Starfield certainly captures the vastness of space adventure, but it falls a little short on the sheer, often terrifying sense of the unknown that awaits humanity out there in the vast infinite. The same can often feel true of otherwise excellent games like No Man’s Sky and Star Citizen; leaving that sense of space dread to the likes of Outer Wilds, or to horror games like Dead Space and Alien Isolation. But if that’s your thing, there’s good news, as the ominous, atmospheric Deliver Us Mars is a free game this week, and it’s yours to keep.
Ten years after the Fortuna Mission seen in developer Keoken Interactive’s previous game, Deliver Us The Moon, Deliver Us Mars follows the journey of Kathy Johanson, Earth’s youngest astronaut, as she joins the crew of the Zephyr spaceship on a mission to Mars. Their objective? To recover stolen colony ships essential to the survival of the human race. It’s safe to say the stakes are about as high as they come, making this one free PC game you won’t want to miss.
In search of the three ARK ships, designed to create a sustainable space colony for humanity as environmental disasters on Earth force the formulation of an evacuation plan, Kathy receives a message from her father. Learning that the mysterious Outward faction has taken control of the ships, Kathy sets out to retrieve the essential technologies they hold – and find her father, one of the original crew that left when she was just a child.
Kathy’s journey is primarily presented in third-person, allowing you to explore the planet’s surface and various colossal ships and stations and take in the sheer scope of your task. When puzzles arise, however, the perspective shifts to first-person, giving you a more close-up look at the situation that puts you right in the heart of things.
If you’re after a more personal, narrative-rich space adventure, albeit one with unquestionably grand stakes, Deliver Us Mars has got you covered. It features fantastic voicework, including the excellent Neil Newbon, Baldur’s Gate 3’s Astarion himself, in the role of Kathy’s father, Isaac. While the gameplay doesn’t offer anything too revolutionary, the story told by Deliver Us Mars will stick with you long past the closing credits.
Deliver Us Mars is a free game via the Epic Games Store from Thursday November 23 to Thursday November 30, 2023. It’s yours to keep once you’ve claimed it. You’ve got just one week to do so then, so be sure to get it now to avoid missing out.
Trawl even further into the vastness beyond our borders in the best space games. We’ve also got the best Black Friday deals, if you’re looking for more bargains.
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