Memories Of Mars Is One To Watch

100 years in the future an incident has happened on Mars. The once frequently visited red planet is now abandoned and those left behind must do whatever they can to survive. That is the pitch for Memories of Mars, an open world survival game where you take control of a recently awoken clone who must do whatever they can to survive.

During a recent play session on an early build of Memories of Mars with some of the development team I was lucky enough to get a chance to see the title in action before its release on early access later this year. In its early state, some elements are still a work in progress but putting that to one side what I found with Memories of Mars is a survival title that peaked my interest.

At launch the title will support 64 players on each server with a map size of 12km which will be filled with points of interest, different locations and ruins for players to explore. During the play session only 4km of the map was available but even inside that smaller section there was a large variety of different terrain and locations. The cornerstone of the gameplay experience is building and maintaining your base, I am happy to say that the systems that allow you to do this are solid and rather user friendly. Laying claim to a location on the map and building up a place to respawn, craft and ultimately defend is engaging and allows for some rest time in between the chaos of the red planet.

As with any survival game you are continuously in a state of loss as your health and oxygen slowly drain. To combat this, you need to ensure you have plenty of resources to refill these and keep you at peak performance. Key items such as food, oxygen tanks, and even ammo can be found across the surface of the red planet or crafted from other materials you might find. Sometimes looting a building will ensure a quick answer to finding items but the risk of other players or even NPCs being there to put up a fight might not be wroth the risk. What makes these systems feel more natural and less like a chore are the different ways you can find the resources you need, allowing for Memories of Mars to be an engaging experience rather then a just another survival title.

The same can be said for the combat within Memories of Mars when facing off against the NPCs or up against other players. There are several weapons, each with their own use and range and players will need to manage their armour, weight, ammo and attachments. It is possible to run headlong into a fight but utilising the terrain and buildings to provide cover is the best way to engage in these intense firefights. The NPCs are smart and learn how to deal with you, reacting accordingly to your actions and can prove to be quite the challenge.
One of the main draws of Memories of Mars are the events that happen in-game and act as a way for players to earn large amounts of loot and currency. These events focus the action, drawing players in, and make the title feel more like a battle royale videogame than a survival title and that is brilliant. With a variety of event types that can happen randomly, Memories of Mars has a good amount of content to keep you engaged.

Though my time with the title was short, and several things need improving before release such as the animations and UI. There is a good amount of content and unique ideas in Memories of Mars that make it one to watch. Personally, I’d love to have a more complex combat system allowing for leaning and maybe even some jetpacks but as it stands in the short time I got to experience the game I cannot wait for more. If survival games are your jam or if you are looking to enter the genre then consider giving Memories of Mars a chance because it has a lot of potential to be huge title.