Terraforming Mars (Digital Edition) - RFY / WFY
Digital board games are becoming more and more prevalent. I wager that’s a good thing. While I will invariably choose to play with friends and family in-person, that’s not always an option. This year has definitely taught us that.
So, when faced with the option to play or not play, I will always want to play board games. Thankfully, as more adaptations are released, the quality of the games seems to be getting better.
Terraforming Mars is a giant game. It’s currently ranked #4 Overall and #5 in Strategy on BoardGameGeek. I personally don’t see the merits of this game that launch it above so many other tabletop titles, but that’s the beauty of the Right for You / Wrong for You series. My opinion won’t matter to you because you’re here to see if it’s a game for you. That's what we’re doing.
Back to Terraforming Mars. It’s a big game. It’s got a lot of hype. It’s got a lot of fans. And, now, the digital edition available on Steam has the Prelude expansion to beef up the content, which is why we’re taking a look. Let’s dive in.
Overview
With the release of the Prelude expansion, players can now start as either the beginner corporation, the twelve base game corporations, or the five Prelude corporations. If you have other expansion, then there are even more options available.
I mention this because corporations are the first step in a game of Terraforming Mars.
This is a game about developing a strategy for terraforming the surface (and atmosphere) of Mars.
You’re not a player. You’re a megacredit-wielding corporation bent on bringing the oxygen level, temperature, and water levels up in order to create a viable, breathable planet for humanity. It’s a big task and it’s all about advancing the progress of the planet-shaping and constructing an infrastructure that will support future growth and prosperity on Mars.
The best part, though, is what the digital adaptation manages for you. Income, resource production, card management, tags, additional player actions, ongoing effects. All of that is condensed, organized, and disseminated to players in the most visually clear way.
It takes the brunt of the Euro-conundrum (or the finicky things that you have to remember) and lets players just enjoy what’s there. You’re looking at Terraforming Mars. You’re just looking at the prettiest and easiest version out there. (And maybe the best.)
Theme
In the 2400s, mankind begins to terraform the planet Mars. Giant corporations, sponsored by the World Government on Earth, initiate huge projects to raise the temperature, the oxygen level, and the ocean coverage until the environment is habitable.
That’s what we start off with regarding the theme of Terraforming Mars. I will say that even if you pick a different corporation and try out a different terraforming strategy, the narrative of the game remains the same. That’s partially due to the board never changing. The locations of the oceans remain the same. The off-planet colonies are the same. All the hexes are in the same spots.
And I feel like that does a disservice to the story. It makes sense that the physical board game needs to have a stationary map, but the digital edition could have shifted to any part of the Martian surface. It could have added more variability to how the game was played and how the planet was terraformed.
Regardless of what could have changed, Terraforming Mars has not lost any of its sci-fi appeal for fans of the board game.
Corporations are divvying up the land like so many pieces of a barren pie. But the pie is soon going to be full of water and trees and buildings. Okay, the pie doesn’t sound very tasty, but Mars is looking way better than it used to. Thanks to the Prelude DLC, there are more corporations than ever looking to get in on the action and it’s happening faster than ever before.
And a massive plus for the digital adaptation is the chance to visually reimagine how the game looks. The physical copy is incredibly dull from a visual perspective. It looks like something out of a ‘90s science textbook. But the animations and interface on the digital edition make the player feel like they’re on some low-orbit space station above Mars playing God with their megacredits and terraforming machinations.
Accessibility
Everything about the digital adaptation of Terraforming Mars seems designed to increase accessibility, improve replayability, and introduce the game to new audiences while rewarding longtime fans.
Let’s break down the user interface on the main play screen. The left side is devoted to players’ Corporations, Terraform Ratings, and game status during turns. It’s simple. The right side depicts the current Generation of play, as well as the three terraform criteria that are adjusted throughout the game—oxygen levels, surface temperature, and the volume of water via oceans on the planet.
Gameplay
Gameplay is no different from the physical board game. If you’re unfamiliar with the game at all—and if that’s the case I highly recommend you start with this digital version—then the general premise of the game is relatively simple.
Players control one of the corporations working to terraform Mars. Unless you’re playing a solo game, these corporations are competing against each other to develop more of the Martian surface by affecting three principle factors toward sustainable life—oxygen, temperature, and water.
