Sequel to Deliver Us The Moon (2019), Deliver Us Mars (2023) is an atmospheric sci-fi adventure game set in mid-21st century when the Earth’s ecosystem is close to extinction due to the effects of climate change. After a mysterious distress call from Mars, Earth’s youngest astronaut Kathy joins an expedition to recover the ARK colony ships stolen more than a decade ago by the mysterious science-oriented organization Outward (Kathy’s father Isaac is among the leaders of Outward).
Although the story of Deliver Us Mars is strictly linear and you as a player can’t impact it, the story itself is well-written and interesting, revealing the truth about the fate of Outward colonists on Mars piece by piece. Some parts of the game felt like a true detective. The atmospheric visual and audial mood of the scenes complements the story well and the final act of Deliver Us Mars features one of the most compelling representations of a human colony on Mars in video gamesfeeling almost utopian.. especially comparing it to the dying Earth.
Unfortunately, this aspect also leads to some frustration with the strictly linear nature of the game’s storytelling – you can’t change the main character’s endgame decision, no matter how stupid you think it is. Another source of a frustration with the game for some players will be the clunky wall climbing mechanics. Regardless of these small issues Deliver Us Mars is a must-play game for any Mars fan.
Visual recap of Deliver Us Mars’ STORY
Be aware of heavy spoilers, revealing major story plots.
Even before getting to Mars the expedition is riddled with severe problems
Game’s protagonist (main character) is Earth’s youngest astronaut Kathy searching for her father among the lost colonists on Mars
Kathy lands near an abandoned mining facility
One of three colonial ships also looks abandoned
..but the ship’s power core is still functional
During her search for the lost colonists Kathy will drive back and forth between several bases of the Outward
One of the abandoned bases is covered with snow
Kathy can discover several of NASA’s Mars exploration rovers during her search
From the very beginning, the colonists were beset by various misfortunes and over time some of the colonists began to demand to return back to Earth
The expedition uncovers increasingly horrifying facts about what happened to the colonists
But disagreements are also growing among the members of the expedition
Eventually Kathy discovers some of the colonists managed to establish a vibrant colony under a geodesic dome, among them her father.
They even have beehives to pollinate the plants growing in the dome
But the storyline forces Kathy to sabotage the colony and leave it to get back to Earth
More content from video games set on Mars HERE
