The engineering sandbox delivery game Mars First Logistics is officially out of early access today. Use a plethora of parts to construct wacky machines specifically tailored to each job, then pilot them across the red planet to their destination. There's a certain not-taking-itself-too-seriously vibe about the game that I really appreciate, and makes it look like a lot of fun.
From experienced designer Ian MacLarty (who previously made the wonderful JUMPGRID among other games) comes this physics-sandbox romp through an alien landscape. Building up new infrastructure on Mars means getting things from place to place, and that's where you come in: assemble rovers to get the job done, adding wheels, jets, grabber claws and more as the task demands.
This big new 1.0 update brings many features, including language translations, new job contracts, and a slew of new component parts for your machines. I haven't played Mars First yet, so I'm just speculating here, but these brand new "virtual ports" that can simulate button inputs and can be built into logic circuits sound like they probably unlock a whole new world of vehicular tinkering.
Mars First Logistics advertises open-ended creative problem-solving, a big procedural open world to explore, and can even be played with up to 4 people in online co-op, so you can perform silly engineering hijinks with friends. You can get the game now on Steam, currently discounted a whopping 40% to celebrate the launch.
Disclaimer: Thinky Games is part of the Carina Initiatives and may have professional relationships with individuals and businesses related to the subject of this article. Please see our Editorial Policy for details.
