This is going to be a tough one. Mars: War Logs is one of those rare games that I simultaneously dislike and adore. I'll try to break my feelings down to a few key components followed by a conclusion. Please bare in mind that the rating I have given this is more nuanced than a simple thumb pointing up and down. I'll also try to avoid spoilers where possible, and mark with spoiler tags where I can't.

Story/Lore:
♦ The lore and history of this game are one of the biggest pros this game has to offer. It is set in a dyspotian, rusty and harsh sci-fi setting on mars. There are a lot of political intrigue and historical events that happened prior to this game that create a very believable and fleshed out world. If this sounds like your kinda jam - This is one of the biggest selling points!
♦ It's mature in its subject matter and setting. It doesn't stray away from things such as rape, violence, prostitution, murder etc...
♦ As for the main story, that of Roy and his fellow compatriots, is... average at best. It's a shame, because there was a lot of cool stuff you could do in this setting. However, the pacing is a bit wonky at times, characters are introduced far too quickly resulting in the player getting very little time to really get to know them via exposure. The two notable exceptions to this are Innocence and Mary.
♦ A branching story as a result of player decisions is also a prominent feature. In terms of narrative - some of these choices do have far reaching impacts for people close to Roy and otherwise. However, from the perspective of the game and gameplay, these decisions are meaningless. Expect pretty much the same experience in the third act no matter what choice you pick in act 2. I'm somewhat willing to let this slide considering the size of the development team and budget however.
♦ Romance is also an option, from 3 potential candidates. Unfortunately, 2 of these these feel unnatural and forced in as you are able to confess your love to them after one conversation. The exception is Mary, who has some build up, but not enough in my opinion.
♦ A note on the women - All of them fail the Bechdel test except Charity.
♦ The voiceacting is wild. Some of the talent here is quite good, while others (especially in the villain department) are actually terrible.

Gameplay:
♦ Without a doubt, the gameplay is reminiscent of old school RPGs, kinda like Gothic, which we don't get a lot of anymore.
♦ It is fairly challenging, you'll lose a few fights here and there. Which I consider a good thing.
♦ The combat starts off very weak, where rolling around taking pot shots off at my enemies seemed like the best strategy. Thankfully, the skill tree in this game has some very meaningful advancements that can evolve and alter how you play the game. After a while it was fun to jump between stuns, wounding opponents, getting crits from behind, evading and countering. It's not amazing, but it's alright.
♦ Stealth is a joke. It's extremely beneficial to use it, as you can pick off a few (Or even all) the guys before an encounter, but it feels incredibly unsatisfying and slow.
♦ The crafting menu is the worst thing I have ever seen. No art, just text, and every time I craft one item I'm thrown back to the previous menu. I wanted 10 healing injections, it should require 10 clicks at the most, not 30.

Graphics/Aesthetic:
♦ Considering the size and budget behind this, I'm not going to put too much stake in the overall look behind this game. In fact, it's sorta janky and imperfect approach contributes to it's old RPG style roots and made me feel a little nostalgic for the old times.
♦ Sometimes the animation is a bit "Euuggghhhh". This is mostly exclusive to the moments the game zooms in on characters faces to try and express a single characters emotions - But I still have no clue what emotion they were expressing. Shame.

Closing Notes:
Thankyou for reading this, if you got this far. Mars: War Logs may be a game thats up your alley if you are one of the following:
♦ A person who loves old school RPGs like Gothic, the earlier Witcher games or Risen.
♦ Someone who appreciates exploring dystopian sci-fi settings

This game has flaws. A lot of them, in every department. But it has a charm and uniqueness to it that has pressed itself into my mind and made an impression. Unfortunately, as Steam boils down the rating to "Do you recommend this game: Yes or No", I have to say no. It's drawbacks and flaws are too prevalent to recommend to anyone outside of the two categories I mentioned above.

