game's stability appears to vary widely among players, with a notable divide between those who encountered numerous technical issues and those who found the experience largely enjoyable.
- “I bought this game unsure of its worth, but I have to say I got my money's worth. It was a game that made me want to keep playing to learn the in-game story. Its fighting style was nice, and there were no glitches at all throughout the whole game. I've played all those big hits, and this game was more enjoyable than most. Take it for a spin; you will enjoy it, and its alternate game path gives it that replayable spark so many games lack these days.”
- “Technical issues further mar the game, with frequent glitches, frame rate drops, and other bugs that disrupt the already tenuous immersion.”
- “This game is plagued with small bugs and glitches.”
- “It's pretty buggy too, the biggest issue being that 5 years after its release, a lot of people including myself can't play with their controller because apparently the game mistakenly passes some mice and keyboards for one instead of the actual controller.”
replayability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
70%
10%
The game's replayability is a mixed bag, with some players noting that while it offers multiple endings and choices that can affect the storyline, the impact of these choices is often minimal. Many reviews highlight that the game can be completed in a relatively short time (around 10-15 hours), which allows for quick subsequent playthroughs, especially to explore different factions or skill trees. However, some players feel that the linear nature of the story and similarities between endings limit the overall replay value, leading to a consensus of moderate to low replayability.
- “Choices made throughout the game impact the storyline and characters, adding replay value and depth to the experience.”
- “It also has a decent length; I finished the game in about 10 hours and that was only doing one faction side. I'm sure it might have a bit of replay value if you want to pick the other and try to do all of the quests you may have missed on the first playthrough.”
- “The skill tree system is great, similar to The Witcher, and there are many skills to upgrade, which means there will be some replayability available since you can't possibly upgrade them all.”
- “However, while I think the game wasn't as bad as some other reviews make it seem, I'm not sure how much replay value it has.”
- “The game could've had replay value but the multiple endings are too similar to make me want to play the whole game over.”
- “Edit: I just beat the game and it does not have any replay value.”
character development
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
44%
44%
11%
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its depth and progression, particularly as the story unfolds and choices impact gameplay. However, criticisms arise regarding shallow character arcs, stiff animations, and limited dialogue, suggesting that while the foundation is strong, it lacks the polish and variety expected in a more developed RPG. Overall, many players find the character development engaging but feel it could be significantly improved in future installments.
- “The sense of progression both in terms of character development and story is satisfying, even addicting in the 'let me just turn in this one quest next and then I'll stop playing' kind of way.”
- “I enjoyed the character development, and the story had some twists that really kicked.”
- “For all it gets wrong, though, Wars: War Logs has a truly enjoyable combat system and a skill-based character development tree that really allows you to play the game the way you want.”
- “Facial expressions were a bit... nonexistent and character design got a little rough.”
- “The main missed points are generally in dialogues and character development.”
- “Also, the character development paths (as in Technomancer) are fairly basic with no standout differences when focusing in a specific direction.”
optimization
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
41%
41%
18%
Overall, the game's optimization is generally praised, with many players reporting smooth performance, no bugs or crashes, and high frame rates even on demanding settings. However, some users experienced technical issues, particularly on the Steam Deck, where crashes occurred during loading screens. While the optimization is considered one of the game's strengths, the quality of voice acting and character performances received mixed reviews, impacting the overall experience.
- “Had no bugs or glitches, no crashes, very good performance.”
- “It is optimized really well and I experienced no bugs or crashes.”
- “The game runs smoothly, does not bug, nor do I experience screen tear or lag.”
- “Additionally, technical issues such as bugs, glitches, and optimization issues may detract from the overall experience for some players.”
- “Performance on the Steam Deck was fine until it started crashing every other loading screen, so I had to switch to my desktop and all the crashes instantly stopped.”
- “Additionally, it doesn't help that the voice actors bring disgustingly wooden performances to the table as well.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
88%
13%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed, with some players finding it nostalgic and heartwarming despite its janky execution, while others criticize the lack of emotional resonance in character performances and storytelling. Although certain characters and cutscenes are noted as touching, many players feel disconnected from the narrative and characters due to uninspired dialogue, poor voice acting fit, and a lack of engaging quests. Overall, the game struggles to create a compelling emotional experience, leaving many players wanting more depth and connection.
- “This game looks and plays like an older RPG, but it was a very pleasant and heartwarming experience for me.”
- “Roy (our hero) is acted well enough throughout, and most of the main cast are emotionally engaging.”
- “Very touching cutscenes.”
- “The combat is lackluster with only a few generic powers, and the story is tedious, filled with fetch quests and repetitive kill missions.”
- “The controls are frustrating, the story is dull, the dialogue lacks inspiration, and the graphics feel outdated.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized for being exploitative, as it appears to recycle old content while charging players for a new version, effectively forcing them to repurchase the game to access a functional copy. This approach has left many feeling ripped off, particularly long-time supporters of the franchise.
- “The developers copied a lot of old data from this game and cash grabbed players with a newer version. The original supporters of 'spider' games feel ripped off, as they are forced to buy the 'Technomancer' game again to get a working copy.”
- “The monetization strategy feels exploitative, as it seems designed to squeeze more money from players rather than enhance the gaming experience.”
- “It's frustrating to see a game that could be great marred by aggressive monetization tactics that prioritize profit over player satisfaction.”