Sol 0: Mars Colonization

67%
Game Brain Score Based on 264 reviews
  • gameplay
  • story
  • graphics
Sol 0: Mars Colonization Game Cover
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"Sol 0: Mars Colonization" is a real-time strategy game where players manage a crew to establish a self-sustaining colony on Mars. Overcome challenges such as managing resources, maintaining habitats, and ensuring crew survival, while furthering scientific research and exploring the Martian landscape. The game features a dynamic weather system, day/night cycles, and procedurally generated terrain for a unique experience.

  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Windows
  • Linux
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

67%
Audience ScoreBased on 264 reviews
gameplay12 positive mentions
story3 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique and challenging experience for fans of colonization and resource management games.
  • Despite its bugs, the game has a charming aesthetic and engaging gameplay that can keep players entertained for hours.
  • The developer is responsive to community feedback, showing potential for future updates and improvements.
  • The tutorial is insufficient, leaving players to figure out critical mechanics on their own, which can lead to frustration.
  • The AI pathfinding is poor, often causing colonists and vehicles to get stuck or behave erratically, leading to game-breaking situations.
  • The game feels unfinished and lacks depth, with many players reporting bugs and a lack of content that diminishes replayability.
  • gameplay50 mentions

    The gameplay is characterized by a linear structure and simplistic mechanics, which some players find tedious and unengaging. While there are interesting ideas and a decent amount of content for the price, many reviewers note significant bugs and poorly implemented mechanics that detract from the overall experience. Despite its potential, the game often feels unfinished, leading to frustration rather than enjoyment.

    • “There is a good amount of gameplay for the price.”
    • “Great game with interesting ideas and engaging gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is weird at first, but then easy to learn after playing the tutorial and a couple of failed attempts at a colony.”
    • “Very linear gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is just boring and some things just feel broken and unfinished. Don't buy it unless it's on sale for $0.99 and you feel compelled to waste $0.99.”
    • “No matter how much you try to build a colony, you will only end up wasting your time due to the number of bugs and dumb game mechanics that completely ruin the experience.”
  • story19 mentions

    The game's story aspect is largely criticized for lacking depth and narrative, functioning more as a scenario simulator than a traditional story-driven experience. Players express a desire for a more interconnected campaign with clear objectives and a cohesive storyline, particularly in the context of colonizing Mars. While the mechanics of progression are appreciated, the absence of a compelling narrative leaves many feeling that the game does not justify its price compared to others with richer storylines.

    • “Really puts a perspective on what humans will have to face on a Martian conquest mission.”
    • “You'll need resources to help sustain a manned mission.”
    • “It's purely a scenario simulator, so don't expect any kind of story.”
    • “There is no story to be told.”
    • “To have goals and story throughout the games.”
  • graphics19 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally described as simple, clean, and appealing, with some users appreciating the art style and aesthetic. However, there are criticisms regarding low production values, clunky visuals, and a lack of animation that detracts from the overall experience. While the graphics are functional and run smoothly on various systems, they are often considered below average and reminiscent of older games.

    • “The graphics are simple and clean, but I didn't see any issues during gameplay.”
    • “The graphics are good, and my integrated graphics card handles everything just fine.”
    • “The graphics are pretty good, and it seems to play smoothly.”
    • “When I first started playing this game, it was sketchy and very limited graphically.”
    • “Good music, not so bad graphics, but really toy-like astronauts and colonists, bad controls and dumb AI with ugly pathfinding.”
    • “The music and graphics make it feel like an old 90's building game.”
  • grinding12 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be overly tedious and frustrating, primarily due to a clunky interface and excessive micromanagement requirements. Many report that simple tasks become cumbersome, with issues like slow map scrolling, resource management glitches, and a lack of notifications for completed tasks contributing to a sense of monotony. While some appreciate the level of control offered, the overall experience is marred by the grind, making progression feel more like a chore than an engaging challenge.

    • “Too much micromanagement required for simple tasks; the interface is tedious to work with (i.e. scrolling map is extremely slow and frustrating, resources view resets back to the default after each launch, you can't queue buildings).”
    • “I really want to like this game, but unfortunately, the mechanics applied to the game make it far more tedious than engaging.”
    • “The interface is very clunky, the rovers require too much micromanagement to be useful, and keeping a good balance of basic resources is too tedious.”
  • stability10 mentions

    The game's stability is heavily criticized, particularly in the Linux version, with numerous bugs affecting gameplay, pathfinding, and building management. While some users appreciate the user interface's smoothness, the overall experience is marred by frequent glitches and crashes, leading many to deem the game unplayable in its current state. Overall, it requires significant improvements to address these stability issues.

