We are proud to have Mars Horizon participating in the GamesAid Steam sale! The sale is live and runs until the 3rd of March.



Money raised from the event will go towards GamesAid and the fantastic work they do for other charities based in the United Kingdom.

Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life is also part of the event, so be sure to wishlist it if you haven’t already!

Thanks to GamesAid for including us in the event, it’s greatly appreciated. 💛

We’re delighted to bring you a brand-new trailer for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, containing a wide variety of the latest in-game shots and a taste of what you can expect from the game.

We've teamed up with Charlie Pryor, who is a big fan of Mars Horizon, as shown in his wonderful playthrough of it. He has shared our latest Mars Horizon 2 trailer on his channel. Go check it out! If you're a big fan of the original Mars Horizon, we can thoroughly recommend his playthrough of the first game. It's an epic adventure! 🙌🏻

Thanks for all the support Charlie, we're thrilled about how much you enjoyed the original and are looking forward to the sequel!

New to Mars Horizon 2: the Search for Life?
In Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, you decide where in the Solar System to investigate, and the approach you’ll take to make a ground-breaking discovery before your rivals do. Explore the surface of planets/moons, overcome hazards, and investigate the curiosities of the Solar System.

We’ll have more news soon but, until then, keep watching the skies! ✨

See more on Mars Horizon 2!
• 🚀 Sign up for the Mars Horizon 2 Newsletter
• 💬 Chat in the Auroch Digital Community Discord
• 🔵 Follow us on Bluesky

We are delighted to have Mars Horizon participating in the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Team 17 Steam sale! 🚀 The sale runs from the 17th through to the 24th of February.



Money raised from the event will go towards helping Great Ormond Street Hospital and all the terrific work they do. 🙌🏻

Mars Horizon has a 75% discount, so be sure to pick it up if you haven’t already! In addition to this, Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life is also taking part, so check that out, too.

Thanks to both Great Ormond Street Hospital and Team 17 for including us in the event. 💜
Check out the sale!

When you think of sounds in space, what do you think of? Is it the edge of your seat orchestral scores from Star Wars battles, the peaceful hums from the USS Enterprise, or perhaps it’s the sound of silence as planets rotate around the sun? 🪐 Whatever you think of, it’s something we thought a lot about in the original Mars Horizon and look to build on in Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life.

In this blog, we will be reflecting on the video game audio design of Mars Horizon, what we learned from that title, and what players can expect in terms of sound design from the sequel. This is also a great piece to learn more about video game audio design in general, if you’re wondering how to get a job in game sound design. We spoke to Auroch Digital’s Senior Audio Designer, Matt Walker (He/Him), as he has lead the game sound design on both Mars Horizon titles. 🎧


With Mars Horizon being our first giant leap into a dedicated space-based title, we were discovering things for the very first time, as Matt explains with his approach to the games sound design:

“In Mars Horizon, there wasn't huge scope to do much dynamically - much of the player’s time is spent within the Solar System as they look to branch their way through the ages and decades, advancing their pursuit of landing on Mars first.

“But to support this sense of progression as the player reaches a new era in space travel, they unlock a new layer to the vertically stacked music cues. This small system starts out very passive, almost independently a drone – but, by the time the player reaches the latter stages of the game, they'll [hopefully] not notice, but feel a greater sense of growth and layering as the supporting music cues are now awash with orchestral layers and textures that previously weren't there.”

“The Mars Horizon soundtrack is a digital orchestra, one that I believe is quite convincing. Many articulations can be worked and manipulated to suit a cue, but there's absolutely nothing wrong with taking advantage of the digital aspects of such a tool.

“One of the main takeaways from that development cycle are to never overlook UI (user interface) audio design - it's intrinsically vital to flow and player communication. The UI audio didn't see as much attention due to several factors, but it's an imbalance that won't be overlooked again.”


A game has so many audio cues, whether it be in the main menu, loading screen, or via the many interactions the player can make while playing the main part of the game. But what goes into creating these various sounds of a game? Matt shares some parts of his process for recording audio content for games:

“The 'process' of producing sound effects (SFX), ambiences and music cues etc for games can differ greatly from one project to the next. My process often riffs on playing a build of the game [or portion of it] as early as possible, and then continually with each subsequent update. All this early experience helps to inform the live decision making I'll be doing when I get to my digital audio workstation to progress work.

