On Mars (2020)

“This is pure strategy at its finest, with a theme I always enjoy. Everything matters. Everything is fun to explore.”

The reviewer highly regards 'On Mars', placing it among his top Vital Lacerda games and potentially his favorite, praising its intricate and interconnected mechanisms as a pinnacle of game design.

“On Mars is bold. On Mars is ambitious. On Mars is extraordinary.”

“On Mars is one of the best games I’ve ever played, it’s as simple as that. The way the worker-placement has been merged with a tactical tile-placement game is so polished, and the various mechanisms so beautifully interwoven.”

The reviewers highly recommend On Mars, praising its satisfying engine building, diverse strategic paths, and high replayability due to the many different things to explore and upgrade within the game.

The reviewer highly praises "On Mars" for its unique and efficient cooperative-competitive gameplay, excellent component quality, and overall engaging experience, noting that it provides sheer joy in interacting with its pieces. While the thematic integration might be less immersive than "Terraforming Mars," the game is considered well-refined and enjoyable for players.

The reviewers praise "On Mars" as a beautifully designed and highly replayable game that excels in thematic integration, although they note its initial learning curve and express minor reservations about some complex design choices and the game's ending conditions.

“If you love the Martian setting of Terraforming Mars, On Mars offers an even more detailed and immersive strategic experience.”

The reviewer finds 'On Mars' to be a fun and highly strategic board game with immense replayability and a strong thematic feel, despite its high complexity and a challenging learning curve due to an imperfect rulebook.

The reviewer provides an extensive playthrough and review, indicating a strong appreciation for 'On Mars' as a complex and engaging heavy Eurogame that offers a rewarding strategic experience.

The reviewer praises 'On Mars' as an astoundingly complex yet cohesive Eurogame that brilliantly integrates its intricate mechanisms with a strong Martian theme, offering a deeply rewarding and delightful experience for those willing to embrace its steep learning curve.

The reviewer from Everything Dice praises "On Mars" as an exceptionally heavy and complex board game that provides a highly rewarding and enjoyable challenge, despite its high complexity.

The reviewer enthusiastically praises "On Mars" for its outstanding mechanics, immersive thematic integration, and visually stunning production, noting that while the solo mode is enjoyable, it serves best as preparation for the main multiplayer experience.

The reviewer likely found 'On Mars' to be a deeply engaging and strategically rich board game, offering a complex and satisfying experience for players who enjoy heavy euro-style games with intricate mechanics and a strong thematic presence.

The reviewers from Before You Play consider "On Mars" to be a thematically rich and complex board game that offers an engaging and rewarding experience for players who appreciate intricate Eurogame designs.

The reviewer expresses considerable excitement for 'On Mars,' highlighting its impressive components, appealing art by Ian O'Toole, and the design by Vital Lacerda, and eagerly anticipates playing and reviewing the game.

On Mars is a highly complex and intricately woven board game that deeply rewards players who enjoy system mastery and emergent gameplay, though its extensive rules and lack of catch-up mechanics make it unsuitable for casual gamers.

The reviewer finds 'On Mars' to be a very heavy game from Vital Lacerda, packed with tactics, strategy, and great aesthetics, but its steep learning curve and less-than-ideal player scaling, especially at two players, place it lower on his personal ranking of the designer's work.