Terraforming Mars

About

In Terraforming Mars, players guide their corporations to transform the Red Planet into a habitable world by raising temperature, creating a breathable atmosphere, and making oceans. Compete for milestones, build up production, and manage resources in this strategic board game based on the award-winning physical board game. With various corporation profiles and numerous project cards, no two games are the same.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Local Multi-Player Play with friends in the same physical space using split-screen or multiple screens
2-Players Play with one other player, either online or locally, in a cooperative or competitive game mode
Multi-Player Compete or cooperate with other players online
Co-Op Team up with friends to complete levels or missions together
Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo
PvP Player versus Player - Fight against other players in real-time, often in arena-style combat
Split Screen Play with multiple players on the same screen, often with divided or shared screen real estate

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,237 reviews

gameplay70 positive mentions

stability424 negative mentions

Great adaptation of the board game with streamlined gameplay and automated bookkeeping.
High replayability with various strategies and corporations to explore.
Visually appealing with good music and sound effects.

Frequent bugs and crashes, especially in online multiplayer, making it frustrating to play.
Lack of an undo button and poor UI design lead to cumbersome gameplay.
AI is often predictable and not challenging, diminishing the solo experience.

stability
433 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
2%
98%
The game's stability is a significant concern among users, with many reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly during online play. While some players have noted improvements since the initial release, the overall experience remains frustratingly unstable, often rendering multiplayer sessions unplayable. Despite its potential as a digital adaptation of the board game, the persistent technical issues detract from the enjoyment and reliability of gameplay.
- “Huge improvements since the original release and mostly bug free now.”
- “I have not yet tried online matches, but if you just intend to play against the AI, I found no glitches or issues with the gameplay.”
- “Bug free.”
- “The game is buggy as hell and the devs just don't seem to care.”
- “The game is really buggy, online; I never had the chance to finish a single game due to freeze, crash... edit: it's getting worse and worse.”
- “The amount of bugs, glitches, and constant problems with online gameplay is staggering, not to mention the incredible arrogance of the PC game developers.”
gameplay
233 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
64%
6%
The gameplay of the digital adaptation of Terraforming Mars is generally praised for its faithful translation of the board game's mechanics, offering a mix of strategy, resource management, and card play that many find engaging. However, numerous users report significant issues, including bugs, glitches, and a poorly implemented timer mechanic that disrupts the experience, particularly in online play. While the core gameplay is enjoyable and streamlined compared to the physical version, the overall execution suffers from a lack of polish and optimization, leading to frustration for many players.
- “Amazing resource creation mechanics, super fun terraforming team, many possible play styles.”
- “The gameplay is phenomenal and the graphics are brilliant, and I love being able to choose what color I like to play as.”
- “Great gameplay, smooth mechanics.”
- “I'm not going to list the myriad of bugs, glitches, poor organization of arrays, and lackluster core mechanics glazed over with an attempt at catchy animated graphics.”
- “My husband and I play frequently and out of the past three games we've played, two we've had to abandon after 1.5+ hours of gameplay just because of a bug where the player whose turn it is glitches out, but upon quitting and re-entering the game it gets stuck in the loading screen and neither of us are able to get back into the game.”
- “The amount of bugs, glitches, and constant problems with online gameplay is staggering, not to mention the incredible arrogance of the PC game developers.”
graphics
187 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
42%
53%
4%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the beautiful visuals, smooth animations, and user-friendly interface that enhance the gameplay experience. However, several users criticize the excessive graphical flourishes that can hinder performance and gameplay clarity, alongside reports of bugs and UI issues that detract from the overall experience. While some appreciate the aesthetic improvements over the original board game, others feel that the graphics are not worth the price, especially given the technical problems encountered.
- “The quality, music, and artwork are all on point.”
- “It's so much fun to play, you can learn it with or without the tutorial and the graphics are amazing!”
- “The graphics are beautiful and the game plays smoothly.”
- “I'm not going to list the myriad of bugs, glitches, poor organization of arrays, and lackluster core mechanics glazed over with an attempt at catchy animated graphics.”
- “The graphics are actually poor.”
- “The ui is poor; it is more focused on graphics than game information.”
music
67 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
37%
4%
The music in the game is widely praised for its soothing and immersive qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. Many players appreciate the soundtrack, describing it as fantastic and a perfect complement to the visuals, although some note that it can become repetitive during longer sessions. Overall, the combination of great music and graphics contributes to a cohesive and enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The music and graphics are phenomenal as well.”
- “The music is great, the visuals are great, and the UI is pretty good when it isn't bugging out.”
- “Cohesive experience, beautiful animation, and atmospheric music.”
- “The audio needs better balancing, and honestly just turning off the music has been the go-to option for myself and the folks I play with.”
- “The computer version has shaky to tragic netcode that gives different game states to different players, bugs that appear and reappear each patch, repetitive music, and an interface with overlapping elements that fight for screen space.”
- “Some of the games go on for a while and the music is a bit repetitive.”
replayability
61 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
48%
5%
Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players noting that each session feels unique due to varying strategies, card combinations, and player choices. While some mention limitations in single-player modes and issues with online play, the general consensus is that the game offers a rich and engaging experience that encourages repeated play. Expansions and additional content are seen as potential enhancements to further increase replay value.
