Since people are asking, some more Mars War Logs impressions for those wondering:
It is like the witcher (combat is pretty much ripped directly, same skills etc) but with perhaps a much more interesting setting being a rough Mars environment.
There are some issues though. To give you an idea, here are some things that struck me as odd from the first 10 minutes alone:
- Straight away, the young boy lists his previous concerns before being sent to war as girls and acne. I wouldn’t think acne would be a big deal in a post Mars colonisation time period.
- The boy mentions that he doesn’t know if it is day or night. Then they show that the container he is travelling in has a big window just above him with light streaming through it.
- The first real interaction you get with another character involves them about to commit rape on the poor boy. That sort of sets the tone and gives you an idea of the themes to expect.
- The young guy’s name is “Innocence”. Yeah…The MC’s name is Temperance. He just goes by Roy which is probably a good choice.
- The voices are all kind of reminiscent of “The Lion King” and don't really match the art style. It is like Simba is walking around talking about prison rape which is kind of odd.
- After a short tutorial battle, your first quest is a fetch quest to find a mechanic a wrench and some spare parts. This sort of sets the tone for some busy work.
That list may seem like it has some petty details on it, but the details do appear to be the problem. Just as you start to really get into the game (and there is plenty of game to get into), something janky in either the combat, movement animations or dialogue takes you right out of it and reminds you that it is probably a pretty low budget effort. It doesn’t ruin things, but there always seems to be something there that isn’t quite right.
Despite that? I think the game ends up just surpassing its budget shortcomings rather than being held back by it. Combat seems a little limited but is more or less ok. The script seems well enough written, even if the voices do not match it (nor do the lips sync up in the English track at least).
The graphics? They seem to hover around the “decent enough” mark with only some rough textures or clipping issues spoiling the effect here and there (by no means a problem limited to just this game).
Is it worth $9.99? Probably yes, but only just. You'd best be waiting for 75% off if the setting doesn't immediately grab you. For games of this type though? We are not exactly swimming in other choices.