Scars of Mars

Even with the content update, there really isn't enough content here to justify the price tag. Once you finish the main game (which only takes about 2 hours) what's left is just repeating the same few stages with inflated enemy stats and obtaining new gear which is the same as the previous gear but with higher stats. And that's it. The blatantly AI-generated art that isn't disclosed isn't cool either.

The real-time battles felt fresh and engaging, allowing me to enjoy them with a sense of tension. While there are action elements, the game essentially gives the impression of a turn-based dungeon RPG played at a very high speed, making for a unique system. Since the rules are new, it takes some time to get used to the controls, but I think that sense of busyness adds to the immersion. You can take your time upgrading and building your units before deployment, which provides a good balance, and I found the system to be well-designed. Even for those who aren't good with controls, the difficulty seems manageable by building up your units. Personally, I would have liked to see a more challenging extra mode. Looking forward to future updates! >> Update came in!! Yee-haw!!

If this game was turn based and with more polish it could be better but in its current state it is just too bare bones and feeling like it was designed as a simple phone game that was ported to pc.

Scars of Mars, developed and published by ACQUIRE Corp., is the kind of game that immediately distinguishes itself by refusing to follow the usual rules of its genre. While it presents itself as a tactical RPG on the surface, it quickly reveals a far more intense and unconventional identity by blending real-time combat with roguelike progression and squad-based strategy. Set within a silent and hostile Mars research facility, the game builds its tension not through elaborate storytelling, but through the constant pressure of survival and decision-making in a dangerous, ever-changing environment. What defines the experience most is its real-time tactical combat system. Instead of giving players the comfort of turn-based planning, the game keeps everything moving at all times. Your squad, composed of four customizable humanoid units, operates within a confined grid, and every action—attacking, dodging, repositioning, or activating abilities—must be executed quickly and deliberately. Enemies telegraph their moves, but reacting to them requires both awareness and speed. This creates a unique rhythm where strategy and reflex are tightly intertwined. Early on, this system can feel overw…

I can understand this one being a bit of a hard sell. The art looks bad and is most likely AI-generated, dungeon exploration is very lackluster is terms of style and variety, metaprogression is largely simplistic statistical upgrades, and the game only lasts around 2-3 hours unless you count replaying the game on harder difficulties or doing the bonus Challenge modes, both which shallowly recycle the same content but with artificially inflated stats. But damn, in spite of all that, I really enjoyed my short time with this due to the very memorable and unique combat system! Moving your party members around on the grid in real-time to put them into position to attack while simultaneously dodging enemy attacks made for a surprisingly exciting dance, and it gets even deeper with mechanics like increased damage if you take the risk to counterattack an enemy during their attack, and how you can prevent a large enemy AOE from spilling out to your allies if you place an ally in front of it to block with a well-timed shield, among others. The game was rather challenging even on Normal and the boss fights were great spectacles that kept me on my toes. In addition to the great combat, t…

Nice little action RPG! Short campaign but that works well for me as some people don't have a million hours to sink into a game! Aquire make great games!