Deliver Us Mars

A rousing mystery brought to life by a great voice cast and nuanced character writing can't really save Deliver Us Mars from its shortcomings.

A serious display of sci-fi storytelling talent, even if the production falls short of space age.

Deliver Us Mars’ protagonists quickly cobble together a space shuttle that barely manages to get them to their destination. A similar story feels true of this game. A gripping narrative fuels gameplay that otherwise feels functional but underbaked, making my time on the planet a mixed bag. Deliver Us Mars shines best when it lets you absorb its story, but expect to stumble over several design craters along the way.

A thoughtful exploration of humanity's will to survive, Deliver Us Mars marries big, planet-sized problems with gripping, interpersonal drama - and pleasingly tactile platforming. The only disappointment is its rather rote puzzles.

Deliver Us Mars has an entrancing sci-fi story that will keep you thinking long after the credits roll. There are a few little issues, such as a boring climbing mechanic and frame rate drops on Earth, but with some fantastic voice acting it's easy to get really invested in the characters and the fate of humanity. The simple puzzles do a good job at giving your brain a little workout while never being so taxing that they slow down the pace of the action. Overall, this is a great follow-up that delivers a compelling sci-fi narrative.

Deliver Us Mars is a decent narrative adventure, even with a fairly unmemorable story and some dull characters. The puzzles were simple enough and the beautiful environments were enough to make me want to keep going. Some control quirks and unpleasant character models did bog the experience down slightly, however. This game isn't bad to the point that I'd want to blast it into the sun, but it has enough quirks that it never fully reaches the stars like it should.

With an excellent and mature story going over current themes, Deliver Us Mars is the game to get for those looking to be immersed in a believable and personal space opera. While the gameplay is a definite improvement over that of its predecessor, the simplicity of some puzzles (which often feel like a distraction from the story), the excessive linearity, and the many technical issues prevent the game by KeokeN Interactive from being a proper masterpiece.

Deliver Us Mars is a small studio's notable attempt at bringing something new to their fledgling franchise.

All in all, I'd say Deliver Us Mars starts out weaker due to the problem with character modeling in cutscenes, but it picks up a lot as it progresses. As a sequel, it's definitely ambitious. Although it does not do everything perfectly, it is a pleasant production that I will not hesitate to recommend to all fans of narrative games.

I think it is fair to say that Deliver Us Mars is a frustrating experience and somewhat of a let-down compared to Deliver Us The Moon.