Not a fan of micromanaging cities, skylines, water parks and theme parks? The hustle and bussle of common rabble just not nearly entertaining enough to keep you invested? Well, fear not. The folks over at Outlier Games  have had a little something brewing in the Workshop, and it just hit Early Access. If you've ever wondered what Martians do for entertainment, you're about to get a front row seat. Mars Attracts is a park management sim that is set  in the absolutely iconic universe of Mars Attacks, and you are really in for a treat. The same can't be said, however, for the Human Specimen living within the walls of your enclosures.

One of the simple joys of Mars Attracts, is how dedicated they are to the universe. It carries over in every way.

One of the biggest complaints that I found myself having with most park sim titles, is it's too complicated for some players. Too many poorly designed menus that end up complicated and confusing, and have me tossing titles into the Pile of Untouchables. Mars Attracts, however, really has taken the best of both worlds, making the park sim genre very easy to understand, delightfully charming and witty, and fun to indulge in. This really is a game I would call a Park Sim Lite. And I don't think that's a bad thing. I feel it allows for players to more so enjoy being immersed into the Mars Attacks universe, without having to feel like you're entirely micromanaging and can't enjoy the game for what it is. Players seeking extreme depth in their sims won't really find that here. This truly seems geared for the casual gamer.

It's not all about just making your Human Subjects comfortable... because, you're also in this... FOR SCIENCE! 

That being said, being in Early Access, as well as being on a Beta Key seems to have some downsides. After getting through two missions, it seems as though my load file just gave up the ghost. After verifying and the whole kit and caboodle, and  doing a casual sweep through discussions, it looks like that the Beta Keys provided may not fully be up to date, so please keep in mind this really is non representative of the full scope of the game, and there are a large amount of opportunities for things to change. Having spent over 10 hours in the quirky world of Mars Attracts, I do feel it gave me enough sense of what's going on, and what's being brought to the table.

This developer-provided image better showcases some of the amazing setups you can accomplish.

 The premise of nearly every mission is what you would expect from nearly any Park Sim. You're making a park. You're in debt. Pay off the loan. (This is roughly the start of every mission, as one would expect) While this may be straight forward in Zoo Tycoon.... well. That's not what this is. Build up multiple themed habitats, bringing in humans  and decorating the landscape to match. Rome, South West, and Egyptian themes are just a mere few brought to the table.   Send Martians out on expeditions, returning with humans for habitats and decor.  Not only are you building up the mere habitats, but the park itself, as well as the attractions within it. Maps, human lung balloons, and human head teacups will thrill and excite your guests in between experiments. Twist, spin, dismember and electrocute the human inhabitants, thrilling your guests with the unspeakable acts of cruelty. Be careful though.... it may just push them right over the edge.

Set up booths, concession stands, and don't forget the bathrooms. 

Deal with balancing your guests needs (in more traditional senses) and not so traditional desires (human souvenirs, anyone?)  to get money flowing in the tills. focusing more on entertainment value than technical finesse, the game actually feels like a break of fresh air, not taking itself too seriously, and with controls that are easy to grasp and understand. Movement and manipulation feels natural- players familiar with the genre will jump right in with no issues. Menus are labeled, easy to navigate, and everything has a great GUI that has a Martian charm. Visually it absolutely looks like something ripped right out of the movies, and the music is brimming with that delightful Danny Elfman charm we all love.

There are still some bugs to work out. For example, a Martian dying out of the technical "play grid" had all of my janitors stacked up, but none of them actually able to dispose of the corpse.

Ultimately, Mars Attracts is a fun and quirky casual Park Sim which would act as a great introduction to players unfamiliar with the genre. In it's current state, there's plenty of work to be done, and there are still a fair share of placeholders and systems that will inevitably be overhauled by the time of full launch. As of now, Early Access has about 5 missions for players to dive into, offering just a taste of what is to come. While I absolutely enjoyed my time, the reliability seems slightly lackluster at the moment, and while this is a game I absolutely will be revisiting in the future, it may be worth holding out on until the other features are more fleshed out, or it comes out of Early Access.  

Mars Attracts is currently available in Early Access on the Steam Marketplace for $24.99 USD.