Mars: War Logs Reviews

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Written by WorstUsernameEver on May 11th, 2013

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While only the combat stands out as a true high-point, Mars: War Logs is at least an ambitious attempt at a budget RPG, in a much less overused setting than most. Silly Technomancers aside, it has all the pieces and ideas it needs to be something special just not the writing chops or the raw resources needed to flesh them out to the level of the games it draws obvious inspiration from. The result is hard to recommend, with few diamonds to be found in the Martian rough. If you're willing to settle for occasional agate or topaz though, there are just enough sparkles here and there.

Mars: War Logs is the kind of experience one can only call serviceable. It exists, it does what it does, and it performs its job suitably. It doesn't do anything terrible, but it never once goes above a basic standard of acceptability. It's very clear that it wants to ape the best action-RPGs of the genre, but its too basal and hurried to pull off a single remarkable thing. It's a shame because Spiders' last attempt -- Of Orcs and Men -- was genuinely great, a game that similarly failed to be all it wanted to be, but at least had an interesting story and some wonderful presentation.

War Logs, by contrast, simply exists.

Maybe something amazing happens moments after I gave up but it absolutely hasn't earned the right for that to be discovered if it's the case. And on the evidence of the first few hours, it seems very unlikely. However, one thing that does seem important to highlight is that the lead character bears an uncanny resemblance right down to their demonic David Bowie eyes to RPS's own man of action, Jim.

Mars: War Logs is an interesting game. It tries to emulate a big-budget production, though it can't stave off that low-budget feel. Then again, there's certainly nothing wrong with that. While it's not for everyone, $20 is about the perfect price for the amount of content the game offers. It's cheesy and sometimes tries way too hard to be serious, but then again, therein lies its charm.

If you're looking for a solid sci-fi RPG though, with some really interesting elements, and can get past these fairly superficial obstacles, I would definitely give this one a shot. It's not as fancy as your latest triple-A game, but hey, it's also only twenny bux on Steam.

In the end, I wouldn't say Mars: War Logs is a bad game. But it's not much of a good game either. That's not to say it couldn't be one. The developers clearly have a lot of talent, but the pieces of this puzzle didn't come together in the way they or I hoped they would. If Spiders can improve every faulty facet of Mars: War Logs just a notable amount, a sequel to this game could be one worth paying attention to.

But you know what? I was captivated nonetheless. A truly charming game, Mars: War Logs is so unabashedly confident in its goals and brimming with genuine effort that it's easy to overlook its stumbles and focus on what it does well, namely its fleshed out world, endearing characters and fluid combat. It's a completely playable and enjoyable game, one that I fervently recommend to anyone interested in the premise and which I hope will see its rich setting continually explored in future games. It may be rough around the edges, but bite through that crust and you'll find a warm, gooey center within that will suck you in like one of Mars' tornadoes.

Simply put, if you're an RPG fanatic, go ahead and get your ass to Mars.

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