Being a huge fan of Deliver Us The Moon, my anticipation for Deliver Us Mars was on a high, I expected big things from the follow up, whilst also hoping I wasn’t setting myself up for a fall as generally sequels aren’t always as well regarded as the originals. Without spoiling my review too much, I can safely say that Deliver Us Mars doesn’t disappoint. Between it’s visuals, sound and voice acting, it all comes together in the perfect blend to deliver a beautifully told story.
Deliver Us Mars is a science-fiction themed game that is set on the red planet. The game takes place in a futuristic setting where the player must navigate and survive the harsh environment of Mars. The game is a mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and some survival mechanics that make it a unique and engaging experience. The game’s story is set 10 years after the story that unfolded in Deliver Us The Moon, where humans have established a colony on Mars. The player takes on the role of Kathy, who is tasked with solving a mystery that threatens the colony’s survival and finding a way to restore and get back to earth. The story is well written and engaging, with well-rounded characters that add depth and realism to the experience.
The game’s story begins with Kathy at home with sister Claire and Father Isaac. As the player character investigates, explores and the story unfolds, they begin to uncover a web of deceit and betrayal that threatens the very existence of humanity and survival of a colony on Mars. The player character must navigate the harsh environment of Mars while also dealing with a growing sense of distrust and suspicion among the colonists.
As the story progresses, the player character encounters a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motives and secrets. The player character must decide in their mind who to trust and who to suspect as they work to uncover the truth behind the conspiracy. The story is well-written and engaging, with unexpected twists and turns that keep the player on their toes.
The game’s story also touches on themes of isolation, survival, and the human condition. The harsh and unforgiving environment of Mars highlights the fragility of human life and the importance of working together to survive. The game’s story also explores the impact of isolation on the human psyche, as the colonists struggle to maintain their sanity in a world where every breath they take is a precious resource.
Each of these characters has their own unique backstory and motivations, and as the player character investigates the conspiracy, they must navigate the complex web of relationships and conflicting interests among the colony’s inhabitants. The well-written characters add depth and realism to the game’s story, making it a standout in the science-fiction genre.
In conclusion, the story of Deliver Us Mars is a well-crafted and engaging narrative that blends science-fiction and thriller elements with themes of survival, isolation, and human nature. The player character’s journey to uncover the conspiracy and save the colony is a thrilling and rewarding experience that is sure to keep players engaged from start to finish.
Gameplay
The gameplay mechanics are challenging but rewarding. The player must manage their resources while exploring the barren wasteland of Mars. The puzzle-solving elements are cleverly integrated into the game’s storyline and add an extra layer of depth to the experience.
- Resource Management – The player must manage their resources, including oxygen. The player must also monitor their suit’s health and recharge it using solar panels scattered throughout the environment.
- Exploration – The player must explore the harsh and barren environment of Mars to uncover clues and resources that aid in their investigation. The game’s environment is open and vast, allowing for a sense of freedom and exploration.
- Puzzle-Solving – The player must solve puzzles and overcome obstacles to progress in the game’s story. The puzzles are cleverly integrated into the game’s storyline and often require the use of tools and equipment.
The game’s mix of survival, exploration, and puzzle-solving mechanics creates a unique and engaging experience that is sure to keep players entertained. The well-crafted mechanics, combined with the game’s well-written story and immersive graphics and sound design, make it a standout in the science-fiction genre.
Controls are simplistic, easy to master and make the game easy to play whether playing with a controller or mouse and keyboard. Alongside the controls being easy to get to grips with, there are also a number of accessibility options in the game, such as Toggle sprint, climbing, always showing objectives and markers and of course subtitles.
The graphics and sound design are also noteworthy. The game’s visuals are stunning, with a detailed and immersive environment that transports the player to the red planet. The sound design is equally impressive, with a haunting soundtrack that adds to the game’s atmosphere. Deliver Us Mars features impressive graphics and sound design that work together to create an immersive and believable Martian environment. The game’s visuals and sound combine to give the player a sense of being on the Red Planet, surrounded by the vast and barren landscape.
Graphics
The game features detailed and realistic graphics that accurately depict the Martian environment. The game’s environments are barren and hostile, with red dust storms, rocky terrain, and towering mountains. The game’s graphics are also designed to be both immersive and functional, with realistic depictions of tools, equipment, and the player’s spacesuit. The game’s lighting effects are also well-crafted, with the Martian sun casting a realistic glow across the landscape.
In terms of performance, running the game on my local PC, Which features a Ryzen 7 7700X, NVIDIA RTX 4080, the game ran beautifully, maintaining a stable 120+ FPS at 4K resolution. That being said, it’s not graphically flawless and there are definitely noticeable defects, such as in a lot of the cutscenes, Kathy’s hair just randomly flicks for no apparent reason, but those are relatively minor points, but still worth noting.
I also ran the game in the cloud via NVIDIA’s GFN Ultimate Tier, which replicates near local experience and facilitates the use of features such as DLSS3 with frame generation and also utilises NVIDIA Reflex technology. It had to be said that when comparing local and cloud performance, it was exceptionally close and I would say at points, couldn’t even tell when I was playing in the cloud vs locally, with the exception of possibly some slight colour saturation differences.
There was one final place that I played Deliver Us Mars and that was on Steam Deck, The game is officially verified for Deck but it’s worth adding that you will need some tweaking to get the best out of it as it did suffer some consider frame drops on cut scenes, but does manage to maintain around 40FPS, so it is possibly a candidate for locking the framerate to 40 to maintain stability.
Sound Design
Now regular readers, viewers and listeners of Cloudy, will know exactly how much I love a good soundtrack, well Deliver Us Mars, eh delivers! It brings the atmospherics, blended with the beautiful tones, melodies of the music that pair so eloquently with the games story.
The game’s sound design is top-notch, with a variety of sound effects that help to create a realistic and immersive Martian environment. The game features a haunting and atmospheric soundtrack that perfectly matches the game’s bleak and barren landscape. The sound effects of the game’s tools and equipment are also designed to be both realistic and functional, creating a sense of immersion and believability.
Overall with the graphics and sound design of Deliver Us Mars work together to create a seamless and immersive experience. The game’s attention to detail and commitment to creating a realistic Martian environment helps to transport the player to another world, making it a standout in the science-fiction genre.
Something not to be forgotten with Deliver Us Mars and any game for that matter, is that it features an impressive cast of voice actors who bring the game’s characters to life. Each character is voiced by a talented actor, and their performances add depth and nuance to the game’s story. The voice acting in Deliver Us Mars is exceptional, with each actor delivering a believable performance. The dialogue is well-written, and the actors’ performances add depth and realism to the game’s characters, creating a believable and engaging story.
Overall, I can safely say that I would highly recommend Deliver Us Mars but more than that I would recommend that people play both this and Deliver Us The Moon. There is continuation of theme, characters, which means it’s a much better experience if you have understanding of the events 10 years earlier than in Deliver Us Mars. This title was one that was high on my priority list for 2023 and I had extremely high hopes for it, I haven’t been let down in the slightest and neither will you. The Deetman brothers, combined with Koeke Interactive and the cast have produced a game filled with realism, incredible story-telling and a gaming experience that hits all the right notes for gamers.
Whilst there is constant work going on to improve and address fixes, listening to gamers feedback, which is awesome. Those flaws are the only thing stopping me giving Deliver Us Mars, 5 Stars.
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