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If you've played games like I Dig It, Motherload or Steamworld Dig, you'll quickly get a grasp
of what's going on here. The player starts off underpowered and with a monumental task
ahead of them. The only way to improve your gathering, killing and survival skills is
to collect gems and ore - the primary currency required to build the tools that will assist
you. This core mechanic of mining, smelting and upgrading offers a carefully constructed
compulsion loop that's easy to grasp and gets its hooks in early.
Mines of Mars is procedurally generated. Meaning that every single playthrough will be different.
You might be lucky enough to find a large vein of rare minerals early, or you could
be searching for quite a while for that one reasonably common material. While the layout
of the maps is different every time you start a new game, a few common elements must always
exist, mostly pertaining to story progression. You see, WickeyWare has taken mining and exploration
mechanics and melded them nicely with the upgrading and progression elements of games
like Metroid. From the protective suit you're wearing, to
the thermal dissipators that allow deeper exploration, every item can be upgraded. More
efficient jetpacks will allow you to safely return home without running out of fuel. Advanced
helmets allow for greater vision when below ground. The storage container for unrefined
minerals can also be upgraded, allowing each subterranean venture to be more profitable.
Since you're limited in how much raw material you can bring to the surface at a time, and
there's no way to discard what is picked up, a little bit of planning can go a long way
during each trip. Scattered throughout the game are mysterious
temples, only accessible once a corresponding switch is found. Each maze-like temple contains
traps, monsters and most notably, an ancient, hulking beast. These are no cakewalk and can
easily dispatch even a seasoned a player. The benefit to taking these out however is
access to additional loot like rare minerals or weapon upgrades and an unusual relic fragment,
which is vital to the overarching storyline. Unfortunately, the difficulty of the game
tapers off as more items are acquired. Once you pass a certain threshold when it comes
to mobility, sight and mining upgrades, minerals that were once difficult to acquire become
almost trivial. This is reasonably common with games of this ilk, but perhaps a little
balancing and/or additional content would alleviate the issue.
I would love to see the inclusion of a map at some stage, allowing the player to notate
where temples and other areas of interest are. Although getting around isn't difficult,
having a general sense of where to go may lessen arbitrary digging. Having organic obstacles
to overcome, like pools of lava for example, would give players an ever greater sense of
tension and would allow the developers to come up with some creative additional content.
Mines of Mars is a wonderfully atmospheric title, with beautiful artwork and music and
some genuinely creepy alien designs. The developer has assured me that MFi controller support
is a very high priority, with iCloud saves possibly coming in to play at a later stage.
There's plenty of highly addictive, entertaining gameplay on offer here. If you're a fan of
exploration, discovery, science fiction, mining, upgrading or shooting stuff, definitely check
this one out.