Players select corporations, which differ in starting resources and unique abilities, and then start to acquire project cards that provide ongoing effects, immediate actions, and other powers not granted within the ordinary framework of terraforming action. Using these cards, standard projects, and the strategy laid out by their corporation and player intuition, each corporation fights for space and priority on Mars.
It’s a Euro-style game that focuses on income management, hand management, and engine building within the different resources—MegaCredits, Steel, Titanium, Plants, Energy, and Heat—that are used to fund standard and special projects. Each round, or generation, is divvied up into these phases:
Research phase: players purchase between 0 and 4 special project cards to add to their hand.
Action phase: taking 1 to 2 actions at a time, players use cards from their hand; activate standard projects available to everyone; convert excess greenery and heat into oxygen-raising vegetation tiles and core temperature spikes (respectively); utilize personal actions from previous project cards; and either claim Milestones or fund endgame Awards.
You can always skip the second action on your turn if you want to wait and see what other players do.
If you ever skip the first action on your turn, you pass until the next generation.
Production phase: players gain resources based on their terraform rating and production levels.
But we’re not talking about the physical copy. We’re talking about a digital board game adaptation. And there are some important changes, or improvements, to cover that make this edition of the game a fierce competitor with the tabletop predecessor.
There are so many settings that you can adjust…
Music and in-game sounds add ambience and thematic immersion. You feel like a colonist on an orbital station, quietly circling the ominous Red Planet amid the void of space.
Changing the language doesn’t involve a new copy of the game. It’s a simple setting that immediately increases the accessibility for the international audience.
Graphics greatly improve the visual experience of the game. It might be harsh to call Terraforming Mars an ugly game, but it’s certainly not the most stunning from an artistic standpoint. The animations and graphic design of the digital edition, though, make this feel much more modern than the original board game.
Normally, players would have to manually keep track of their resource production. That is no longer an issue. The production phase happens so fast, and you can even speed up the animation if you want a faster gameplay experience. No more calculating your MegaCredit balance, heat production, or whatever. Everything is done smoothly and efficiently for players to just enjoy the game.
Expansion content can be added at the click of a button. Want the Prelude corporations but not the extra cards? Done. Want the Prelude phase with the draft variant but nothing else? Done.
Everything about Euro-style games that inhibits gameplay or intimidates newcomers is eased—or fully removed—in the digital adaptation. Not to mention that you can play solo against AI opponents, in an online lobby with random players, or privately with friends. There are so many more ways to play, which makes it more likely… that you’ll play.
The digital adaptation from FryxGames, Asmodee Digital, and Lucky Hammers really elevates Terraforming Mars.
Modes of Play
You can enjoy the game in local play with other people in a pass-n-play scenario or you can add AI opponents of varying difficulty to challenge yourself.
There is also a solo challenge that requires the player to terraform Mars as a solo corporation, trying to raise all three terraforming categories by the end of the 14th generation.
And then the online play, which most players will probably utilize the most, features games with random strangers in the server’s lobby or with friends that you invite to private lobbies.
Adding in Prelude expansion content and using the draft variant can also increase the variability of your experience with Terraforming Mars.
Innovation
The changes that the digital board game make consistently reduce the complexity and mental management of Terraforming Mars and present a cleaner, prettier version of the Euro-style game.
While occasional bugs may hamper online play, there are too many beneficial modifications to ignore. Visually, the game is much more appealing. Mechanically, there is so much less to juggle. And replayability is significantly improved with the AI opponents, solo challenges, Prelude expansion content, and the adjustable settings and rules. When other expansion content releases for the digital adaptation, it’s going to be hard to argue against playing the game this way—at least for me.
Pricing
At full price, the base game and Prelude expansion are $26.98 together. That’s a significant saving when compared to the physical copy. Terraforming Mars is currently for sale on Steam for $9.99, though, so that’s up to 50% off on this sale or another one down the road.
With space being an issue for many tabletop gamers, the potential to get a great game at a much lower price and have digital access to playing it might be a strong influence in getting the Asmodee Digital release.
But you’ll have to consider if the physical aspect and in-person connection to the other players is something you value too much to sacrifice it for accessibility and replay value.