Mars: War Logs

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A fun Sci-Fi RPG that left me wanting more, for better or for worse.

Mars: War Logs, previously only available to PC gamers, makes the jump onto consoles with not much changed and sadly not much improved. That’s not to say that you can’t find some good in this title if you can accept it for what it is. It’s a budget level western style RPG that’s certainly serviceable but is in tough when compared to other WRPGs like Mass Effect and Fallout. The average gamer might have a hard time really getting into this one but a hardcore RPG lover will still find an enjoyable experience buried beneath the hiccups along the way.

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.

Throughout your travels you will no doubt talk to a number of NPCs and pick up side-missions. Though a great source of bonus experience, don’t expect to enjoy them. Most will simply have you running from one checkpoint to the next, delivering messages before returning. It’s a cheap way to extend the game’s lifespan and comes across as primitive and inorganic. Where side quests can often be a highlight in some RPGs, their presence in War Logs does nothing to improve the overall experience.

Where it falls apart however is in the repetitiveness of the environment, the uselessness of Roy’s otherwise interesting companions, the regularly frustrating combat, and the mostly poor writing and acting. Mars is a fairly interesting action RPG with a cheap price on its side, but in all honesty it could do with being even cheaper. A nice attempt guys, some improvement is needed. And a bigger colour palette. And a better title.