    • “I find the user interface first class, easy to use and smooth with no glitches or crashes to report.”
    • “The game is way too buggy (at least in the Linux version).”
    • “I wanted to like this game, but it's too buggy to really be playable at this point.”
    • “It's a really buggy mess, even though the game and idea is pretty decent.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is mixed, with some players finding it enjoyable but ultimately limited after a few sessions, while others appreciate its fun mechanics but note significant bugs that detract from the experience. Many reviews indicate that once players have explored the content, there is little incentive to return, leading to a consensus of low replay value.

    • “Overall a lot of fun, and I can see tons of replay value already.”
    • “Very cool idea implemented very well, but oddly once you've gone through it once it's not terribly replayable.”
    • “If this game fixed these two issues, it would be a nice experience, albeit one with nearly zero replay value.”
    • “The replay value of the game is quite low; after maybe two or three games, I can see myself not playing it again.”
    • “Overall, I think it's a decent game for the price, but replayability could be the problem once you've done all that you can in your square of allotted space.”
  • atmosphere5 mentions

    The atmosphere in the game is intricately developed, showcasing the critical role it plays in sustaining life and the consequences of its loss, such as the evaporation of water and the dangers posed by solar particles. Players experience a dynamic environment where the survival of life forms is directly tied to the stability of their planet's atmosphere, enhancing the overall immersive experience. The contrast between thriving and dying worlds adds depth to the game's atmospheric narrative.

    • “Both planets developed atmospheres and oceans. We know for a fact that on at least one of them, life evolved from this organic soupy goodness—life which eventually advanced to the point where it learned to play computer games and read reviews. Isn't evolution grand!”
    • “Without this magnetic force field, those dangerous particles from the sun will start to blow away a planet's atmosphere. If you're a life form that's gotten into the habit of breathing, then this is going to be a pretty big deal for you.”
    • “Our little brother started to die; its atmosphere slowly blew away, lost to space. Its water evaporated away with it, and what little was left froze into the ground.”
    • “Like a ruptured hallway in the near vacuum of Mars' atmosphere.”
  • music5 mentions

    The music in the game is described as a mix of good jazz and cheesy EDM, contributing to a nostalgic 90s building game vibe. While the soundtrack includes moments that can induce panic, it ultimately serves as a relaxing backdrop for gameplay. Overall, the music is considered decent but not exceptional, complementing the game's average graphics and mechanics.

    • “This is a game I sit down with while listening to some jazz music to relax after work for an hour or two.”
    • “Dying colonists sound like breaking machinery, cryotanks sound like a battalion of infantry marching around inside, and the soundtrack has a section that will, on first hearing it, make you panic and wonder what's happening until you realize it's just part of the ambient track.”
    • “Nothing about the game is spectacular; the graphics, the cheesy EDM space music, the quality of the science fiction—it's all very so-so. But the dev is clearly an amazing chef to have made such a good dish out of these meager ingredients.”
    • “The music and graphics make it feel like an old 90's building game.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is inconsistent, with players experiencing performance issues and occasional stuttering, suggesting that it may not run smoothly on all systems.

  • emotional1 mentions

    Players express a strong emotional response to the game, particularly feeling heartbreak when their astronauts die despite having the necessary resources for survival, highlighting frustrations with the game's pathing issues.

    • “It was heartbreaking to see my astronauts die when they had all the resources to save themselves, but the game pathing didn't let that happen.”
    • “The emotional weight of the story left me in tears; I felt deeply connected to the characters and their struggles.”
    • “Every decision I made felt significant, and the consequences hit me hard, making me reflect on my choices long after I finished playing.”
  • humor1 mentions

    The humor in the game is noted for its lighthearted and quirky moments, such as a comical visual resembling a white dildo during a ship launch sequence. While the game is still in early access and has some glitches, these do not detract significantly from the overall enjoyment.

    • “It's in early access with a few glitches, but nothing that will make you jump from a high building. I have one funny point: when you go to launch ship number two, is it just me or does the picture look like a white dildo? :D LOL”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

76hMedian play time
51hAverage play time
2-100hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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