Mars Attracts
Park management games are usually full of calm, serene moments as you build a theme park the way you've always wanted — until it explodes into chaotic mayhem, that is. But what about a park management sim set in the world of a cult classic 90s movie? No, this isn't Jurassic World Evolution, this is Mars Attracts, a human abduction amusement park for the Martians. And it's pretty damn fun! Ack-ack!
Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from https://www.keymailer.co
If I have learned anything this year, it's that I've been sleeping on indie games. Now that I've been trying new genres, I've realized how much I've already missed in the past. If I didn't start this website, I wouldn't have tried different genres. Expanding my palette means I could find games like Mars Attracts, based on the same universe as one of my favourite movies, Mars Attacks. But then I would, yet again, be missing out on games I'd truly enjoy. But what exactly is Mars Attracts?
In Mars Attracts, you step into the shoes of mischievous Martians building a twisted theme park on the red planet. Your guests? Humans abducted from across history, placed into enclosures, and subjected to bizarre experiments… all for the entertainment of other Martians. Beyond rides and decorations, success depends on managing staff, maintaining guest happiness, and harvesting scientific discoveries from your human subjects. The game leans heavily into the dark humour that was so prevalent in Mars Attacks, blending the charm of park sims with the absurdity of alien overlorddom.
When I received my copy of the game, the developers over at Outlier suggested clicking on a Martian behind the game’s logo in the upper left corner of the Main Menu to, and I quote, “see some true Martian Attraction!” Not one to turn down such a request, I obliged. As a result, I was taken to what I can only describe as a visual novel-style mini-game where I was a character that was abducted by the Martians and I was given interactive dialogue choices to converse with the Martian Scientist, the Martian Commander, and… part of another human, named XXX. If you have watched Mars Attacks, you can probably guess where this is going. If not, sorry, but I won't be spoiling the fun here! With so many different dialogue choices and outcomes, I ran through it multiple times to try and get to a “Good Ending.” It was very reminiscent of the Choose Your Own Adventure-style books I used to read as a kid, particularly the Goosebumps versions if anyone else remembers those. After experiencing my fill, I was eager to jump into the core game.
Now, I’ve actually never played a park management sim (as you might have guessed), so you can imagine my surprise when I found Mars Attracts to be so addictive. Keeping with the dark humour - and in a delightful subversion - of its cult classic inspiration, it isn’t about repelling an alien invasion; it’s about creating a theme park for the Martians themselves, one where the main draw is humans from any era. Starting the tutorial, I am taught the basics of how to run my meager little theme park, including keeping the humans I’ve captured on Abductions and the Martian guests happy. Running research experiments on them can also unlock added bonuses and provide some amusement to the Martian guests. My humans started from the Roman Empire period, leaving them very confused. A feeding trough and a water dispenser like for hamsters and they were surprisingly content. Or so, I thought. It didn't take long for my first “prison break.”
I've found out the hard way that escaped humans don’t just run around aimlessly. They can damage facilities, scare alien visitors, and sabotage your hard-earned progress. After breaking through the walls with their bare fists (I'm not gonna lie, that impressed and scared me) my loose Romans started a rampage through my newly created “food court” of a little drinks stand and a food market. Panic aside, this forced me to think on the fly. Thankfully I was able to call in a Martian SWAT team to “take care of escaped subjects.” The bad news, they're a once-off. So when it happened a second time a few minutes later with fresh specimens, I had to call in another strike force to remedy the situation. It's made me realize, it's not just about building bigger and better attractions, but also managing staff, security, and enclosure design. Every decision matters, and every oversight risks turning your Martian theme park into a disaster zone.
Just like in real park management sims, you need to keep guests satisfied in Mars Attracts; but here, the guests are Martians, and the ones who can cause chaos are the human exhibits. If their needs aren’t met or security lapses, they will revolt, break free, and create mayhem across your park. It invites you to pay attention to everything that is going on in your park. I am not sure how similar in design Mars Attracts is to other park Sims, but here it can, and very often will, descend into chaos at a moment’s notice. And despite being woefully unprepared for it at first, I find that very addictive. An unexpected added challenge I gave myself was running it on Steam Deck. I'll go into performance later, but the short of it is Mars Attracts is designed with PC at the forefront. Trying to keep track of everything going on in my theme park turned into a little bit of a nightmare as I struggled to find everything. But contrary to driving me away, it inspired me to keep trying.
Beyond the core mechanics, Mars Attracts leans heavily into its sci-fi identity. The game’s art style takes inspiration from pulp-era alien comics, most notably Mars Attacks, with vibrant environments and campy designs that keep things playful despite the darker under- or sometimes overtones. The mix of grotesque humor and management gameplay creates an experience that’s as entertaining to watch unravel as it is to carefully plan. And I've learned I'm not very good at planning. But that's part of the experience. I'll be messing around to create a Martian theme park that's not an eyesore. Or maybe I'll just craft the necessities and have them all over the place. That's the joy with games like this.
For players looking for a fresh take on the management sim genre, Mars Attracts delivers a darkly funny and surprisingly tense experience. The humans escape mechanic makes every playthrough unpredictable, ensuring that no two parks ever feel the same. It makes it feel like your park is just one giant tinderbox, waiting for a single spark to kick off a domino effect that could continue to escalate of you don't get it in hand. If you enjoy park builders but want something that pushes boundaries, Mars Attracts is one of the most intriguing new sci-fi games to land on Steam in 2025.
My first attempt at running a park was on Steam Deck, which as previously mentioned, most likely hindered my social experiment quicker than the human experiments. Performance overall was fine, though the battery did drain a little quicker than other games I've played. This just reinforces my view that it's meant to be experienced on PC. Since Mars Attracts is an early access game, players may encounter some rough edges such as bugs, pathing issues, and occasional UI quirks, though I never experienced anything. However, the developers have already outlined plans for more maps, additional human types, new enclosures, and expanded features. That roadmap promises even more depth and unpredictability for fans of simulation and strategy games.
Few park builders make you laugh and panic at the same time. Mars Attracts does both, and it’s only going to get better from here. Mars Attracts is available on Steam in early access, retailing for €24.50, and in my opinion, it's worth every penny. Doubly so if you loved Mars Attacks. But until then, Have You Heard Of This?
I created this website as I feel the state of the games industry and games reporting as a whole has gotten overly negative and full of clickbait. While I understand both of these are a great way to generate engagement, it’s a detriment to those gamers (like myself) that are just trying to enjoy games and not have to worry about the negativity of the current state of the gaming industry. I want a space where gamers can come for unbiased news that doesn’t rely on clickbait or rumours with a dash of humour and have the opportunity to share their passion for games.
#keymailer #marsattracts #haveyouheardofthis
