Hey, you’ve had the sudden urge to go to into space, haven’t you? Maybe speak with some heptapods? Well, if you haven’t, maybe you’re just not adventurous enough. 39 Days to Mars is a silly little tale of a men (or one man) who would like to go off into space, but need to get prepared beforehand. Gameplay is centered around cooperative puzzle solving, and I absolutely recommend that you play this game with another person, as is recommended. I unfortunately did not get a player 2 for this adventure, but there is a mode for people playing alone. It’s no less difficult, but at least the story is changed to be about one person- and a cat- rather than two people.
You use the most familiar controls for a PC gamer: WASD, spacebar, directional arrows, and your mouse. For two players, this is a matter of communication and cooperation. For a solo player, this is a bit more challenging, and a matter of coordinating your brain to work a few controls simultaneously. The game did warn me of this, after all. 39 Days to Mars starts in the curious tree house of our protagonists: The Right Honourable Clarence Baxter. Sir Albert Wickes, and Baxter…the Cat. You move your character around, and lines are voiced when you interact with key places in and around the space.
For all you puzzlers, they types of puzzles you have to solve here will be familiar. First you have something resembling a jigsaw puzzle. Then you have a crane game style puzzle. Afterwards, there’s a level puzzle. Every puzzle you might have encountered is here for you, and there is the added element of physics at play.
Click to view slideshow.39 Days to Mars‘ soundtrack is all piano-based. It’s a peaceful listen, but I expected it to be a bit more upbeat throughout. Some songs sound a little too somber for this absurd steampunk adventure. The music you hear when you do make it on your ship fits the mood of the game best. All of the music is wonderful. You need something like tinkling piano keys, in the instances where a puzzle makes you itch your head, or things get more complex.
Click to view slideshow.
I love this silly little puzzle adventure. It hits all the right notes for me. The gameplay mechanics are also simple, which means you can play with people of almost any age- or maybe even your cat. If you live for couch co-op, this is unquestionably a title you should take note of. 39 Days to Mars retails on Steam for £10.75 ($14.99) and is out on the 25th of April. It’s available on PC, Mac, and Linux. You can find it on Steam or Itch.io
Rating: 4.5/5
Reviewer: VichusSmith
