The Martian VR Experience

About

"The Martian VR Experience" is a virtual reality adventure that places you in astronaut Mark Watney's shoes, letting you participate in tasks to help him survive on Mars. Fly over the Martian surface, drive a rover, and experience key scenes from the hit film in a 360-degree environment. This immersive VR experience has won numerous awards, including a Silver Lion in Digital Craft and the AICP Next VR Award.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

15%

Audience ScoreBased on 80 reviews

graphics8 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The graphics are visually impressive and show a lot of effort in design.
The VR experience provides a brief sense of immersion and can be enjoyable for fans of the movie.
Some mini-games, like driving the rover, are fun and add a bit of interactivity.

The experience is extremely short, lasting only about 15-20 minutes, which feels inadequate for the price.
Most of the content consists of 2D movie clips rather than engaging gameplay, making it feel more like an advertisement than a game.
The interactive elements are simplistic and uninspired, leading to a lack of meaningful engagement.

graphics
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
21%
21%
The graphics in the game are generally praised for their high quality and immersive presentation, particularly highlighting the use of Unreal Engine 4. Many users appreciate the effort put into the visuals, noting that they enhance the experience, especially for fans of the source material. However, some reviewers question whether the graphics should be the primary focus of the overall experience.
- “Great simulation with amazing graphics.”
- “I have just purchased and played The Martian Experience... great graphics and interactive experience, how VR should be.”
- “High quality because of the presentation, the beautiful visuals made with UE4, the high immersion, the way they built up the mini-chapters (they get better as the experience progresses), and the way they alternate between VR and clips from the movie.”
- “The visuals clearly had some effort go into them, and for a few seconds (literally), in a few key spots, it actually does enhance the overall experience if you are a fan.”
- “On the plus side, the graphics are okay.”
- “Well... I do like the graphics.”
gameplay
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
55%
27%
The gameplay is criticized for being overly simplistic and primarily consists of watching FMV clips with minimal interactive elements, leading to a sense of disappointment among players. Many feel that the experience does not justify its price, with some mechanics described as janky and performance issues noted, particularly regarding high RAM requirements. The only redeeming aspect mentioned is the enjoyment derived from driving the rover.
- “This is the Martian VR experience HTC Vive gameplay in virtual reality!”
- “It was enjoyable but it is agreed upon too expensive for gameplay and gametime.”
- “It was enjoyable, but it is agreed upon that it is too expensive for gameplay and gametime.”
- “It is mostly an FMV game, in which you watch clips from the movie floating in front of you, with the lightest of VR gameplay possible tacked on at intervals.”
- “I'm not going to spoil this gameplay for you until you have seen my video, but all I can say is that I am disappointed.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The story is presented through a series of key moments accompanied by 2D clips and minimal interactive mini-games, which some users find lacking in depth and engagement. Additionally, there are inconsistencies between the VR experience and the original movie and book, leading to disappointment for fans of the source material. Overall, while the narrative has potential, it fails to fully leverage the immersive capabilities of VR technology.
- “The story of Mark Watney (which I loved in book and movie form) would be a perfect match for VR tech, and Vive roomscale in particular.”
- “Basically, it's a handful of key moments of the story with 2D clips and interactive mini-games in between.”
- “There are four areas where you sit and do very small tasks to move the story along.”
- “There are even some inconsistencies with the VR experience's 'story' as compared to the movie and the book.”
- “Story isn't like the movie at all; I don't know about the book.”
- “Basically, it's a handful of key moments of the story with 2D clips and 4 (give or take based on the definition of game) interactive mini-games in between.”
monetization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the experience has been criticized as exploitative, with users feeling that they are being charged for what amounts to a brief advertisement for a movie rather than a genuine gaming experience. Many express dissatisfaction, stating that they would not mind paying for short content if it offered value, but in this case, they feel it is unjustifiable.
- “I typically don't mind spending a few dollars even if it's for a short experience, but solely because I felt this was nothing more than an advertisement for the movie, I am refunding since I already paid for the movie.”
- “This is a glorified advertisement for the movie, and the fact that it's being charged for is pretty much a crime.”
- “And this 'experience' is nothing but a 10-minute advertisement/summary of the movie.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its engaging "interactive movie" quality, effectively blending VR scenes with movie clips to create a cohesive and immersive experience.
- “There are moments when I really enjoy the 'interactive movie' atmosphere; I think the combination of VR scenes and clips from the movie is very neat and works exceptionally well.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game features inventive elements and a nice tie-in to the movie, but many users find it too short for its price, resulting in low replayability.
- “Inventive, nice tie-in to the movie, but way too short for the cost with low replayability.”