I haven't seen any actual responses from the team that address the portraits in anything more than a passing explanation. I understand that you as a team feel they are important or necessary, but as a player, I feel as though they heavily mar what is otherwise a stellar game. At the very least an option to turn off the pictures wouldn't be impossible, would it? I understand if you aren't willing to change them, a solution that could still not please everyone, giving us the choice to at least turn the portraits off. I think that is a fair compromise, no?
Waking Mars seems brilliant, and will probably be my sandbox(y experience) of choice until Prevail hits, and perhaps beyond. (Also, somewhere in an iOS dreamscape, you fellas, Glenn Corpes/CM Games and JohnnyTwoShoes have teamed up to create a Waking Mars/Prevail/Topia hybrid, for the ultimate iOS sandbox ) However, I feel I should comment on the possibility of iCloud support. As explained to me by heads far wiser in the Way of the Code, with the new Documents & Data storage APIs, you can basically instruct your app to simply upload any file from the documents subdirectory of your app directory to iCloud, at preset intervals, or upon user interaction (manual backups). In this way, you could allow true cloud backups without having Waking Mars constantly try to backup huge a world database upon each player change to the world state. You could, for example, instruct Waking Mars to backup at large intervals, possibly when the player exits the app (though this is where my knowledge of the new iCloud backup options mutate into speculation), or include manual iCloud backups as an option for players to activate at their own desire. I'll play and enjoy the quivering biomass out of Waking Mars regardless, but iCloud backup is (a bit too slowly) becoming a standard, and it is especially convenient and appealing for a game like this one.
Waking Mars Draws Wonder and Discovery in Atmospheric Adventure Out here in Silicon Valley, were often referred to as the wine drinking class because of our laid back culture. Be that as it may, we do forget to smell the roses and enjoy what we have. That could probably be said for Tiger Style Games Waking Mars, a sci-fi themed atmospheric, open world adventure where youll enjoy the journey more than the ultimate destination. Its an experience that provides hours of exploration, experimentation and finally exultation as you rediscover alien life on a once barren planet. Now if youve had the opportunity to enjoy Tiger Style Games previous iOS release Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor, then you know not to expect the typical type of gaming experience. Waking Mars is all about discovering the unknown as players control and make decisions that affect the ecosystem on the Red Planet. And is it ever the experience The story begins with OCTO, a robot lander that has gone missing during its mission. Dr. Liang Qi is the astronaut who not only has gone in search of OCTO, but has the overarching objective to learn as much about the planet as possible. He also has the help of fellow scientist Dr. Amani Ronga and AI sidekick Art. Waking Mars is not your typical animation heavy, massive explosion, shootem type game. In fact, many may be deceived into thinking that this is a low quality production. Far from it. Players will discover relatively quickly how expansive this alien world is and be glad they took the risk. Visually, the underworld landscapes are beautiful, yet convey the sadness and isolation of a once thriving world. The storyline is presented through text dialogue and a somewhat quirky series of headshots reminiscent of stills youd see over a webcam. The game has three levels of difficulty: casual, normal and hard. Liangs movements are controls relatively straightforward. Tap and hold at the spot to move Liang across the landscape. He does a jetpack to maneuver through the depths and this is activated by holding your finger on the screen. In general, activating the jetpack can take some practice in terms of landing accuracy, but the learning curve is relatively minimal. The fun begins in the caverns deep underground teaming with hidden life forms and beautiful, yet potentially hazardous formations. But, Waking Mars wouldnt be as engaging without the life forms and the environmental obstacles. To be frank, its that sense of wonder that differentiates this game from others. Going from cavern to cavern, decisions have a far reaching impact on the ecosystem. As you discover new organisms, you soon realize that your power to alter and fundamentally change the ecosystem. A digital lab book tracks the different species as theyre discovered covering everything from habitat and diet to reproduction and vulnerabilities. Of course most of this information isnt available until you discover it so experimentation is core to your survival. The one annoying aspect of the lab book is the Twitter button, mostly because I kept on hitting hit it. I dont know if people would actually tweet about the different life forms, but its there if you decide to do so. A map is also included that charts the explored caverns within the exploration sites. The Martian landscape consists of different terrains as different as the many organisms that inhabit this world. In order to progress and unlock (for lack of a better term) other areas, youll need to meet the biomass requirements that for example destroy the hardy life forms known as Cerebranes which block off entry to new caverns. Meeting these biomass requirements is where experimentation comes into play. A variety of life forms exist mostly in the form of zoa. There are different types each with their own characteristics and attributes. For example, the most basic and beneficial is the Halid Zoa which not only provides seeds for food to alien forms