Recent reviews by father of bugs

This game is a gem. It cannot be described otherwise.
I found it on sale at a ridiculous price, and decided to give it a try as I was attracted by the premise of a game about "mastering an ecosystem", and by the reviews talking about quality narration and voice acting. This totally exceeded my expectations.
Not only is this game a quite challenging and extremely enjoyable puzzle/explorer, with a set of original mechanics unlike anything I had ever played, but Waking Mars is a little masterpiece of science fiction. The way the developers struggled to create a set of "rules" according to which the wierd and colorful martian "plant fauna" functions and thrives, and yet managed to render it - if not entirely likely - at least scientifically plausible, is really something remarkable, and really shows passion and effort - and some good degree of competence in the matter. Story-wise, it's pretty simple and complete within itself, as a good short story should be. A great idea to begin with, that has been chiseled, polished and refined - a gem, as I said. The characters are among the most real and human I've ever found in a game, even if they're just a couple of static drawn faces talking through the radio - and in addition, the voice acting is tremendous. Especially considering this is an indie game.
Something I really enjoyed about the story is that there's not something like an immediate danger, or an impending problem that has to be resolved before-it's-too-late. The only part in which you are in some kind of trouble, the only one part in which you are trapped within these caves and have to get out somehow, is not at all pivotal and actually ends before mid-game. After that, what's left to keep you going is just the fact that you're ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ curious. Both yourself, and your asian astronaut counterpart. The things you discover while venturing deeper and deeper inside this huge network of caves as ancient as the solar system, while making it flourish with life, are bound to keep you stuck with this game until everything is made clear. The kind of curiosity, suspence, and marvel that I experienced while playing through the game are the same that I'd feel while reading a well-written novel.
In conclusion: this game is great. The gameplay is original and satisfying, and the setting, narration and atmosphere are terrific. And the price is ridiculous. If you like Clarke-tier hard science fiction, you'll love this. Buy it.