Mars Horizon

 Xbox One
Mars Horizon Image
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: In Mars Horizon, you take control of a major space agency, leading it from the dawn of the space age through to landing astronauts on Mars. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space travel - any of the agencies can be the first to land on The Moon ifIn Mars Horizon, you take control of a major space agency, leading it from the dawn of the space age through to landing astronauts on Mars. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space travel - any of the agencies can be the first to land on The Moon if you make the right choices. Manage the numerous challenges faced then and now:

    You’re in charge of every element of the journey into space: success rides on your decisions.

    Will you push to stay ahead of the other agencies, or focus on testing and research? There are multiple ways to ensure the first person on Mars is under your command. Every choice matters: will you invest in the most advanced technology or take risks in the rush to the red planet?

    Using actual events and missions as inspiration, can you handle the challenges faced by real space agencies?

    Management is a vital aspect of Mars Horizon. You'll need to design and build the right spacecraft, hire and train the crew, and make strategic decisions as mission control to survive the journey to Mars.

    Enter into diplomatic partnerships with other agencies to share the rewards of space exploration, or risk going it alone to gain greater prestige. Construct the ideal rocket from historically-inspired vehicle parts. Hire contractors to construct vehicles and use their unique benefits to gain a key edge over your competitors.

    Launching a payload into space is only the first step. In assuming the role of Flight Director of mission control, you'll need to manage your spacecraft's resources and solve strategic challenges in turn-based missions in order to succeed. But beware: space is a very unforgiving environment.

    These are the critical moment-to-moment decisions of mission control; do you spend power to fix a malfunctioning antenna or save it in case of an oxygen leak? Perhaps risking that extra three months of mission planning could have avoided this issue?

    Mars Horizon has been made with the input and support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency. We’ve collaborated with numerous experts in space exploration from the ESA in creating Mars Horizon. From engineers developing the technology used in Mars programmes, to those designing the next generation of missions, bringing an unprecedented level of authenticity, realism and legitimacy to the gameplay and its scenarios.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. Generación Xbox
    Dec 21, 2020
    81
    Mars Horizon uniquely fulfills a mission almost as difficult as sending a manned mission into outer space.
  2. TheXboxHub
    Nov 26, 2020
    80
    Mars Horizon on Xbox is an excellent and approachable but deep game that will scratch the space exploration itch for a lot of players. Whilst it’s not an adrenaline rush, it’s got a lot of heart and its excellent UI and design will mean you spend many hours crafting and preparing your missions and then tensely watching them launch.
  3. XboxAddict
    Jan 12, 2021
    70
    I honestly was expecting to be quite bored with a management game that is quite menu heavy; however, once I started getting the hang of how to prioritize my research and start to make enough cash, I became hooked at trying to win the space race to Mars and furthering my reach into our solar system. It might not have much replayability, but Mars Horizon might just be something that you'll be positively surprised with if you give it a chance.
  4. Xbox Tavern
    Nov 23, 2020
    55
    Those of you who already have an interest in Space faring expeditions will likely get the most out of Mars Horizon, as otherwise the fairly bland gameplay and presentation may well put you off digging into the experience. There’s a good amount of educational merit to it though, so hopefully it’ll inspire more people to learn! But if I’m completely honest, the most fun I had from Mars Horizon came from the controller vibrating in my lap during rocket launches. And yes, Bigger is Better. Lol.

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  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Jan 27, 2021
    7
    Mars Horizon has it as your mission to reach the well known Red Planet. Lead a major space agency as you guide humanity to Mars in thisMars Horizon has it as your mission to reach the well known Red Planet. Lead a major space agency as you guide humanity to Mars in this strategy simulation game. Construct a base, design and build rockets, conduct missions throughout the Solar System, and write your own history of Space exploration. Created with support from the European Space Agency. The absolutely right game for every fan of aerospace and space travel with the right shot of management simulation. It further brings a lot historical moments in aerospace to life although not at a gigantic visual level. It's more the small details of the tech tree bringing you slowly toward the famous space missions while time runs and the years e.g. around the moon landing comes and goes, and with it the famous rocket types and space capsule. The travel through aerospace history is the big strength of this game, while the limited amount of real game play mechanics are its weakness. Mars Horizon was developed with the cooperation with ESA, where staff, including team members from the actual ExoMars mission, were consulted on the actual process of planning and executing a mission to Mars. You build a rocket, you fire a rocket, and sometimes it rains. Everything hangs on the roll of a dice. Which makes the space missions look like a lackluster mini game. Management is a vital aspect of Mars Horizon. You'll need to design and build the right spacecraft, hire and train the crew, and make strategic decisions as mission control to survive the journey to Mars. The game is meant to be authentic and not so much accurate when portraying the progress of a space mission, Rawlings said. For example, players will not be subject to the typical 10-year development cycle that accompanies a new rocket type. On the other hand, key steps of the rocket build are portrayed, along with the nerve-wrecking feeling engineers experience when sending a booster aloft for the first time, he said. One of the best things that can actually be said about Mars Horizon is that it respects your time, which is a rare quality in a game. All in all, Mars Horizon on Xbox One is an excellent and approachable but deep game that will scratch the space exploration itch for a lot of players. If you want to learn about the processes behind space exploration, get this game.… Expand

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