Surviving Mars: Pioneer – First Impressions
Mars is a harsh place. Unlike the colorful, bustling galaxies of No Man’s Sky, Surviving Mars: Pioneer is a stripped-back, survival-first experience where the stakes are real, and the margin for error is razor-thin. From the moment you step out of your landing pod, you’re faced with a stark reality: you’re alone, your oxygen is limited, and the Red Planet isn’t particularly welcoming.
First Steps on Mars
Your first moments on the Martian surface are equal parts awe-inspiring and nerve-wracking. The thin atmosphere gives every step a sense of finality, each crunch of Martian dust underfoot a reminder of just how far from home you are. I took a slow, 360° look around, taking in the harsh, rust-colored landscape stretching to the horizon, broken only by the occasional rocky outcrop. It’s a breathtaking but lonely sight — no ships in the sky, no busy trade lanes, just isolation and a constant low-level fear ...
Grabbing Your First Gear
Survival in Pioneer starts with the basics. You’ll quickly learn that your landing pod is both a lifeline and a fragile bubble of safety. My first instinct was to grab everything not bolted down — oxygen tanks, a handful of tools, and a basic survival pack. There’s no tutorial here, just a quiet, underlying threat that you should move quickly before your suit alarms start screaming for more O2.
Learning to Crawl Before You Can Walk
I made my first mistake almost immediately. I thought I’d be clever and build my first habitat a bit further from the pod, looking for a more defensible location. What I didn’t realize is that you can’t just build anywhere. I wasted precious oxygen fighting the controls, swearing at the screen, and wondering why the game wouldn’t let me place my habitat. By the time I figured it out, my oxygen levels were critical, and I had no hope of making it back to the pod. I died mid-boost jump, leaving my gear in ...
Finding Your Footing
After a quick respawn and a bit of muttered self-recrimination, I took a more conservative approach. This time, I built my habitat closer to the pod, learning to balance ambition with survival. But even then, I managed to add a little extra embarrassment to the process. When I finally got around to building the airlock, I somehow managed to place it backwards. I could step into the airlock — great — but it didn’t actually connect to the habitat, which, as you might guess, is a bit of a problem on Mars. I...
Why the Grind is Worth It
As frustrating as it can be, all this mining, exploring, and relentless scavenging isn’t just busywork. Every time you complete an achievement, you earn research points, and those points are the key to unlocking new items and plans. Once you have a plan, you’ll need to gather the materials to build it, which means more trips out into the hostile Martian wilderness. But the grind pays off. Over time, you’ll move from basic survival to building your own rocket, producing your own food, and (presumably) eve...
Final Thoughts
So far, Surviving Mars: Pioneer has proven to be a tougher, more intricate experience than I expected. It’s not just a sci-fi sandbox — it’s a proper survival challenge, and I’m just getting started. Whether you’ll find it frustrating or rewarding depends on how much you value the struggle. If you like your games with a side of unforgiving realism and the occasional burst of panic, this one’s worth a closer look.
