Occupy Mars: The Game

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 920 reviews
  • gameplay
  • graphics
  • story
Occupy Mars: The Game Game Cover
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# Let's Occupy Mars! Occupy Mars is a highly technical, open-world sandbox game about Mars colonization inspired by the most promising technologies and companies that are working toward becoming a multi-planet species. Build and upgrade your base, discover new amazing regions, conduct mining operations, retrieve water, generate oxygen, grow crops, fix broken parts, and learn how to survive on Mar…

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 920 reviews
gameplay30 positive mentions
stability77 negative mentions
  • The game has a fun and engaging survival experience with a lot of potential.
  • The developers are responsive to feedback and actively working on updates and bug fixes.
  • The crafting and building mechanics are interesting and provide a satisfying gameplay loop.
  • The game suffers from numerous bugs and performance issues, making it frustrating to play.
  • The tutorial is overly long and not very helpful, leaving players confused about how to progress.
  • Resource management can feel tedious and grindy, with essential components often being hard to find.
  • gameplay146 mentions

    The gameplay of the game is characterized by a mix of interesting mechanics and significant technical issues, including bugs, poor optimization, and confusing tutorials. While some players appreciate the depth of survival mechanics and base building, many express frustration over the game's clunky controls, tedious resource gathering, and frequent crashes. Overall, the game shows potential but requires substantial improvements to its core mechanics and user experience for long-term enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay is both challenging and rewarding.”
    • “The game does an excellent job of recreating the harsh and unforgiving environment of Mars, and every aspect of the gameplay, from resource gathering and base building to scientific research and exploration, feels authentic and believable.”
    • “Once you get the hang of the controls and gameplay mechanics, it becomes a very good game.”
    • “Lost 87 hours of gameplay due to new update; the new version does not support old save games... waste of time.”
    • “This game is a buggy mess that should not have even been released into early access, and the gameplay mechanics are tedious in ways that are completely unnecessary.”
    • “The game concept is okay, but the gameplay is horrible!”
  • graphics86 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting significant optimization issues, including stuttering, low frame rates, and graphical glitches. While some appreciate the immersive landscapes and detail, others criticize the visuals as outdated and reminiscent of early 2000s games. Overall, the graphics are seen as serviceable but in dire need of improvement to meet modern standards.

    • “The graphics are stunning, immersing players in the breathtaking landscapes of the red planet.”
    • “Its stunning visuals, challenging gameplay, and commitment to scientific accuracy make it a standout title in the genre.”
    • “The graphics and sound design are also top-notch, with stunning visuals and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that really immerses you in the game's world.”
    • “At its current state, you'll see from many other reviews that the game is not well optimized in the sense that there are some occasional stutters, bugs, and high GPU temperatures or low FPS, despite graphics being turned down to the point that textures look very low resolution.”
    • “The visuals are worse than late 90's, early 00's games.”
    • “How can a game released in 2023 as an early access have graphics from the 2000s?”
  • story80 mentions

    The game's story is currently seen as underdeveloped and filled with bugs, leading to confusion and frustration among players. While there are elements of a narrative, such as a main quest and interactions with NPCs, many feel that the missions are repetitive and lack clear direction, making the overall experience feel grindy and unengaging. Players express hope for future updates to enhance the story and add more meaningful content, as the foundation shows potential but is not yet fully realized.

    • “The game is set in the not-too-distant future, where you play as a member of the first human mission to Mars.”
    • “You start out at a fully functioning/staffed base but all hell breaks loose and you end up alone on Mars. I actually was wondering about this when I first started playing and thought would it not be a cool plot twist if the base was destroyed and forced me to start over, well it happened lol.”
    • “The story's not there yet, but I see that it'll happen over the rest of the year from their roadmap.”
    • “I've tried my best to try and like this game, even put in the time to play it so I can at least get some experience with the game, but the boring storyline nearly made me go to sleep.”
    • “More frustration and confusion than fun, and definitely not worth a $25 price tag considering you will be spending a lot of time in the nearly entirely worthless story intro of the campaign and then trying to look up tutorials online once you are like 90 minutes in and are finally allowed to play the game.”
    • “The entire first part of the game (I made it an hour) is basically fetch quests and running back and forth between different areas to grab a thing and hear more dialogue.”
  • stability80 mentions

    The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, crashes, and performance issues, particularly during loading screens and gameplay transitions. Many users experienced frustrating freezes and glitches that hindered their ability to progress, leading to a consensus that the game is currently unplayable for some. While there are indications of potential improvements from the developers, the overall sentiment is that the game is too buggy in its current early access state.

    • “It runs great on my system at max settings (i7, 32GB RAM, 8GB 4060 Ti), though there are occasional FPS drops when entering a new area.”
    • “Fun game, runs great, no bugs so far.”
    • “Runs great.”
    • “This game is a buggy mess that should not have even been released into early access, and the gameplay mechanics are tedious in ways that are completely unnecessary.”
    • “I have been in the game for 5 hours and only about 30 minutes of that was actual gameplay; the rest was troubleshooting or waiting for unbearably long loading screens.”
    • “Game is currently very early access, and so it's quite buggy and there are lots of unfinished things in it.”
  • grinding74 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being tedious and time-consuming, with many players finding the resource collection and crafting processes overly repetitive and frustrating. While some enjoy the grind as part of the survival experience, others feel it detracts from overall enjoyment due to constant bugs and clunky mechanics. Despite these issues, there are hints of potential improvements and rewarding moments that keep some players engaged.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “At the end of the day, I found that I don't need much to survive on Mars, just a few basic buildings, and after that, it's all about grinding, literally.”
    • “Acquiring resources is extremely tedious and time-consuming.”
    • “The tool durability added to the game recently just wrecked what was already a slow, grinding, tedious game.”
  • optimization62 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting frequent stutters, low frame rates, and various bugs that significantly hinder performance, even on high-end systems. Many users express hope for future improvements, noting that while the game has potential, its current state is marred by poor resource management and graphical issues. Overall, the consensus is that substantial optimization work is needed to enhance the gaming experience.

