Deliver Us Mars Review (Kizlev101)
Before the actual review, quick spoiler-free tip about the climbing gameplay:
When climbing, you're going to need to know how to jump and latch on to another wall behind you in order to beat this game on two critical occasions. While holding on the wall with your picks, turn your camera around to face the wall behind you, then (on keyboard), press and hold S, hit space to jump, then both mouse buttons to grab the wall you're jumping to. This technique is not explained by the game, only the side jumping part, and that is a huge flaw in this game's armor...or space suit, rather.
Review:
I can only barely recommend Deliver Us Mars.
On the positive side, the game's sound design was very immersive and the soundtrack composed by Sander Van Zanten, Bas Bertrand & Nola Klop was a deeply enjoyable experience for my ears. If another sequel is coming, KeokeN, please hire these people again.
Graphically, I wouldn't say anything was epic or absolutely groundbreaking, but the overall environment and character designs were very competently handled and I truly felt like everyone was on a very realistic portrayal of life on Mars. You could tell the artists did an insane amount of scientific research to make things look as believable as possible and are big fans of all the work NASA and SpaceX do. I was especially impressed with the look of Cape Canaveral during the opening scenes leading up to the Opera launch.
A lot of care and a great deal of heart clearly went into Deliver Us Mars by its small dev team, and the voice actors gave one of the best performances I've ever heard in an indie production. However, if I'm being honest, it is basically Laser Puzzle Rock Climbing Cynical Space Drama: The Game. If you were expecting a grand space exploration adventure, well, there is some adventure, but it is not the exploration one would hope for in a game that presents a grounded and more realistic-looking voyage to Mars.
Other better reviews here have covered the technical issues with the game, of which there are some, but overall it is a relatively stable UE4 game on release (only one crash during my entire playthrough on high settings at 2k resolution).
Gameplay-wise, I would say the laser power puzzle mechanics are a tad bit challenging in decent creative ways, but are excessively overused, very tedious, have virtually zero fun-factor, and are clearly intended for padding the playtime of the game which is a shame. The basic traversal and driving were handled well, but the climbing mechanic, while not bad and innovative in its own right, was very awkward to handle with a mouse alternating between the two buttons for each of Kathy's arms. I can see players getting Kat killed many times simply for forgetting to hold the correct button down while making a move on a wall.
Perhaps the single most glaring con in the gameplay is the sheer lack of agency for the player. It is little more than an interactive movie with the illusion of exploration and all the major choices premade for you in the script. In spite of the potential vastness and wonder of Mars and the facilities you visit, you cannot help but feel this strange, almost Final Fantasy XIII type of confined corridor feel to the whole thing. Even when out in the open on the red sands, everything feels oddly confined and set-pieced. There's little wonder, and the captivating vastness you see is just a disappointing illusion. I understand this is meant to be a tightly-knit sci-fi drama with a steady and well-crafted narrative built on a budget, but I feel like Kat deserved a bigger and less urgent adventure.
Of the characters in this game, I liked Ryan the most for being likable, level-headed, and bringing some desperately-needed levity to an other dark story (at times, I wished we were controlling him instead of Kat).
The player character, Kathy, is bravery, trauma, and anguish on two legs, but in a tolerable way. She is relatable with a good heart and serves as our avatar and guide to this story rather well and has decent growth as the heroine to this tale. It is such a shame we couldn't make narrative choices for her, especially near the end.
I will leave the remaining cast up to others, but I just want to say that Sarah was one of the most unlikable and insufferable characters I've ever seen in a game, period. Not the worst, but I honestly kept wanting something bad to happen to her as I played.
If you are fascinated by space exploration movies and books, or just love a character-driven tense adventure that doesn't ask for dozens of hours of your life like most AAA games, I would say give Deliver Us Mars a shot, but only when on-sale.
Many thanks if you read this far.
Godspeed, space cowboys (and girls).