We spent countless attempts clawing at the surface with no results until it dawned on us that we should check out our inventory. One thing we had to learn the hard way was that our JCB never displayed when it was at carrying capacity. As we sank our teeth into the first few missions all hints pretty much evaporated, leaving us to fumble around and figure things out alone. The only reason we ventured beyond the beaten path was to find containers with rare resources stashed inside, which is a shame as prides itself on being an exploration title.Also causing us frustration was the fact that certain core aspects weren't explained in depth beyond a rather fleeting tutorial. The planet felt desolate and empty, with only electrical storms and dust clouds posing a threat, and as the devs opted for a more realistic approach, all that is out there besides your outpost is sand and rocks (not counting some stretches of snow to the north).

The red sands and wide open stretches of Mars do look drop-dead gorgeous here, but sadly we felt little reason to want to explore this wondrous landscape beyond the missions. These survival elements worked to add more of an authentic touch to life out on the red planet and presented a major roadblock in the early game as supplies were limited.

There was also the looming danger of our JCB running out of power if we ventured out too far and didn't return to our garage for a patch/charge up. Our oxygen, water, food, power, and hydration levels began to deplete when we were outside of our base, and without the presence of fictitious space mutants or other humans, it was the biggest threat we encountered. That said, we did wish that digging was made a little more complex than just approaching a mining site and pushing the A button, a mechanic that felt oddly shallow considering its use in a game that had input from JCB.Each expedition we embarked on required us to stock up on the likes of oxygen canisters, rations, and hydration tablets to maintain our survival.

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