Take On Mars

44%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,115 reviews
  • story
  • stability
  • gameplay
Take On Mars Game Cover
A varied, atmospheric space simulator with beautiful Martian sunsets, challenging survival, and frustrating controls.
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"Take On Mars" is a thrilling space exploration game that lets you experience the challenges of Mars exploration without the years of training or budget constraints. Operate rovers, conduct scientific research, and pioneer the colonization of Mars in a realistic yet accessible setting. The game features a space program campaign, robotics campaign, and a variety of sandbox maps to explore, all with the goal of advancing human knowledge and setting foot on Mars.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

44%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,115 reviews
story37 positive mentions
stability124 negative mentions
  • The game offers a unique and immersive Mars exploration experience, allowing players to control rovers and conduct scientific experiments.
  • The graphics are stunning, with detailed landscapes and realistic atmospheric effects that enhance the overall experience.
  • The game has a strong educational component, providing players with real scientific data and information about Mars as they progress.
  • The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, including issues with character movement, object interactions, and frequent crashes.
  • The controls are unintuitive and clunky, making it difficult for players to navigate and interact with the environment effectively.
  • The pacing of the game can be extremely slow, leading to repetitive gameplay and a lack of engaging content, especially in the unmanned missions.
  • story367 mentions

    The game's story is a mix of immersive single-player campaigns focused on both unmanned and manned missions, with a narrative that draws inspiration from real Mars exploration and films like "The Martian." While the manned missions offer a thrilling survival experience, players often find the overall storytelling and mission structure repetitive and poorly communicated, leading to frustration with unclear objectives and a lack of guidance. Despite its potential, many reviews highlight that the game feels unfinished, with numerous bugs and a need for more engaging content to fully realize its narrative ambitions.

    • “The story mode for manned missions took no time at all to beat; however, you can choose to stay on Mars and build your base and gather supplies until you wish to leave, but there wasn't a lot of challenge to the manned story.”
    • “I enjoyed the concept of the single player campaign/story they added, but my enjoyment was hard fought after dying when I tried to lay down in the pop tent my first night, dying when I sat down in the cargo truck, and dying when a canister I dropped into a cargo box ricocheted and slammed into my head.”
    • “The final mission even gives you a 3D printer that you use to craft things to complete some goals, and in my opinion, this is where the game was the most fun.”
    • “There is really no finished game mechanics or storyline whatsoever, just a bunch of random missions that let you play some scenarios.”
    • “The voice acting and 'story' (if I may call it that) are done very poorly and don't work together at all.”
    • “The main campaign of the game is just sending probes to Mars, which involves picking a location, then watching the probe land, then depending on the mission you click 'capture' to either take a photo or take a sample of some gas.”
  • stability125 mentions

    The game is widely criticized for its significant stability issues, with numerous players reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes that severely hinder gameplay. Many describe it as an unfinished product that feels more like an early access title, leading to frustration and disappointment despite its interesting concepts. While some players find enjoyment in the game, the overwhelming consensus is that its current state is too unstable for a full release, making it difficult to recommend.

    • “The game is one huge buggy mess, and the devs packed up and left in 2017.”
    • “This game is buggy as hell and needs polishing.”
    • “I can't recommend this game at all, buggy engine with physics and graphics that were impressive for 2009 and a failed multiplayer.”
  • gameplay109 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its clunky mechanics and frustrating bugs that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the potential for strategic and emergent gameplay, others criticize the slow pace and lack of engaging content, leading to a feeling of unfinished or unpolished mechanics. Despite its interesting premise and some solid core mechanics, the game struggles with performance issues and a steep learning curve, leaving players divided on its overall enjoyment.