“Ultimately, any audio 'bed' in support of a screen or feature mustn't overstep its place in the mix, as the player will be making decisions and being communicated with via UI and other SFX. Ambiences will always have a skeleton of low, low-mid, mid, and high elements that make up the asset. These are mixed to suit any design behaviours that are to sit above it, without over-powering the player with unnecessary frequencies and additions.”


With decades of sci-fi iconic sounds from video games and other forms of entertainment, what are some of the musical and sound influences behind Mars Horizon and for Matt Walker in general? As video game players, we all have our favourite soundtracks, but what are some of the scores that Matt looks to for inspiration? He says:

“For me, Mars Horizon's musical identity has always characterized the triumphs and risks undertaken by not only those in the cockpit, but more specifically those operating behind the curtain. It's about those skilled people and their families.

“With these ideas in mind, Kamen's 'Band of Brother's’ score and Chris Roe's suite of cues for 'Mission Control: Unsung Heroes of Apollo' were such huge influences. I listened to and studied those soundtracks relentlessly and fell head over heels for them both. Giacchino's 'Medal of Honor: Frontline' soundtrack has long been a personal favourite of mine with the tone of that soundtrack being woven into the extended Mars Horizon soundtrack especially.

“As for all other SFX and general audio direction, 'Surviving Mars' and 'Frostpunk' were drawn from to capture their 'working/moving parts' tone - such tremendous game audio design, and very satisfying to interact with.

“The Mars Horizon 2 audio design looks to build upon everything established in the previous game, but more specifically the Civilization titles and even as far as the more recent XCOM games both offer lovely reference points from which to draw inspiration.”

_______________________________________________________


To tie in with the Sounds of Space blog, we have also released a one-hour ambient music video to unwind to. The video features the entire Mars Horizon soundtrack, from Matt Walker himself, as well as alpha footage from the Solar System in Mars Horizon 2.

Witness the rotation periods of many planets across the galaxy alongside the varied and atmospheric soundtrack from 2020’s Mars Horizon. If you wish to own a copy of the soundtrack, it can be purchased on Steam.

The video has been assembled to help viewers relax, study, or escape their day-to-day lives and spend some time getting lost among the stars. Witness breath-taking views of various planets in our Solar System, as well as asteroid belts and moons.

Mars Horizon saw players landing on the red planet but, in Mars Horizon 2, you will be going even further and exploring various planetary surfaces in the search for life. We hope this video helps to create a peaceful backdrop for your daily activities and gives you peace of mind.
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With the news that Mars Horizon 2 will now release in 2025, players will have to wait a little longer before they explore the solar system and search for life. In the meantime, Matt has shared what players can anticipate from the game audio design:

“Players can expect a natural extension from the original Mars Horizon. The intention was never to deviate far from what is great about the original - only build upon it and perhaps iron out creases following that original development cycle. I really feel Mars Horizon 2 offers a more robust and varied player experience with regards to audio design, all offering and adding to a gameplay loop that is fun with a sense of feeling.

“Mechanically, the game audio design is more granular than before and I've been a part of its implementation right from the start, whereas during the original Mars Horizon my contributions were evolving.”

A huge thanks to Matt for sharing his experiences of game audio design and giving us a preview of what to expect in Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life. If you wish to pick up a copy of the original Mars Horizon, it’s available on Steam, while the soundtrack for Mars Horizon is also available to purchase on Steam.
We’ll have more news to share on what players can expect in 2025 in the new year. We can’t wait to share more information with you all. Keep watching the skies! ✨

Hi Aurochnauts! 👨🏻‍🚀

Mars Horizon is part of Cozy Quest, a Steam Festival run by our friends at Secret Mode! This festival takes place 14th-18th November and also features Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, as well as our brewing title – Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator.

Speaking of discounts, if you have been holding off on buying Mars Horizon, the game has a 70% discount until the 18th. Now is your time to head to the Space Station and try to reach Mars before your rival agencies do! In addition to this discount, Brewmaster: Beer Brewing Simulator will also be discounted, too. 🚀 🍻

Cozy Quest highlights a wide variety of relaxing games that you can take at your own pace. From established cozy games, which feature various discounts, to the games which you can look forward to playing in the future, Cozy Quest has so much going on!

Check out the festival via the banner on the Mars Horizon Steam page!

Hi Aurochnauts! 👨🏻‍🚀

We hope you’re having fun with Space Exploration Fest and are excited to see more about the sequel to Mars Horizon, our upcoming title Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life.