such as the Phyta, but also repair damage to Liangs health. Youll find that most of the zoa are seed spitters while others secrete chemical nutrients. Who said exploration wouldnt be messy? The Martian landscape is not without its risks as acid pools and drips litter the caverns as well as magma baths and fireballs. Falling stalactites as well as eroded rocks are other obstacles that require attention. While certain zoa are beneficial, there are also life forms that can harm Liang such as the Prax Zoa who have a vicious bit or the long tendril Larians, predators looking for their next snack. Waking Mars forces players to experiment and determine solutions to puzzles based on the interactions of these organisms. Whether its planting seeds or feeding one alien to another, these choices are what make the game that much more engaging. As Liang travels the depths, different objectives are provided that start out rather easily but become more complex. A nice option and excuse to explore are the optional objectives which allow further exploration. Seed gathering is core to a lot of the dilemmas that players will face, and it can become a bit tedious in the later chapters. During the game, its worth noting that the soundtrack plays an integral part in setting the mood. As you wander through the caverns and go deeper into the origins of Mars, the storyline unfolds rather nicely, and beyond the periodic communications with Amani, the sense of isolation and discovery feels real. I literally sat there for hours on this journey, and was still thinking about it well afterwards. GameCenter achievements are also included which mostly consist of discovering new life forms and the game automatically saves your last activity. Waking Mars is one of those rare games that will stick with you well after youre done playing it. A game full of depth figuratively and literally speaking, Waking Mars taps into our curiosity which ultimately provides a wonderful experience. The drive to explore, experiment and build is all the satisfaction youll need. Albie Meter: 5 Stars (deserves more than 5 stars based on the depth and long gameplay alone; atmospheric adventure where exploration and experimentation are the name of the game; open-ended world with unique puzzles; intuitive controls although the jetpack feature can be temperamental; soundtrack complements the sense of exploration and isolation)
Thanks Biggie for another great review. For the dev: while I love this game and have spent several hours so far, my only complaint, is that when building up biomass, there have been several areas where I have come close to maxing it out, but due to some experimenatal trial and error, kill off some of the fauna, with no where else to plant or water thereby capping my build up. I am in the vertical shaft area and I accidentally killed off one of the Prax Zoas which would have opened up a Cerebrane, had I not experimented with the Feran Zoa and killed it off. This has happened several times in different areas as I was closing in on maxing the biomass. Ah well, them's the breaks in a sandbox environment.
Ok, I'm kinda stuck, 6 hours in. Spoiler I've researched everything and 5 star every area, except the ones on the bottom that are too dry to raise the biomass. Where can I find more clues about the sentient life and the reason the bottom areas are so dry? These are my current objectives right now.
Totally immersed in this one... Just drained my iPod battery (I know, doesn't say that much... But doesn't happen often while playing one game on a full charge...) Aside from the movement and growing animations (hard to stay immersed when the goofy looking walking and then poof a plant makes you laugh, and shoot u back into reality...) Waking Mars is... Basically, IMO (of course, huh), a perfect blend of puzzlish gameplay and exploration, with amazing sound design (thanks for the band camp link!), and awesome graphics with fantastic looking environments... Just... A great game! Very glad I threw down the $5... =oD
Hey heringer, Spoiler Two separate mission objectives -- to find more clues about sentient life, you'll want to get inside the Core. Have you been to the level called "At The Gates?". As for the broken reservoir, if you go back to the broken reservoir, you should get a tip about how to patch the hole to the surface. Trying to not give the quests away exactly but if you're still stuck, let me know!
Every time I launch this game, it turns my device's brightness level to maximum... Anyone experienced this?
Thanks! Finished the game just now. I'm number 1 on the total biomass score leaderboard. I'm still missing one hidden achievement though. Can you help me? Awesome game. The ending was disappointing, but I loved the ride thorough.
Cycots and "Explosives" In regards to the 2 questions above! Spoiler To make the cycots grow you need to feed them at least 4 of any type of seed, they take it back to their base and it forms a new one, and gives u +40 biomass... As for the explosives, they r the seeds of a specific type of plant, the red seeds, can't think of the plant name right now but it's found around fire and grows in acidic stuff hope it helps u guys
What an amazing experience! I know GOTY's are far away and the appstore moves so fast it hurts but I think this for sure is an early candidate. The controls, visuals, mechanics and general atmosphere just clicks all the way through! Normally I just buy everything that looks even vaguely interesting for me and then just pile it in their respective folder, but this one i played to the end and recommended to everyone i know as simply an iOS masterpiece and instant classic! Kudos to the devs! Truly captivating work guys!
Can someone help me on raising the core? I'm confused! Also, after you restore the water, it it necessary to do anything else past that?
