If you’ve been watching entertainment news or you enjoy sci-fi books, you’ll know that Andy Weir’s The Martian, which has just hit the movie theaters, is set to conquer the box office the same way the book has captured the public’s imagination. I mean, the movie and book couldn’t have hoped for a better marketing boost than NASA announcing that there’s running water on Mars. You do have to wonder whether it’s all a marketing ploy, don’t you? If you don’t know anything about the movie or book (very slight spoilers follow), it’s about an astronaut stranded on Mars in the near future and the world’s attempt to bring him back to Earth. Now we have an official mobile game, The Martian: Bring Him Home ($0.99), that puts you in the shoes of NASA’s ground control crew and scientists as they attempt to help bring Matt Damon (I mean Mark Watney) back to Earth in one piece and preferably still breathing.

The game plays a lot like Lifeline ($2.99) in that you don’t actually play as Watney but rather you use your phone and Apple Watch to help guide him to safety. You’ll communicate with Watney using the Ares III messaging system, giving him advice based on scientific information provided in-game, you’ll track his vital signs on your Apple Watch, and so on. The decisions you make affect the story’s outcome, so there’s probably some replayability there. According to The Martian‘s author, the fans of the movie and book will enjoy this experience as it complements the story in a creative way. The game is premium with no IAPs, and the members of our forums seem to be generally positive about it. So, go save Private Watney (sorry, mixed my movies there, I think).