    • “I really feel like I'm living there on Mars, preparing everything so that humanity can come later. I really like this simulator, and I'm looking forward to more content, hoping that the experience will also be optimized. But we know it's early access and it is in full development, so everything is very good.”
    • “The current performance of the game is mostly good, with only seldom breakdowns in the FPS when certain effects are triggered or you visit a huge base for the first time.”
    • “Okay, all the trolls talking about performance must be rocking potatoes because I have it set to max settings and I have an RTX 3060 and i7 with solid 80 FPS, 50 being my lowest.”
    • “A confusingly large number of grave and minor bugs, glitches, and performance issues.”
    • “It has some serious performance issues; sometimes the FPS drops for no apparent reason, and the game crashes quite a lot.”
    • “Not to mention the performance and optimization is abysmal.”
  • music31 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its immersive and zen qualities, while others criticize it for being repetitive, overly loud, and poorly balanced with other audio elements. Many users noted issues with the volume settings, where adjusting the music volume often resulted in abrupt changes, and some expressed a desire for a more varied soundtrack. Overall, while the soundtrack has its fans, it appears to detract from the experience for others due to its execution and repetitiveness.

    • “Music is lovely and zen, which is about as much rest as you'll get.”
    • “The game's soundtrack deserves a special mention, as it complements the immersive experience perfectly.”
    • “The graphics and sound design are also top-notch, with stunning visuals and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that really immerses you in the game's world.”
    • “Also just a small gripe, the music is really depressing and, like someone else has said, this game is clunky and to me lacks fluidity when moving about.”
    • “What is supposed to be the turning point event is actually made more disorienting and poor by an absence of additional ambient sound sources, self-produced sound, and inappropriate music.”
    • “Music gets repetitive really fast, and isn't very good to begin with.”
  • humor11 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its quirky characters, such as the hilariously angry Gary, and the comedic elements of gameplay, like the exaggerated ragdoll physics upon death. Players find the mix of serious survival mechanics and absurd situations amusing, with many noting that the game's flaws often lead to unintentionally funny moments. Overall, while the humor may not be universally appreciated, it adds a unique charm to the survival experience.

    • “Gary in particular was hilarious; he gets angry and kicks you out of his room when you first meet him.”
    • “It is funny in the sense where the body gets ragdolled if you die, and it is also strict with gameplay; if you do not perform well, you can easily die.”
    • “Every death I learn from, and they are typically hilarious in nature.”
  • atmosphere9 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is praised for its immersive and visually stunning environments, particularly in the context of space and alien landscapes. However, some players note that the gameplay can feel simplistic and lacking in content, with technical elements that may hinder overall experience. Despite these criticisms, the atmosphere effectively conveys a sense of realism and tension, especially in scenarios involving airlocks and pressure management.

    • “Going scrapping in between in the numerous and really quite atmospheric ruins scattered around.”
    • “Atmosphere and immersion beautiful.”
    • “It gives me Stationeers vibes but with fantastic graphics.”
    • “Both facilities connected by an airlock lose atmosphere when the airlock is supposed to stop it.”
    • “It's up to you to believe them or not, but right now it's nearly zero content with a campaign title that feels like pure bait. It ends before it has even begun, and after placing a few hydrodynamical and electric installations, mainly released in a very primitive way, you get full immersion into the atmosphere of a clicker for everyday tasks.”
    • “I placed an airlock on my workshop, and after connecting oxygen to it, I blew out my brain by opening the door. The game tried to equalize the indoor pressure with the Martian atmosphere, so guess what? You need two airlock frames. Go figure.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is heavily criticized, with users noting that it feels like a prolonged advertisement for Republic of Gamers, detracting from the overall experience. Many describe it as a cash grab, highlighting issues such as bugs, poor translation, and a lack of engaging content. Overall, the game's monetization strategy appears to prioritize profit over quality.

    • “The whole game is basically a giant advertisement for Republic of Gamers; you will see their logo everywhere, although it really fails.”
    • “Buggy, boring, poor translation, and a cash grab.”
    • “I'll check it out again in a year or so and see if it was just another EA cash grab or not.”
  • replayability4 mentions

    The game's replayability is mixed; while some players find it lacking due to a predictable ending and repetitive gameplay, others appreciate the variety of game modes and difficulty settings that enhance replay value. Recent patches have also improved overall playability, making it more enjoyable for repeated sessions.

    • “As it is, the game is not replayable as the end is always the same: a base with the same capabilities as the last one. It runs day and night... end of story.”
    • “And with a variety of game modes and difficulty settings to choose from, there's plenty of replay value to be had here.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    Players highlight the emotional depth of the game, noting how the ambient music amplifies the sense of isolation on Mars. A poignant moment is described when a player's ATV runs out of power just as they reach a charging station, evoking strong feelings and nearly bringing them to tears.

    • “The ambient tunes enhance the feeling of isolation on Mars, adding an emotional layer to the overall gameplay.”
    • “I watched my ATV go from 100% to 0% on my adventure. I almost shed a tear for the perfect timing as I pulled up to my base's little charging area.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the character development aspect is lacking, with users expressing dissatisfaction over the character design options, describing them as unattractive.

    • “All the character design options were unattractive.”
    • “The character development felt shallow and uninspired.”
    • “I didn't feel any connection to the characters; their growth was non-existent.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

15hMedian play time
90hAverage play time
7-42hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 26 analyzed playthroughs

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