A slow paced and fulfilling exploration
This is not a fast action game where you get bigger and bigger guns to kill everything with. In fact, it's part exploration game, part mystery, part strategy. I found it to be both relaxing and tense all at once!
It's always ongoing so you never have to worry about getting to the ends of levels before your commute is over as it is constantly saving your progress.
It's always ongoing so you never have to worry about getting to the ends of levels before your commute is over as it is constantly saving your progress.
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Review Update!
Latest version is perfect again :D
(This used to be my favorite iPad game, but for some reason the AI stops functioning completely near the middle of the game. They either just spin in circles accomplishing nothing and refuse to catch pods or just carry them around aimlessly, or they commit mass suicide leaving you with the time wasting chore of creating literally hundreds, spending hours at a time doing so only to have a bunch of corpses sitting at the bottom of lava pools and leaving you with the lowest biomass level possible. It's an obvious bug that I really wish the developers would fix. I've had a blast playing through a majority of the game, but ever since the latest update I can't even come close to reaching a biomass over 300 when I'm required to have at least 2500 just to progress. It's really just not fun anymore.)
(This used to be my favorite iPad game, but for some reason the AI stops functioning completely near the middle of the game. They either just spin in circles accomplishing nothing and refuse to catch pods or just carry them around aimlessly, or they commit mass suicide leaving you with the time wasting chore of creating literally hundreds, spending hours at a time doing so only to have a bunch of corpses sitting at the bottom of lava pools and leaving you with the lowest biomass level possible. It's an obvious bug that I really wish the developers would fix. I've had a blast playing through a majority of the game, but ever since the latest update I can't even come close to reaching a biomass over 300 when I'm required to have at least 2500 just to progress. It's really just not fun anymore.)
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Memorable & absorbing - now with Retina graphics
'Waking Mars' is a game of exploration and discovery where you interact with and manipulate life forms to progress through underground cave systems, learning more about the planet as you go. The graphical design of the game is striking and the story is well told, even though it's presented as a series of simple dialogue captions with still photos. Your character is part of a scientific mission, so your objectives are presented accordingly with appropriate language. The control system handles pretty well, and the jet pack and in-game physics work smoothly, although selecting and throwing objects in mid-air can be a little tricky. Overall, a really accomplished game - recommended.
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For those of you looking for something a little different
Do you insist upon giant explosions, crosshairs, and jingoistic propaganda (I'm looking at you, Modern Combat) in every video game you play? Do you require a set list of tasks to accomplish including the order in which you should accomplish them when playing any video game? Are you now, or have you ever been, Director Michael Bay?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, Waking Mars is probably not the game for you. If you appreciate a subtle playing experience where you are tasked with prodding a beautifully imagined and rendered dormant alien ecosystem into self-perpetuating growth, this game will be a good time for you.
It would be unfair to call this a total ripoff of Aquaria, though the similarities are there. Aquaria focuses far more on fighting tough guys and bosses than solving puzzles -- in Waking Earth there are no bad guys to defeat, though there are a few to avoid. The graphics are better in Waking Mars, but the music isn't quite as good as Aquaria. Basically if you played Aquaria and thought it was stupid, you will think this is even stupider. On the other hand, if you enjoyed both it and, say, Superbrothers Sword and Sorcery, then you've got yourself a winner.
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, Waking Mars is probably not the game for you. If you appreciate a subtle playing experience where you are tasked with prodding a beautifully imagined and rendered dormant alien ecosystem into self-perpetuating growth, this game will be a good time for you.
It would be unfair to call this a total ripoff of Aquaria, though the similarities are there. Aquaria focuses far more on fighting tough guys and bosses than solving puzzles -- in Waking Earth there are no bad guys to defeat, though there are a few to avoid. The graphics are better in Waking Mars, but the music isn't quite as good as Aquaria. Basically if you played Aquaria and thought it was stupid, you will think this is even stupider. On the other hand, if you enjoyed both it and, say, Superbrothers Sword and Sorcery, then you've got yourself a winner.
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Awesome stuff
Very happy with this game. Beautiful artwork, great control system, and even a story! Love went into making this and it shows....
One of the most interesting games I've ever played
Smart, immersive and refreshing, this game is a fully realized concept that kept me going till the end (11 hours of play on hard setting, stats tell me). The production values are stellar - the game looks and sounds beautiful. It's so nice to play something that doesn't involve killing things... I found it to be a very cool balance of platformer and puzzle, with some physics-based elements. The story is fascinating and deep, and an integral part of the experience. I loved the hard science feel - we need much more of that in this world these days. Should remind us all of what a space program can be... A bit slow going here and there (and Liang's interactions with the terrain can be awkward) but overall it's an unforgettable experience that lifts the bar for great gaming to a new level for me, regardless of device/platform. Remarkable achievement, devs - a well-deserved 5-star rating!
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Brilliant and engaging
It's not the most technically dazzling game you'll ever play, but it is one of the best *games* you'll play. The basic mechanic is simple but engaging (plant seeds and manage the various creature types), there is enough complexity without ever becoming annoyingly hard, and there is a story with so much more depth than you normally see that I really found it driving me to play more. There's also at least ten hours of gameplay here just to get through the game once, which is pretty impressive for the price.
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Worth it's price
Great story, gameplay, graphics and the best controls I have ever used on the iPhone. Multiple endings from what I can tell, you can spend many hours perfecting your ecosystem. Very addictive
Best game I've yet to play on iPhone (besides Infinity Blade)
I was completely surprised at how great this game was. I review iPhone games for a local paper around here so I just bought this thinking it looked kind of cool, and I wound up so pleasantly surprised. It's a story about the discovery of unknown species under the surface of Mars and a man named Liang as tries to escape back to the base camp. But even more so, its a story of our role as humans as we relate to other species, and about how our choices impact delicate ecosystems. The parameters in which the game are set are even within scientific reason, save for the fictitious state of Mars. I would totally say this game is educational, and probably the first educational game I've actually enjoyed. The controls are executed perfectly so your fingers aren't always in the way, and all in all I played it for about 6 hours until I felt like I was done with it. Don't let the pricetag scare ya. Magnificent game!
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Really well made game...
This is a top notch game that certainly won't be for everyone. However, for those who love adventure games like it, it's superb. The simple dynamics work well and the production values, aside from for forgettable music, are high.
The only main downsides are the controls that are a bit clunky and the UI, which is a bit poorly thought out. If those were adjusted this'd be a five star game for sure.
The only main downsides are the controls that are a bit clunky and the UI, which is a bit poorly thought out. If those were adjusted this'd be a five star game for sure.
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