Part-survival game, part-Elon Musk simulator
Mars, our dusty red neighbour, is in vogue at the moment, which might explain why Haemimont Games is leaving the banana republics of Tropico behind and heading off-world. Surviving Mars is a city-builder with a survival bent, where managing colonists’ sanity is as important as keeping their habitable domes in tiptop shape.
Despite a lighthearted announcement trailer, Haemimont CEO Gabriel Dobrev is quick to distance Surviving Mars from the studio’s jocular Caribbean property. “This is not Tropico,” he emphasises. Though it’s inspired by sci-fi and retro-futurism – most keenly felt in the habitats that evoke a ’60s take on colonising the stars – it’s taking a more grounded, serious approach to city-building.
“Our initial inspiration was from old-school movies,” he clarifies. “So it was a retro-future style. But we had to make it more practical. What we went for is reminiscent of those things, but at the same time it’s a modern take on them.”
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