Mars 2120: How an experienced indie team turned their 90s dream into Mars reality

For me, and I believe for all gamers who see video games as an opportunity for great adventure, discovery and challenge, Mars has always been a source of fascination and mystery. Throughout history, the planet has been used in many works of science fiction as the setting for epic adventures in books, films and, of course, video games.

And it was precisely these references spanning 40 years, since the core of our development team consists of children of the 80s (I’m almost 50 myself!), that dictated the tone, theme and genre of the game. Mars 2120, from today.

In Mars2120 You’ll experience an adventure that tries to bring back the nostalgia of the action and sci-fi movies of the 80s and 90s, as well as a loving homage to the genre known as Metroidvania, a mix of RPG elements, platforming and non-linear exploration. And nothing could be more fitting than to encourage exploration in a game whose main theme is space exploration and the scientific curiosity that drives us, as innate explorers, to make incredible discoveries about our universe.

Each game offers an exciting story, from the first sketches to the final form. Mars2120 was no different. With a very small team and by dividing our time between our other projects and games, it took us almost five years to complete the game that, depending on your age, will make you want to experience, explore and feel again or for the first time, watching the movies that fascinated us in our youth or playing the games of the genre that made you sit in front of the screen for hours trying to find that special object or power-up to overcome a challenge that at first seemed insurmountable.

All this time may seem like a lot to you, but for us it was also a huge step forward. For the first time, we were faced with a project four times the size of any before it, as is the case with a game that presents you with great challenges while learning and experiencing a new development technology that we were not completely unfamiliar with.

Take on the role of Sergeant Anna “Thirteen” Charlotte and traverse scenarios reminiscent of the planet from “Total Recall”, feel the fear of gigantic enemies like Ellen Ripley did against the Queen of the Xenomorphs in “Alien”, strike like Arnold Schwarzenegger in his classic action films (Yes! Mars2120 has hand-to-hand combat!) and feel the abandonment and uncertainty that comes with being lost in space, as the character Willis Davidge (Dennis Quaid) felt in the 1985 film Enemy Mine.

I think you understand what I mean. We have brought back everything we enjoyed when we were young, especially for you, in the form of a game. Because we want you to have fun with everything that made us make entertainment our profession – games! So I am not exaggerating when I say: Mars2120 is a dream we have had since childhood.

The gaming industry is for everyone, you just have to get in and make the game you want to play. And that’s exactly what we did and you can do it too! Now it’s time to put on your spacesuit, get your fists ready and go on a great adventure, knowing that Mars2120 is not just a game, it is also a dream, a piece of our life that we really want to share with you.

Are you ready to defeat fearsome enemies and discover all the secrets of the first human colony on Mars?

I challenge you! And then come back and tell us how it went. Good luck and have a great adventure!