At the recent PDXCON, Paradox announced that they would be publishing Haemimont Games’ next outing, Surviving Mars.
Haemimont Games’ next title, after the upcoming Victor Vran: Overkill Edition and the included expansions, will be published by Paradox Interactive, it was confirmed at PDXCON 2017. Unlike the developer’s previous titles, which have dabbled with modern, fantasy, and historic settings, they’re heading out to space for Surviving Mars.
Set to straddle the strategy, simulation, and city-building genres, Surviving Mars will follow your efforts from funding through to settlement, and beyond. Players will be tasked with not just advancing research and balancing supplies but also in ensuring the well-being of each of the colonists — an example given is a lab technician left to work too many late nights subsequently turning to drink. While alcoholism might seem fickle on your list of concerns, it can easy snowball into something ridiculous like a power outage… which doesn’t mix well when the planet doesn’t have it’s own atmosphere.
In addition to the colony, and personal management, there’s also events which can occur during playtime which can be turned to crisis or gain. Anyone familiar with Paradox’s games will be aware of the effects that triggered events can have on a player’s own narrative; and hopefully it’s a system like this which is in place in the game – keeping a lunatic around as they’re an excellent researcher, people going missing but reappearing changed. As of yet it’s unclear which direction the game will lean in with such things, we can but optimistically speculate.
What is sure though, is the retro-futuristic art style that the game, and its buildings take on. You can see some of that in the trailer below, alternately there’s some more information on the game’s Steam Page, or official website.
In my opinion, if they can bring along the detail level of their recent Tropico efforts, and add in a game-altering event system, all while maintaining the excellent “World of Tomorrow” art style, then they are onto a winner here.
Surviving Mars is in development for PC, Xbox One & PS4, and is currently targeted for a 2018 release.