To celebrate being part of the event we are sending out a Space Exploration Fest newsletter to our Mars Horizon Mailing list. In this newsletter we will be sharing exclusive new screenshots of Mars Horizon 2. As if the exclusive content wasn’t enough, we will also be providing everyone who is subscribed a free Mars Horizon gift, so be sure you don’t miss out on that either! 🎁

• Sign up to the newsletter here

Being subscribed to the Mars Horizon 2 mailing list means that you’ll be kept up to date with the game’s latest updates, demos, and other news. 🚀

If you haven't seen it already, make sure to check out our newest trailer for Mars Horizon 2.
This is a Developer Spotlight trailer which gives our devs a chance to tell you first hand about their approach to making the game. We are really proud of how the game is shaping up!



We hope you enjoy what we have to show for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life during Space Exploration Fest!

Hi Aurochnauts! 👨🏻‍🚀

We are delighted to be part of Steam’s Space Exploration Fest, which runs 2nd – 9th Sept. The festival celebrates a wide variety of space-themed titles, two of which are Mars Horizon and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life.🎉

In addition to a discount on the original Mars Horizon, fans will be able to see and hear from the developers of Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life about what they've been working on in a brand-new trailer. This trailer reflects on the first game, where we wanted to go in the sequel, some of our development team's favourite aspects, inspirations behind certain elements, and more! 🙌🏻 You can view the trailer here.



We will also have something else to show off later this week during Space Exploration Fest as well as a free gift to all people signed up to our Mars Horizon newsletter, so make sure you are signed up to our mailing list so you don’t miss out! 👀

Sign up here to the newsletter.

Hi Aurochnauts! 👨🏻‍🚀

With Gamescom taking place in Cologne, Germany, this week, our partners for both Mars Horizon and Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life, the European Space Agency (ESA), are present at the show with their own space-themed booth in Hall 10.2! 🙌🏻

During the show, ESA will be hosting competitions for guests to participate in and be in with a chance to win Mars Horizon and ESA prizes! 🚀

Keep your eye out on ESA’s social channels for further information and be sure to check them out on the show floor.

Hi Aurochnauts! 👩‍🚀

Last week we took part in TactiCon 2024, a Steam festival celebrating strategy games which included demos, sales, as well as panels and talks by devs.

As part of the event we did a talk with one of our partners for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for life, the sequel to Mars Horizon! This talk went behind the scenes on the game and looked at how we are making it authentic from the ground up, much like we did with Mars Horizon.

Our talk was led by our Lead Marketing Manager Will Flanagan with guests Claudia Thomas, Game Designer, and Freddie Jones, Associate Programmer, on Mars Horizon 2.

Our Special guest for this talk was Dr Sean McMahon, senior academic and researcher in astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh who has been advising us on real life science as we design the game.

The talk went live last Saturday during the Steam event, but if you misssed it you can catch up over on the official TactiCon YouTube channel!

• Watch our talk on Space Exploration in Strategy games

A huge thanks again to Sean, and the rest of his group at the UK Centre for Astrobiology for partnering with us to make Mars Horizon 2: The Search for life authentic to the realities of Space exploration!


https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281620/Mars_Horizon_2_The_Search_for_Life/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/765810/Mars_Horizon/

Hi Aurochnauts! 👩‍🚀

TactiCon 2024 celebrates the incredible world of strategy games with discounted titles, exclusive demos, plus panels and talks with strategy developers!

As part of this digital convention we've done a talk on Space Exploration in Strategy games with a guest from one of our partners for Mars Horizon 2: The Search for Life. This is the sequel to Mars Horizon, any fans of our original game will not want to miss this!



Our talk is led by our Lead Marketing Manager Will Flanagan with guests Claudia Thomas, Game Designer, and Freddie Jones, Associate Programmer, on Mars Horizon 2.

Our Special guest is Dr Sean McMahon, senior academic and researcher in astrobiology from the University of Edinburgh.

During the development of Mars Horizon 2, we've been working closely with Sean and his team who have been advising us on a number of subjects as we look to incorporate realistic aspects of astrobiology into the game to maintain its authenticity. This talk will cover the challenges and solutions we've come up with during development.

You can find the panel on the main TactiCon page:

• 📆 20th July
  
• ⏰ 6:00 PM BST
  
• 📺 TactiCon Steam page

Make sure to check out the rest of TactiCon 2024 on steam for amazing deals and loads of great talks and panels

• Learn more about the talk on the official event announcement page
  
• Check out the full festival line up of talks and panels

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2281620/Mars_Horizon_2_The_Search_for_Life/
https://store.steampowered.com/app/765810/Mars_Horizon/