I love games like this concept. Building, space, technical complexity. Sounds awesome right?

So Ya, I took a look expecting that old NASA one where you repair a moonbase (Moonbase Alpha I think?). So I wasn't expecting anything stellar... But, this game really looks like it was developed in 2001 one like others have said, then not finished, and uploaded on steam for a cash grab... after playing it for 30 min I'm feeling like an idiot for not trying the demo first.

It's a very promising idea, that looks like someone a long time ago really tried. And then gave up.

> Graphics are poor, and creative style is dated. Interaction very point and click. Thing just appear and vanish - NO physics.

> Sound is poor, repetitive. Phone dialing constantly?

> Instructions are poorly written and unclear. (Ie. supposed to set up atmosphere, pumps and other gear... But where? I go in the base and there's already gear setup? Where I am putting things? I click on un-setup gear and get options to configure it... There's a set button, it really means set-down... why can I get the gear that's here running... and on and on...)

> What finally did it in for me? Lag. I have a newer GPU with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of system RAM on an i7 (system was built last october), this game was obviously written for a system much, much older.

I really wanted this to be awesome, but in the end, I screwed up... shoulda tried the demo. Oh well. Lesson learned. Let my example save you $10.

Short vid of gameplay, no review, just how it looks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8YGZ3E-TPo&feature=youtu.be

This is more of a 1st impressions report, rather than a full review.

The mission in this game to to harness all the equipment you are given to make your habitat self sufficient, easyer said than done, You grow food, harvest minerals and basically survive, this is what i have found so far......

Ok.... Hmmmm, this game. I Really didn't know what i was getting into buying this game, after playing for 10 minutes i feel i have had a twisted pile of video game thrown at my feet, The visuals are not great, the doors make the door activation noise from doom ( the old ones) the movement is slow and the footfall noise is annoyingly fast, so it kinda makes you feel like an elf or something.

The interface is like one of a game from 2001 and the sound needs completely re-done ( the footstep sound whilst walking on a metal surface is going to send me into fits of rage)

Yet.... I feel intrigued to play this game for some odd reason, normally i would turn my nose up at this kind of game, but there is just something about it, like it wants you to figure what goes there and how that thing works, it is interesting ill give it that, and due to the fact i have only played it 10 minutes, i say give this game a go, it could have some awesome content ( somewhere)

This game has no real tutorial. and just throws you in the deep end, im 32 mins ingame and have no idea what the hell im supposed to do.

I read promises of growing ones own food, and mineral extraction, and making this tin box into a totally self sustained environment, so il keep going.... For now....

Ok getting the hang of it now, This is actually starting to become enjoyable, no other game has ever giving me a feeling of satisfaction when i finally manage to create a breathable atmosphere in my tin can.

The textures are crap, the player model is hilariously bad, But there is a good foundation here for something that might actually be a pretty damn good game. That is.... if they are even going to add more. SO im still going to recommend this as it has the groundwork done, and its a wild stab in a new direction for survival games.

The negative reviews very nearly put me off buying this game. But i thought "it's pretty cheap, i'll give it a whirl". I'm glad i did! Fans of minecraft and any kind of simulation game will LOVE this game. Seems hard at first, but once you get into it it's actually quite easy and enjoyable. Yes the graphics are a bit dated and yes I have seen one or two very slight bugs, but neither should put you off buying this game. I've been playing for the last 4 hours and every phase just gets more interesting. I also disagree with the comment "it will get boring if you are solo playing". I think this is absolutely fine for solo play, especially if you are the type of person that likes to do everything themselves :P highly recommend, 4 stars!

Note: Please send me a message if you want to try multiplayer.

Gameplay: At first I thought this game is a base building game but in actuality it is a task oriented game and very little in terms of bulding. You can make items and food but they are limited in variety. It's all about survival in it's simplest sense so don't expect a lot customability. In fact, base modules are added automatically every mission phase so you don't even get to build your modules. In terms of completeing missions, the game litterally throw you to the deepest end of the pool because you WILL be confused with what to do. However, in reality, the first 4 phases are actually pretty easy to pass that is if you spend the time reading the mission tutorial thoroughly and run through it a couple times. In fact the mission work orders don't need to be followed step-by-step as long as you know what has to be completed. Once you are at the fifth phase, things get a bit more interesting and you'll find yourself swamp with work while you are trying to keep yourself alive.

Critisim: Just as others have said with others interactions with objects is not very comprehensive such that it's purely point and click and you are done (although the work sequence does matters in terms of efficiency). The graphics are not top notch and there is no music (except ones you played yourself) but then again we all have seen worst. There are some game breaking bugs though like being unable to move if you didn't close a work screen before walking away, work stations disappear after a game reload, or unable to set an object if you have it on your hand while taking on or off your suit. If you figured out how to backup save states, then please tell me.

What I like: Despite getting the feeling that the game didn't achieve it's full potential, I do enjoy certain concepts of the game like farming and making the compartments livable. Also hidden amongst the simplicity of the gameplay is the complexity of survival as you constantly have to check your vital signs, the stats on your farm, your mining operations and your base life support system. If and when version 2 comes out which according to the developer would include some sandbox features, then this game would be a whole lot better.

Overall feeling: If you like task oriented game or generally want to get a feel of what a Mars would be like, I think this game is for you. If you want a sandbox game, then I probably wouldn't recommend this game.

This game is NOT for people who want something to just jump into. Mars Colony: Challenger is a complex space station simulator that relies on a lot of knowledge to get the hang of things. You aren't given much to go on when they drop you into the first area, and it feels good to just experiment and try different things. This game is also NOT for people who just play single-player games. This game gets boring fast when you don't have people to interact with. Definitely a good game if you and a few friends all grab it and figure out how to do things together. This game screams cooperation, not competition, which is something that I really enjoy.

Being a new game, Mars Colony is very buggy. It was almost impossible for me to activate some consoles because you had to click on a very specific spot to activate it. The controls are a little messy and take a while to get used to. You don't have automatic free-look, and you must hold down the right-click mouse button or you'll be stuck in a static camera view. It's such a minor inconvenience, but it gets annoying fast and it's a pointless mechanic. The graphics, while not bad, are very outdated. This game looks like it came out in the early 2000s, not 2014, updating the graphics a bit would really make the game feel more alive.

Overall, not in the least a bad game, but it really needs a community to be fun. Again, the game looks very complicated in the beginning, but figuring out how to accomplish tasks is very rewarding. Anyone who buys this should play it with friends or find a group online.

My Rating: 7/10