NOT
Story Lacks Impact
Mars: War Logs kicks things off in a POW camp following a young man named Innocence finding himself in a tough situation as another prisoner threatens to rape him, and he goes on about it. Fortunately, Roy, the game’s main protagonist, steps in to put a stop to the impending unspeakable act, as well as the god-awful dialogue. Following a brief battle with the fat man and his gang, Innocence and Roy begin their work on escaping, which almost gives off a sense of Escape from Butcher Bay at first. The relationship between the two characters is supposed to make us care and eagerly follow its development, but it utterly fails at doing so. Even the NPCs you can pick up as followers/companions are unable to evoke any sort of emotion or caring from the player. This could be attributed to the poorly-read and sometimes crass lines spewing from characters’ mouths. Furthermore, the story doesn’t seem to know where its focus is, as it constantly shifts direction and does so at a speed which may have you feeling like you’re watching a movie on fast forward. Despite being around 10 hours, Mars: War Logs manages to feel like it rushes its storytelling.
Better with a Controller
Spiders didn’t take control customization into consideration into account with their new game, resulting in poor keyboard and mouse integration. Left-handed players especially have sounded off stating that they have been ignored. Honestly, the game felt better when I dropped the keyboard and mouse and plugged in a Xbox 360 controller. It helps fix part of the issue. Spiders plans on releasing Mars: War Logs on PSN and XBL in the very near future. So console players won’t have to suffer with this shortcoming.
Repetitive Encounters
Roy is going to experience a lot of the same stuff over the course of the game and the player may start skipping whatever they can. Combat is fun, but the skill trees can be filled rather quickly, leaving few fresh encounters to be had. Different enemy types require different approaches, but you’ll most likely end up striking and rolling/retreating or striking and blocking, with the latter proving to be much less effective. Shield-toting enemies and certain creatures are only vulnerable from behind while, say, a guard with glasses is immune to being stunned by Roy’s sand-throwing maneuver. However, despite the variety, the same old rinse and repeate tactics are sure to be the staple of most player’s tactics after a while. In addition to repetitive combat, there’s the annoyance of the cinematics that play after performing simple actions, such as opening a door, for the hundredth time. Cinematics for opening doors and scaling walls can be skipped, and you definitely will be skipping them sooner or later, but it didn’t take too long for the feature to become a bother.
Verdict
Mars: War Logs had enough great ideas to end up as an RPG legend, but the lacking quality and depth of each aspect pulled the game down well below expectations. Brawling with your lead pipes and electric powers is definitely the highlight here. It’s repetition aside, the cringe-worthy dialogue and poorly constructed story leave the player with hardly any motivation to press forward. That’s basically what happens when you aren’t invested in the characters or their journey. That being said, its Spiders’ ambition that leads to moments where you glimpse their ultimate goal, and that may be enough for some to see the adventure through to the end. With the game carrying a price of $20 currently, most may wish to wait for a drop before trekking through this mixed creation.
[Editor’s Note: Mars: War Logs was reviewed on the PC. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
