Deliver Us Mars Delivered

Deliver Us Mars is now available for Windows on Steam, offering a sci-fi sequel from developer KeokeN Interactive and publisher Frontier Foundry. This post discusses the release, illustrated by a new Launch Trailer setting up the game's narrative. A subsequent post mentions a first minor update that's now live. Here's more on this follow up to Deliver Us The Moon:
Sequel to the award-winning Deliver Us The Moon, Deliver Us Mars is an atmospheric sci-fi adventure offering an immersive astronaut experience. Explore new frontiers on a suspense-fuelled, high-stakes mission to recover the ARK colony ships stolen by the mysterious Outward.

Ten years after the Fortuna mission, humanity is closer than ever to extinction. After a mysterious distress call from Mars, Earth’s youngest astronaut Kathy Johanson joins the Zephyr and its crew on one last mission: to recover the ARK colony ships stolen by the mysterious Outward, and with them, ensure the survival of the human race.
View : : :
6.
 
Re: Deliver Us Mars Delivered
Feb 2, 2023, 18:58
6.
Re: Deliver Us Mars Delivered Feb 2, 2023, 18:58
Feb 2, 2023, 18:58
 
I've been playing for much of the day as Deliver Us the Moon is one of my most favorite games in the last, oh, five years or so.

Deliver Us Mars has...issues. My quick summation:

The Good
The first person portions are better than its predecessor.
The puzzles are just as interesting and engaging as its predecessor. They're enough to make you think but not so esoteric as to cause one to say "Nope, fuck this, I'm out."
The story is interesting as it is a continuation from the first and does nicely resolve some plot points from its predecessor.

The Meh
The music is there but doesn't particularly stand out in any one specific moment. It's serviceable but not one you're going to want to buy and listen to the soundtrack on its own. Frostpunk this score isn't.
Some moments of melodrama can get tedious as they stretch out just a bit too long. While they're supposed to deliver pathos, they really, really border on soap opera level delivery.
The whole "smart yet somewhat of a smartass" character has been done to death and better elsewhere.

The Ugly
Third person animations are universally awful. How do you make an 8 year old look 40? Why are child Kathy's forearms 4 times the length of her upper arms? Why does everyone jump like they're bouncing up and down on a stick? Why does the hair have as much animation to it as pipe cleaners on a still day? Have the animators never witnessed a real human being run?
Truly bizarre FPS drops in the weirdest places. During the first person part of the game, I received very few FPS drops and they were on the order of maybe 10-15FPS on truly effects heavy shots with all graphics set to maximum. Yet, in some third person sections, I wouldn't be moving at all and see 60-70FPS drops. Why? I have no idea.
Third person climbing controls are awkward at best which isn't great as you do it somewhat frequently. They require a combo of keystrokes and mouse clicks but the mouse clicks feel like they have a half second or so lag between when you click and when the action occurs.
"Just take a look around you, what do you see? Pain, suffering, and misery." -Black Sabbath, Killing Yourself to Live.

“Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains” -Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Purveyor of cute, fuzzy, pink bunny slippers.
Avatar 21247
Date
Subject
Author
1.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
2.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
3.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
4.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
 6.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
 Re: Deliver Us Mars Delivered
5.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
7.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
8.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
9.
Feb 2, 2023Feb 2 2023
10.
Feb 3, 2023Feb 3 2023
11.
Feb 3, 2023Feb 3 2023
12.
Feb 3, 2023Feb 3 2023