I’ve enjoyed the freedom to make my own decisions and mistakes, the challenge, the complexity, the attention to detail. It’s been one hell of a ride.

Surviving Mars is the best extra-terrestrial city builder currently on the market. Micromanagement-heavy and somewhat obscure, dedicated genre fans will nevertheless love it.

If we ever try to colonise our red neighbour, it’s going to be one of the greatest challenges that mankind will ever undertake. Though Surviving Mars makes a game out of it, Haemimont have brilliantly kept that hard edge, as it constantly pushes and tests your ability to plan with survival in mind, especially with the unpredictability of the Mysteries of Mars. There’s plenty of ways to improve it and put more colony control in the hands of the player, but the first landing is already off to a great start.

Fun and interesting, Surviving Mars is a kind-of-SimCity in the Mars surface that challenges the player to create his own civilization, buildings and survival system, adding some exploration mechanics.

A vast array of technology makes room for endless infrastructure combinations with a wonderful level of detail. A lack of content really brings down the game a few notches because the gameplay begins to feel repetitive after a while. Although the title has a lot of awesome details with science fiction flair, it doesn't bring any new surprises after a single playthrough. Whether players are seeking a challenging simulation or a chill Martian sandbox, Surviving Mars is a title that is worth a try.

An enjoyable twist on the usual city building formula, that simulates the dangers of planetary colonisation impressively well – although it could have done with a slightly lighter touch.

Surviving Mars is a sci-fi settlement builder which becomes more enjoyable once you have understood its complex mechanics and once you have overcome its poor controls on its PS4 version.