The first title of the license, Deliver us the Moon, was released at the end of 2018 thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. Its first steps on PC were a bit chaotic because the developers had not been able to follow through with their ideas, due to lack of time and resources. At the beginning of 2020, an enriched edition and an almost successful game are arriving on our home consoles.
Building on the success, the KeokeN Interactive studio gives us here a direct sequel with Deliver us Mars. This second part is an opportunity to explore new frontiers in order to recover the colony’s ARK ships which have been stolen by an enigmatic organization called Outward. So let’s board the Zephyr to our new destination and find out if this sequel is up to the task.
The Last Chance Mission
Ten years after the lunar mission, humanity has never been so close to extinction. The respite was therefore only short-lived for the Earth, whose resources are completely exhausted. A distress call from Mars, however, offers a glimmer of hope. The ARCHES vessels stolen by the enigmatic organization Outward are finally located and their recovery can save humanity or at least what is left of it.
A team of four astronauts are given the daunting task of traveling to Mars and returning with what is the last hope for the human race. Our character, Kathy Johanson, stands out in our quartet because of her engineering talents but also because of her filial link with one of the members of the Outward organization. We will not reveal more about the plot of the title here in order to preserve its flavor.
However, it is important to specify that it is not necessary to have played the first part to appreciate its sequel. The elements useful for understanding the story are brought over the course of the adventure through holographic projections or during dialogues between the crew members.
Enriched gameplay
Deliver us Mars uses the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor while completing the catalog. We find our plasma beam and its formidable efficiency for cutting obstacles or forcing hatches. Our ASE companion is once again present to explore the recesses in search of useful objects for our progress or to activate the door opening mechanisms. It is all the more essential that he alone has the power to decipher the holographic messages after having completed a mini-game asking him to find the right reading angle. The environmental puzzles of redirection of light rays finally complete the list of known mechanics.
On the new side, our cosmonaut can now move vertically thanks to two ice axes. Each is handled individually for better player immersion. By alternating the pressures on LT and RT, we progress on the climbing routes, while keeping in mind that we only let go one hold at a time if we do not want to meet a tragic end several meters below. . This mechanism is rather well managed and punctuates our exploration. However, we had the impression two-thirds of the way through that the dosage was less balanced, but that’s just a very personal feeling.
Even if these remain anecdotal, travel by vehicle is more frequent. Rover journeys allow the development team to pace the narrative while avoiding player fatigue. However, these phases are limited to progressing from point A to point B via a corridor track that is almost impossible to leave. A good idea that perhaps should have been explored further, but again this is only our personal opinion.
Last minor novelty, but that we appreciated, it is now possible to choose between a first or third person view during the phases of movement in weightlessness. Little extra very pleasant on certain passages, especially in our ship where very often we are lost for lack of high and low landmarks.
An achievement not yet at the level
Despite the support of the publisher Frontier Foundry, we find that the developers have not yet succeeded in crossing the milestone on the production side. we find the same weaknesses as when Deliver us the Moon was released. The most obvious is the heaviness and rigidity of the movements. The animation and modeling of the characters are really not at the level that we are entitled to expect. What could be forgivable for a Kickstarter project should not be seen for this sequel.
Display bugs are also present. Certain textures, certain objects and certain shadows appear suddenly without the richness of the environment being able to explain this lack of resource. Even if the total localization of the game is a good point, the lip synchronization is too often behind. We were even able to observe during a dialogue scene the total absence of movements and facial expressions. Even if a day one patch can erase some flaws, not all of the stated weaknesses can be corrected.
But a story that saves the furniture
As was the case for Deliver us the Moon, what pulls the title up is the quality of the writing. Throughout the nine chapters that make up the story, we were kept in suspense. The story is touching on many aspects and we had no trouble being caught up in spite of the flaws raised. The soundtrack is an important pillar of this construction. The faultless orchestration and the quality of the sound effects play an essential role here in the immersion of the player. We did not see the eight hours that were necessary for us to conclude the adventure pass.
Completists can slightly extend the initial lifespan by looking for all the collectibles in the game, which are relatively easy to find here since a luminous aura emanates from them when they are nearby. To make the task even easier, the chapter choice menu is enriched with the number of collectibles discovered and to be discovered by sequence.
Overall, Deliver us Mars is enjoyable and worth checking out. However, its price position at €29.99 may be a hindrance for some. If like its predecessor, it goes through the Xbox Game Pass, however, it should not be missed.
Tested on Xbox Series X (Optimized)
