Mercury Fallen

About

Mercury Fallen is a single player survival strategy game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Nitrous Butterfly and was released on August 22, 2023. It received positive reviews from players.

Dig, Build & Explore. Manage a group of colonists as they attempt to survive underground on an alien world. Automated machine construction was sent ahead to create the underground Mercury facility, but something has gone wrong. Your colonists awake to find the facility in ruin.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

83%

Audience ScoreBased on 366 reviews

story6 positive mentions

stability26 negative mentions

Mercury Fallen offers a relaxing and laid-back base-building experience, appealing to fans of the genre.
The game has a charming aesthetic and a unique underground exploration dynamic, providing a fresh take on colony sims.
The developer is responsive and actively updates the game, showing commitment to improving the player experience.

The game suffers from numerous bugs and technical issues, including save problems and AI pathfinding errors, which can hinder gameplay.
There is a lack of endgame content and challenges, making the gameplay feel repetitive and lacking in depth over time.
The user interface can be frustrating to navigate, with inconsistent controls and readability issues that detract from the overall experience.

story
44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
79%
7%
The game's story is described as having a relaxed pace with depth, conveyed through data logs and exploration, making it engaging and rewarding. Players appreciate the blend of base-building, resource management, and narrative elements, though some express a desire for a more complete storyline and additional content. Overall, the story is seen as compelling and intriguing, with a mix of humor and emotional moments, but it is noted that the narrative is still incomplete and development is slow.
- “This game is a perfect match for me - the challenges are not so impossible to overcome, the storyline is actually compelling, and things generally make a lot more sense and are easier to trace back issues than in a lot of other games.”
- “The gameloop is solid and the story is just the right level of depth to be interesting and rewarding.”
- “The progression is well done and the little tidbits of story and other discoveries while mining are a nice touch.”
- “The story is not complete yet and the development pace is slow.”
- “Another buggy feature is moving the machines - I moved the storage with food and all my colonists stopped in line before it, unable to get their food until I built another storage and emptied the old one. I played the game until the end of the story, and just after that, it wasn't playable anymore.”
- “It just needs a continued storyline and further exploration to new planets and more underground maps.”
graphics
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
42%
8%
The graphics of the game are generally described as attractive but unremarkable, with some users noting a nostalgic feel reminiscent of older titles. While the visuals are pleasing and the art style is appreciated, there are criticisms regarding polish and technical issues, such as settings reverting to lower options. Overall, the graphics are considered decent but could benefit from improvements, particularly in character detail.
- “The visuals are nice and there are some very pleasing aspects, such as the visualization for actions being completed or mining on the surface.”
- “The graphics are amazing; I know that there is more that you can do with the graphics, but at the moment where they are now, no improvements are needed yet.”
- “It has polished graphics and a nice 3D appearance.”
- “Graphics... are crap.”
- “Graphically, it's reminiscent of something from 15-20 years ago.”
- “Graphically speaking, there could be room for improvement (faces)... if you're expecting AAA type of graphics... well... don't let that stop you from trying it out (graphics are not my priority).”
stability
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
87%
The game's stability has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting significant bugs, frequent freezes, and issues with AI and resource management, making it unplayable at times. However, others have noted improvements over time, experiencing minimal bugs and smooth performance during extended play sessions. Overall, while some users find it enjoyable and mostly stable, others still encounter frustrating glitches that impact gameplay.
- “What is here is enjoyable and close to bug free (nothing game breaking I could find).”
- “I've done 153 hours of this; it's an awesome fun little game, my replacement for Fallout Shelter I got finally bored with, it's pretty much bug free too.”
- “It's alright, I played it many times when it first came out and it was a buggy mess.”
- “There are frequent freezes that last a minute or more where the entire program doesn't respond.”
- “The AI is buggy as hell; utilities don't function properly (have 50,000 watts of energy stored and batteries connected to the grid, but nothing stays powered).”
gameplay
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
68%
11%
The gameplay is generally solid and enjoyable, featuring a mix of underground and surface mechanics that add depth to the experience. While it functions well without major bugs or crashes, some players note that AI issues can arise, affecting colonist behavior. Overall, the game offers a pleasing experience, though some users feel it could benefit from additional content to justify its price.
- “The gameplay isn't as stripped down as some of the other offerings in the space, but it doesn't overpromise or hide behind anything.”
- “It's pleasing to play, has lots of good mechanics, and I enjoy the above ground, underground concept as well.”
- “- Over time, the game takes a surprising turn in the gameplay when, in addition to the underground game, the surface planet is also involved in the game.”
- “Gameplay is nothing new.”
- “As for gameplay - not a single hiccup, no crashes, game-breaking bugs, lost saves, etc. however, like almost all games in this genre, the AI tends to go wonky at a certain point and your colonists won't do things they are supposed to - it isn't as bad as some other games, but it is there.”
- “I could easily recommend it now if I felt there was more gameplay to it for the current price, but at $14.99 I'm expecting a bit more.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's replayability is generally viewed as limited, with many players noting a lack of significant variation between playthroughs despite some randomized elements. While there is potential for greater replay value, it currently suffers from a lack of random events and challenges, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, improvements are needed to enhance replayability and maintain player engagement.
- “Great value and replayability.”
- “Its replayability value is there, but is limited at the moment.”
- “- replayability when it comes to storyline”
- “The replay value is quite low for me.”
- “All the core systems are there and a little more effort could make this more replayable, but right now the game is lacking randomization (every playthrough is basically the same with only slight differences despite randomized maps), because there are no random events or anything like that.”
- “Overall a fun game, however, it needs a lot more work to have any replay value and some difficulty level.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, often requiring frequent job changes for colonists to maintain efficiency. The final phases of exploration and resource exploitation can feel repetitive, with many tasks becoming unnecessary as players progress. Overall, the grind for materials and upgrades detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
- “You have to change out colonists' jobs a lot of the time to be efficient, and it's just tedious.”
- “The final exploration and exploitation phase to get to the end goal can be a bit tedious.”
- “I find it tedious.”
music
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The music in the game features a soundtrack that some players find repetitive, which can be a double-edged sword; while it may annoy others, it provides a distraction-free environment for some players. Overall, opinions on the music's quality are mixed, with no definitive judgment offered.
- “My family members find the in-game music annoyingly repetitive, so they go away and leave me be.”
- “The soundtrack is quite underwhelming and lacks variety.”
- “The music gets old really fast and doesn't enhance the gaming experience.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback; while some players report that it runs smoothly, others criticize it for lacking content and being poorly optimized, particularly during its early access phase.
- “Game runs smoothly.”
- “In early access, the game is lacking; there's nothing to see here and a lot of busy work that isn't even optimized properly.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a storyline that balances humor with poignant moments, creating a blend of lightheartedness and depth that resonates with players.
- “A storyline that is funny at times and touching at other moments.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of comedic moments intertwined with touching elements, creating a storyline that balances lightheartedness with emotional depth.
- “A storyline that is funny at times and touching at times.”