Surviving Mars ESRB Reveals Player's Ability to Commit Suicide, Become an Alcoholic, and More In-Game

Surviving Mars is a Space Simulator from Paradox Interactive and Haemimont Games that is slated to release later this year for Xbox One, PS4, and PC players. The game promises a realistic experience on the Red Planet, while also allowing for unlimited growth while settling in. Thanks the the recently released ESRB description, we now know just how "real" this game can get.

According to the official rating:

"This is a strategy/management game in which players build and manage resources for a colony on Mars. Players mine resources (e.g., fuel, rare metals, water), build dome structures, and manage inhabitants' needs along the way. Characters may die of malnutrition or commit suicide if their "sanity" levels fall too low; this is conveyed mostly through text, as inhabitants are simply depicted collapsing and lying on the ground after death. Players can also construct turrets to defend their bases from rival corporations' attacks; missiles and explosions accompany these brief attack sequences. Colonists have a variety of character traits that affect their productivity, including alcoholism; text briefly references alcohol addiction (e.g., "We all find our own ways to cope with this pressure. Tsvetan Hasanov finds it in the bottle."). The word "hell" appears in text."

Going insane seems like a very real possibility in this game, and we can see it with the way the mechanics are set up. It just goes to show how important healthy character interaction is in-game and how every choice can impact the player in some heavy ways. For more about Surviving Mars and what this experience has to offer, this is what Paradox had to say about the upcoming sim:

Surviving Mars is a sci-fi settlement builder all about colonizing Mars and surviving the process. Choose a space agency for resources and financial support before determining a location for your colony. Build domes and infrastructure, research new possibilities and utilize drones to unlock more elaborate ways to shape and expand your settlement. Cultivate your own food, mine minerals or just relax by the bar after a hard day's work. Most important of all, though, is keeping your colonists alive. Not an easy task on a strange new planet.

There will be challenges to overcome. Execute your strategy and improve your colony's chances of survival while unlocking the mysteries of this alien world. Are you ready? Mars is waiting for you.

Building a sustainable colony in space: Building on a planet not fit for human life challenges you to build a smart, functional colony. Bad planning isn't about traffic jams, it's about survival of your colonists. You really don't want rolling blackouts in a city constructed in a place without oxygen.

Individually simulated colonists: Each colonist is a unique individual with problems and strengths that influence the needs and behavior of the other colonists. Things can get really interesting if your chief scientists develops alcoholism after one too many long nights in the lab.

Futuristic Space Dome construction: Retro-futuristic super structures housing colonists, factories and commercial buildings with their own "neighborhood personality." Create colonies that value science over everything else, while tired workers drink their pay away at a local bar, or attempt a utopia among the stars.

Exploration of Mars' secrets: Inspired by the classic sci-fi of Asimov and Clarke, Surviving Mars holds many secrets. During each playthrough players may encounter one of Mars' individually crafted mysteries. Uncovering these secrets might bring your colony great fortune, or terrible ruin. What is that sphere that manifested itself outside colony HUB B, and is it friendly?

Randomized research tree: Combine static and random research through experimentation, which allows for a different experience for each journey through the game. Attain new scientific breakthroughs by exploring the uncharted terrain of Mars's surface.

Unique retro-futuristic aesthetic: A sleek, modern take on the bright futurism of the 1960s. A time of exploration and adventure.