- “Outstanding replayability, the right mix of luck and strategy, multiple paths to victory, engine building all work together to create an immersive experience that I never tire of.”
- “I have probably played 2000 games and it still offers me replayability, new situations and combinations I have never seen before.”
- “The choice of corporations gives the game a lot of replayability, and allows for many different winning strategies to work.”
- “While the base cards and corporations offer plenty of replayability, playing the same game board every time gets old.”
- “No effort was made to extend the board game; it's a 'pretty' game with a cheap implementation and limited replayability.”
- “The game is now more playable than it was after the November patch, but I won't be recommending this game until it's in much better shape.”
optimization
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
58%
21%
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including high CPU and GPU usage, overheating, and lag, particularly on less powerful systems. While some users noted improvements in optimization and smooth gameplay, especially in single-player modes, others highlighted persistent bugs and a clunky user interface that detracts from the overall experience. Overall, the game appears to require further optimization to enhance performance and address quality of life issues.
- “Amazing optimization for different systems.”
- “Edit: I still love this board game, so I'll play the digital version on occasion, and some optimization appears to have happened since my first review.”
- “All in all, the game runs smoothly and the AI seems to be making intelligent choices (at least on hard mode).”
- “The game is not optimized; the computer gets terribly hot while playing.”
- “Incredibly poorly optimized for a game that is essentially moving stuff around a game board.”
- “Performance-wise, it is a disaster.”
grinding
21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
95%
Reviews highlight that the grinding aspect of the game is often tedious, with many players expressing frustration over slow animations, lengthy setup processes, and excessive clicking required to navigate through game elements. While some appreciate that the digital version alleviates certain tedious aspects of the physical board game, many still find the overall experience to be bogged down by unnecessary delays and cumbersome mechanics. Overall, the game struggles to balance its complexity with user-friendly gameplay, leading to a less enjoyable experience for some players.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “So many terrible design decisions that make it actually more tedious to play on the app than to play with a physical board, and usually the opposite is true.”
- “Animations are long and tedious, making the game longer than it should.”
atmosphere
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
17%
17%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful graphics and atmospheric music that complement the gameplay. While some users noted minor issues with the interface and sound interference, the overall experience is described as cohesive and engaging, effectively capturing the themes of terraforming and science. The adaptation from the board game retains its charm, making it a compelling experience for both new and returning players.
- “Great atmosphere, and only minor issues regarding UI.”
- “Very atmospheric game; the game rules are really neatly fitting to the topic of the game: Mars and all forms of science (biology, chemistry, physics).”
- “Cohesive experience, beautiful animation, and atmospheric music.”
- “I like the board game, but this implementation is killing the atmosphere of the physical version.”
- “Additionally, in a timed atmosphere, the interface refresh system becomes painfully apparent and frustrating as you are locked out from interactions while the screen refreshes, all while the timer has already started running down.”
- “This needs oxygen, water (oceans), and an atmosphere (temperature).”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it amusing, especially in the context of a fast-paced board game, others feel that the jokes become repetitive and annoying over time. Many appreciate the fanciful and funny elements of the cards, but frustrations with bugs, crashes, and long wait times detract from the overall experience. Overall, the humor seems to resonate best when playing with friends, though some players question whether the developers are laughing at the players due to design choices.
- “This is a digital adaptation of a hilariously complex, yet fast-paced, board game.”
- “Some of the cards are fanciful and funny.”
- “Funny with friends.”
- “It is not funny having to wait 40-80 minutes because of the community, only to encounter bugs and crashes.”
- “OMG, playing this game online is horribly painful; the local mode isn't funny, and the hard AI is just stupid.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews highlight a strong emotional response to the game's shortcomings, with players expressing heartbreak over technical issues and AI performance that detracts from the experience. While the game has potential for wholesome enjoyment among family and friends, recent updates have led to frustration and disappointment, particularly regarding crashes and DLC accessibility.
- “Unfortunately, the latest update impedes us in enjoying the DLCs unless all the players own them, which honestly, it's heartbreaking.”
- “It's heartbreaking to see such a wonderful board game translated into a digital format as abysmally as this.”
- “It's heartbreaking to write this: since a recent update, the game crashes with the ability to resume the game you were playing.”
story
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
33%
50%
The game lacks a traditional story mode or campaign, which some players find acceptable due to its high replayability and variability. While there is some context provided by the developers, the absence of a narrative does not detract significantly from the overall experience.
- “For some context regarding Fryxgames' side of the story, check out this response from them: boardgamegeek.com/thread/2432874/article/34902090#34902090.”
- “No story.”
- “In addition, this game has enough variability from one game to another that it is replayable without a story mode or campaign.”
- “The longer the story might be, you probably shouldn't???”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy is criticized as exploitative, with downloadable content (DLC) perceived as a cash grab before the game's development was abandoned, leading to a negative reception among users.
- “The game feels like abandonware; the DLC was just a cash grab before development ended.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
- “It seems like the developers prioritize profit over player experience, with constant prompts to purchase in-game items.”