    • “The gameplay itself is actually really good; the story in the 'space program' campaign is semi-engaging at least, but it gives you a fair amount to do with some help along the way.”
    • “Great premise and lots of things to do with good mechanics.”
    • “The scientific depth, the attention to realism, the gameplay, the graphics, everything testifies to the skills of the developing team and their commitment to an ambitious and fascinating project.”
    • “Clunky gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay itself is very clunky and unpolished.”
    • “In short, the game has many interesting elements that are combined with clunky, buggy gameplay, making a potentially fun and interesting experience dull and annoying.”
  • graphics85 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful visuals and attention to detail, particularly in lighting and terrain, while others criticize the optimization and presence of graphical bugs. Many users report that the game performs poorly on lower-end systems, leading to a frustrating experience, although those with high-end graphics cards generally enjoy a more immersive experience. Overall, while the graphics have potential and can be stunning, they are marred by technical issues that detract from the gameplay.

    • “Beautiful graphics, story, and interaction.”
    • “The graphics are awesome and it's a lot of fun exploring real craters with real rovers!”
    • “The highly detailed graphics and sound effects create an atmosphere that leaves you feeling very isolated in the game.”
    • “I can't recommend this game at all, buggy engine with physics and graphics that were impressive for 2009 and a failed multiplayer.”
    • “Appears to be incredibly broken (fresh install) with massive amounts of graphical assets not displaying on screen, such as the entirety of mission control.”
    • “Seriously - I really want to recommend this game - it's got a lot of potential but the graphics engine is ridiculously unoptimized, to the point that I have to spend most of my time playing in immersion-breaking 3rd person to escape the constant lag induced bobbing motion (with head bobbing turned off!)”
  • atmosphere43 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and realistic depiction of Mars, enhanced by detailed graphics, ambient music, and sound effects that reflect the planet's harsh conditions. Players appreciate the sense of solitude and urgency in survival gameplay, although some note that the lack of dynamic threats can lead to moments of boredom. Overall, the atmosphere effectively captures the essence of space exploration, making it a compelling experience for fans of simulation and survival genres.

    • “The solitude, the consistency of play, the urgency of survival, the limitations of equipment, challenges of construction, the game atmosphere (darkness/breathing)... all contribute to an edge-of-your-seat experience that you won't be able to leave!”
    • “The sounds and visuals that accompany you on your adventure add to the atmosphere.”
    • “It's so atmospheric you really have the feeling of being there.”
    • “Also, as there is no other danger than the atmosphere, this game gets boring real quick.”
    • “The atmosphere in your base can suddenly vanish, for no apparent reason, leaving you to asphyxiate because your suit ran out of air.”
    • “The highly detailed graphics and sound effects create an atmosphere which leaves you very isolated in the game.”
  • optimization40 mentions

    The game's optimization is widely criticized, with players reporting severe performance issues and numerous bugs that hinder gameplay, regardless of hardware specifications. Many users express frustration over the lack of updates and fixes, leading to a perception that the game feels incomplete and unpolished. While some players manage to achieve decent frame rates, the overall consensus is that significant optimization is needed for a satisfactory experience.

    • “For example, the resource processing refineries could have been player designed and built using combinations of modules impacting the performance of the refinery as well as the look, size, and output characteristics.”
    • “The graphics are optimized, no problem there.”
    • “Oh, and the game uses a different, better optimized engine than Arma 3, so you'll be getting better framerates!”
    • “Sadly, this game was riddled with bugs, especially in the physics department, and the performance was total crap.”
    • “It was never finished for a start, the technical and performance issues are a significant problem regardless of your computer specs. The recommended requirements are meaningless when an RTX and 8-core CPU struggle with 10 FPS. It clearly never has and never will get any optimization patches; the fact it's still on sale in this state is pretty shocking.”
    • “Unfortunately, this game is so badly optimized that I can't play it.”
  • grinding32 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and slow-paced, often described as a chore rather than an engaging experience. Players who enjoy meticulous simulation may find some enjoyment, but many reviewers express frustration with the repetitive tasks, awkward controls, and frequent bugs that hinder progress. Overall, while the game appeals to hardcore crafting enthusiasts, it may deter those seeking a more dynamic and enjoyable gameplay experience.

