Recently, a game called Waking Mars went on Steam sale for a steal (and it still is on sale, by the way!) Because it had “Mars” in the title, I decided to snap it up. This, my friends, was a very wise decision. This game is more than worth the $2.50 I forked over for it. Basically, this is how you make a casual game.
It’s sort of a platformer, except you have a jetpack. And it’s sort of puzzle game, but none of the “puzzles” ever leave you frustrated. Basically the game is about exploring underground Martian caves, learning about (and growing and breeding) bizarre alien species, talking to your AI bro, and in general being comfy. Yes, this is a comfy game.
This isn’t a triple-A title by any means and the game is easy to pick up and learn but this by no means makes it shallow. You actually have an neat little story going on that keeps you interested throughout, and between this and the research you can do on various lifeforms (and the subsequent notes you can read), the game has a surprising amount of depth for what it is. Humor is here too, thanks to your AI companion, and so is a certain amount of thoughtfulness thanks to the main character. Speaking of the main character, he’s Chinese, and the only other human character in the game is a black woman. This isn’t made a big deal, it just… is, like any other normal thing, and I like how it’s done like that. It reminds me of Star Trek and it’s nice to see some variety in games.
Overall this is a fun and extremely relaxing romp through a mysterious and alien world and I really cannot stress how much of a steal the current sale price is. The game is also available for Mac, Linux, iPhone/iPad, Android, and probably an old toaster too, so you really don’t have an excuse not to snag this game. I mean, really, look at this and tell me this doesn’t make you want to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations, and boldly go where no one has gone before:
Yeah, I thought so.
Buy it on Steam or at the website!
I must state for the record that I wholly concur with everything my colleague Dr. Pike has said in her report.
Waking Mars is as she says a superb casual game. It’s primarily because it’s fairly simple and not at all punishing – death just sends you back to the beginning of the screen you’re on. But what it does particularly right in this regard is the puzzles. None of them are terribly taxing but they’re just the right balance between interesting and solvable. The consequence of this is that the game doesn’t get frustrating but is still just tricky enough that when you figure something out you feel nice and satisfied.
Best thing in the game(outside puzzles) is definitely the voice of main character and great atmosphere of underground exploration.
I agree that the voice work is also great. And the exploration is simply lovely!