This is going to be a tough one. Mars: War Logs is one of those rare games that I simultaneously dislike and adore. I'll try to break my feelings down to a few key components followed by a conclusion. Please bare in mind that the rating I have given this is more nuanced than a simple thumb pointing up and down. I'll also try to avoid spoilers where possible, and mark with spoiler tags where I can't. [u][b]Story/Lore:[/b][/u] ♦ The lore and history of this game are one of the biggest pros this game has to offer. It is set in a dyspotian, rusty and harsh sci-fi setting on mars. There are a lot of political intrigue and historical events that happened prior to this game that create a very believable and fleshed out world. If this sounds like your kinda jam - This is one of the biggest selling points! ♦ It's mature in its subject matter and setting. It doesn't stray away from things such as rape, violence, prostitution, murder etc... ♦ As for the main story, that of Roy and his fellow compatriots, is... average at best. It's a shame, because there was a lot of cool stuff you could do in this setting. However, the pacing is a bit wonky at times, characters are introduced [i]far[/i] too quickly resulting in the player getting very little time to really get to know them via exposure. The two notable exceptions to this are [spoiler]Innocence and Mary[/spoiler]. ♦ A branching story as a result of player decisions is also a prominent feature. In terms of narrative - some of these choices do have far reaching impacts for people close to Roy and otherwise. However, from the perspective of the game and gameplay, these decisions are meaningless. Expect pretty much the same experience in the third act no matter what choice you pick in act 2. I'm somewhat willing to let this slide considering the size of the development team and budget however. ♦ Romance is also an option, from 3 potential candidates. Unfortunately, 2 of these these feel unnatural and forced in as you are able to confess your love to them after one conversation. The exception is [spoiler]Mary, who has some build up, but not enough in my opinion[/spoiler]. ♦ A note on the women - All of them fail the Bechdel test except Charity. ♦ The voiceacting is wild. Some of the talent here is quite good, while others (especially in the villain department) are actually terrible. [u][b]Gameplay:[/b][/u] ♦ Without a doubt, the gameplay is reminiscent of old school RPGs, kinda like Gothic, which we don't get a lot of anymore. ♦ It is fairly challenging, you'll lose a few fights here and there. Which I consider a good thing. ♦ The combat starts off very weak, where rolling around taking pot shots off at my enemies seemed like the best strategy. Thankfully, the skill tree in this game has some very meaningful advancements that can evolve and alter how you play the game. After a while it was fun to jump between stuns, wounding opponents, getting crits from behind, evading and countering. It's not [i]amazing[/i], but it's alright. ♦ Stealth is a joke. It's extremely beneficial to use it, as you can pick off a few (Or even all) the guys before an encounter, but it feels incredibly unsatisfying and slow. ♦ The crafting menu is the worst thing I have ever seen. No art, just text, and every time I craft one item I'm thrown back to the previous menu. I wanted 10 healing injections, it should require 10 clicks at the most, not 30. [u][b]Graphics/Aesthetic:[/b][/u] ♦ Considering the size and budget behind this, I'm not going to put too much stake in the overall look behind this game. In fact, it's sorta janky and imperfect approach contributes to it's old RPG style roots and made me feel a little nostalgic for the old times. ♦ Sometimes the animation is a bit "Euuggghhhh". This is mostly exclusive to the moments the game zooms in on characters faces to try and express a single characters emotions - But I still have no clue what emotion they were expressing. Shame. [u][b]Closing Notes:[/b][/u] Thankyou for reading this, if you got this far. Mars: War Logs may be a game thats up your alley if you are one of the following: ♦ A person who loves old school RPGs like Gothic, the earlier Witcher games or Risen. ♦ Someone who appreciates exploring dystopian sci-fi settings This game has flaws. A lot of them, in every department. But it has a charm and uniqueness to it that has pressed itself into my mind and made an impression. Unfortunately, as Steam boils down the rating to "Do you recommend this game: Yes or No", I [i]have[/i] to say no. It's drawbacks and flaws are too prevalent to recommend to anyone outside of the two categories I mentioned above.