14 DAY TRIAL // 
Deliver Us the Moon was a congenial indie title that was pretty well received by the public and the critics alike. It was a story with an ending that didn’t need or suggest a sequel, yet four years later we get a new adventure following in the footsteps of the first game. It is once more time to strap on the astronaut suit and step out into the cold of space.
Based on the obvious title, this time we are tasked to explore the Red Planet. Although the story as well as the title have a direct connection, Deliver Us Mars is a different game than the first episode. It still feels like an indie production, but at the same time it feels bigger in scope. The sequel is developed by the original team, but this time around ambitions are much bigger, as is the room for error.
Things pick up some time after Deliver Us the Moon. Temporarily the energy supply issue seems to have been halted. People are still living in ghettos and under severe poverty, but at least there is some energy that Earth can rely on. As the story unfolds you will understand that this is only a small part of the problem, the ESA trying to avert a global catastrophe.
One of the causes of the problem is the team of Isaac Johanson who’s mess you had to clean up in the first game. In Deliver Us Mars, players take on the role of Kathy Johanson, daughter of the man who sabotaged Earth’s energy supply. In a desperate attempt to save humanity, a team of astronauts is sent to Mars to investigate a mysterious signal, supposedly sent by Isaac. This is the only lead our heroes have about the arcs that are the last hope for helping those who remained home.
The story plays an even greater role than in the first part, the entirety of a game being a walking simulator that the developers tried to spice up with some traversal and simple puzzles. Exploring the surroundings and putting together more nuanced parts of the story are left entirely to the player. With various collectibles lying around, there is some incentive to look around, but the game focuses mainly on shepherding you from one main objective to another.
Despite the illusion of a bigger world, the gameplay is as linear as your path forward. The developers tried and mostly failed to create the atmosphere of a living world. Most of the time you have to follow an invisible tunnel through the game, the surroundings feeling quite empty most of the time. You can see this from the beginning of the game, when after going through a swarm of unfortunate residents forced in a shantytown situation you arrive at the entrance of the ESA where there are no guards or any other sign of life.
You get the impression early on that the main character is actually the story, you are a spectator with limited interaction possibilities and the gameplay is nothing more than a stand-in. Even so, beyond the aforementioned collectibles there is not too much to do. There are no side events or secondary story lines, there is no real character development and most of the time you feel like a space janitor fixing up others’ mess.
The level of difficulty is also calibrated so you will not sweat too much. The puzzles are straightforward, and the traversal is basic, even the wall climbing. This “revolutionary” feature does not bring as much added value as the developers have hoped, since it is not enough to make you forget about the other gameplay issues.
A brand-new mechanic for the series, the climbing involves Kathy using her ice picks to reach otherwise unreachable areas. Things become a little bit more complicated when you have to climb inside the space station.
The mechanic requires players to control each arm separately and reposition each pick before actually stabbing the surface with them. It may sound more complex than it really is, but it’s not. The problem is that it becomes frustrating pretty fast even though it’s not really hard to do it.
Anyway, the only bigger disappointment is when you have to drive the moon rover. On the positive side, the puzzles somewhat manage to break the monotony of a very “quiet” game, so their addition is more than welcome. The only bigger disappointment is when you have to drive the moon rover. Deliver Us Mars has its moments when it looks good, but there also plenty of points where it feels antiquated. The cockpit of the space shuttle is spot on, but for example the guard boots, the people gathering on bridges or sheltering among tents take us back around 15 years.
The facial animations are also quirky at best, and the body animation many times is just completely off. On the other hand, voice acting does a great job and manages to bring the characters to life. Combined with the soundtrack, the audio really carries the atmosphere of the game.
The Good
- Appealing story with some twists
- Some beautiful vistas
- Great audio, atmospheric soundtrack
The Bad
- Quite empty game world
- Pointless climbing mechanics
- Linear experience with no replay value
Conclusion
Ultimately, Deliver Us Mars is a walking simulator that wants to be more than it is and does not understand that small changes are not enough to reinvent the wheel. Despite that, it remains a pleasant enough experience that players can finish in about 8 hours, yet one that does not beckon you back for more.
Review key was provided by the publisher.