    • “The last 15 hours in particular have been mind-numbingly tedious.”
    • “Just like watching paint dry, but if you like tedious simulator games this might be for you.”
    • “Everything is tedious to do, even exiting the initial lander vehicle is difficult and you will most likely get stuck in the elevator or float in the air the first 3 or 4 times you try to leave.”
  • music8 mentions

    The music in the game is praised for its cool ambient quality, contributing to an immersive and atmospheric experience. Players appreciate the relaxing soundtrack that enhances gameplay, particularly during exploration, and the option for modding allows for personalized music choices, adding to the enjoyment. Overall, the sound design is considered a strong point, despite some critiques about the game's development.

    • “Cool ambient music makes it a pretty atmospheric game.”
    • “This game is very immersive with great sounds and a nice soundtrack.”
    • “The graphics and the atmospheric background music are really nice.”
    • “Quick verdict: excellent idea, rushed by the studio fairly wanting it to finally ship after five years in early access, after the developers fell to the ruinous siren song of feature creep.”
    • “It's very relaxing to drive a slow rover across alien terrain while listening to music or a podcast; definitely not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like that sort of thing, you will love Take on Mars.”
    • “Also, with modding, there's no reason you can't break from realism and begin a long cruise around Martian sand dunes in a dune buggy while blasting 'road trip' music from iTunes/Winamp/whatever.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is hit-or-miss, with some players finding moments of unintentional comedy in frustrating gameplay mechanics, such as dying from absurd interactions and a chaotic user interface. While the trailer promised a fun experience, many felt the actual game fell short, leading to a mix of genuine laughter and exasperation. Overall, the humor seems to stem more from the game's flaws than from intentional comedic design.

    • “I enjoyed the concept of the single player campaign/story they added, but my enjoyment was hard fought after dying when I tried to lay down in the pop tent my first night, dying when I sat down in the cargo truck, dying when a canister I dropped into a cargo box ricocheted and slammed into my head (that was pretty funny despite the auto save being almost an hour old), and the worst of them all, me eating one of the ration packs erasing the progress I had on a previously completed objective making it impossible for me to actually finish the story.”
    • “The UI on the 3D printer made me laugh out loud; there is no UI, just a list of things you can make in no particular order.”
    • “You know when someone says something to your face, and you laugh aloud, and go, 'Haha, that's hilarious, classic!' and then the person just looks at you, confused, because you just don't get that this person is not kidding around and you just feel a bit stupid?”
  • emotional4 mentions

    Players find the emotional aspect of the game to be deeply impactful, with a heartfelt voice and a poignant atmosphere that evokes feelings of sadness and frustration. The challenges faced, such as the difficulty in controlling instruments and the consequences of minor mistakes, contribute to a sense of loss and emotional weight throughout the gameplay experience.

    • “The voice is surprisingly heartfelt and it has a beautiful empty feel.”
    • “I love space games and thought this would scratch an itch I have had for a while, but it just made me feel really, really sad.”
  • monetization4 mentions

    The monetization of the game has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users expressing concerns that the developers rushed the release to capitalize financially without adequately addressing bugs and performance issues. Overall, the sentiment suggests a lack of trust in the developers' commitment to improving the game post-launch.

    • “This game is created by Bohemia, the same company that developed DayZ, and I can tell you this is just another cash grab pre-release.”
    • “Seems like another cash grab.”
    • “I've spent hours going back through the threads, and I've come to the conclusion that these developers put the game into release to make one last cash grab and then wash their hands of it.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    While some users find the game lacks inherent replay value due to limited help resources and a one-time video format, others highlight its strong replayability potential through modding, multiplayer features, and custom scenarios.

    • “So far I'm loving it, and with the modding and multiplayer features, especially the custom scenarios, it has a lot of replayability potential.”
    • “It has no real replay value.”
    • “Replayable help info replaced by videos that play only once, which were, for some reason, recorded while the game was in holiday mode with Christmas trees and lights everywhere.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

50% average critic score

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Play time

11hMedian play time
199hAverage play time
3-40hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 11 analyzed playthroughs

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