Terraformers – Review: Develop the Red Planet

Terraformers is a Turn-Based 4X Strategy game developed and published by Asteroid Lab and Goblinz Studio. The game is set on the Red Planet, Mars, and gives you full control over the development of civilization on Mars. You will get to gradually develop areas of Mars eventually leading to Living Planet as you develop the whole planet with your decisions. Whether you want to make Mars full of Trees or Oceans, it can be done by maintaining all the elements that are crucial to living. However, developing the civilized colonies is not simple as there are several mechanics for players to learn before they get to develop Mars into a fully Living Planet.

Gameplay

The Gameplay of Terraformers is pretty similar to other 4X Strategy titles but it does offer some unique mechanics that players will have to learn before they can utilize the full potential of building a colony. At the start, you will get to select a leader for the colony. Each leader has Skills that give certain advantages to their actions and have a unique bonus. You will get to select the leader after every 10 turns of your playtime. It is crucial to select a leader according to your development strategy to get the most advantages. You will expand your colonies by researching new areas and Resource Nodes on Mars. As resources are crucial for utilizing colonies, it is best that you keep farming resources to expand nearby areas quickly.

Another mechanic that you need to quickly adapt is the card system. Initially, you will get to pick up your starting resources like Food, Water, Titanium, etc. and these resources are used by various actions you perform in each turn. By selecting your starting pack, you will also be able to select a card that can be one of the buildings that you can place inside the colony. Cards can be of different variations and each one uses a certain number of resources and produces a certain resource on every turn. As you progress in the game and explore more of the Red Planet, you will unlock and research new cards that will unlock more possibilities for your development strategies.

As you progress further in the game, you can dedicate your resources to various projects like Space Stations, exploring the Moons of Mars for more resources, expanding Oxygen and CO2, initiating Animal Life, and much more. Expanding Oxygen and CO2 and making an Atmosphere on Mars is crucial for all living life and it is best to invest in these ecosystems as soon as possible in your playthrough.

For the actual gameplay time, there is no limit. The gameplay time depends on the decisions you make and how you develop the colonies for the Martians. However, there is one factor that you need to keep in mind and that is your Popularity. As you develop the colonies, your population will demand more and more from you as they increase in number over time. Your overall popularity will be low at the start but as you develop and construct more sources of resources, you will be able to gain Popularity. If your overall Popularity reaches 0 in your playthrough, you will lose and the game will be over.

Art & Visuals

The Art and Visuals of the game are quite promising and you will get to experience the 3D-rendered versions of the colonies that you make. As you progress further and change the lands of Mars into trees and oceans, the visuals become more appealing. Overall, you will get to experience the game in an Overview position but in certain cases, there will be 3D renders of your developed areas, cities, and colonies that you can witness.

Sound Design

The Sound Design for the game is also clean as it enhances your experience as you go through several major decisions in your playthrough.

Verdict – Score 8/10

Terraformers is a well-executed 4X Strategy Game with a lot of Scenario options for you to play and develop the lands of Mars to your liking. If you didn’t succeed in your first strategy then you can always try again another strategy to make things work for yourself and your population. If you like Turn-Based Strategy Games then we encourage you to try out this game because of the unique systems and mechanics assorted with all the Grand Strategy tricks.

Terraformers is currently available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Linux, and Mac OS. Terraformers will be available on XBOX ONE, XBOX Series X|S, and PlayStation 5|4 on September 26, 2023.