Unlike creating sprawling cities on Earth, the game is all about colonizing Mars and surviving its challenges. It's more of a survival-builder than a traditional Cities: Skylines-like experience. According to the developers, it's a focused game about creating interconnected systems and testing them against the threats of a hostile environment.
The video has a somewhat comical tone but features a great look at the visuals. Haemimont Games said the following on their publisher's forum about why the domes play an important role.
The Domes are, at least in my eyes, the most iconic pieces of art in the game. Inspired by the classic somewhat naive, somewhat optimistic retro sci-fi aesthetics, these points of light in the Martian night represent our idealized idea for the first human settlement on another planet... Our goal was not hard realism. Realistically, a manned colony on Mars would almost certainly be at least partially underground, and even if dome-like structures are employed, they would probably not look like our Domes. However, an underground colony will not be very appealing to live in.
Surviving Mars features many new mechanics in the genre. Hopefully they won't be too cumbersome when the game launches next year. The developers need to make sure that the learning curve isn't too great and the title remains accessible. Be sure to keep a lookout here for more coverage of this game in the coming months.
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