While it’s always fun to craft those classic amusement havens filled with rollercoasters, carousels, and snack stalls, I believe the standout tycoon games and theme park simulations offer a unique twist. Take Jurassic World Evolution, which cleverly incorporates dinosaurs into the mix. However, what really might blow everyone’s minds in 2025 is Mars Attracts, a new management game that promises to be one of the most peculiar releases, and we’ll get the first taste soon.
Unveiled at Gamescom earlier this year, Mars Attracts generated some genuine double-takes and jaw-drops. It’s one of next year’s most unusual PC games, offering a Planet Coaster-like adventure uniquely set on Mars. The truly surprising part? It draws inspiration from Mars Attacks, an extravagant alien comedy film that didn’t quite hit the mark at the box office back in the late ’90s. Seeing this film reincarnate as a theme park sim 25 years later is nothing short of bizarre.
Now, before you jump to conclusions about the game mimicking the movie’s flop, Mars Attracts seems to stand out on its own. The game invites you to construct a space-themed park for Martian visitors, featuring traditional rides and some unusual exhibits – kidnapped humans from Earth, to be precise. This time, humans are the centerpieces of the attraction.
In this game, you’re tasked with snatching unsuspecting individuals throughout history, from ancient Rome to the dusty towns of the Wild West. This variability means you’ll need to craft unique enclosures for each era – you can’t expect to contain fierce Roman gladiators with just a few flimsy Martian barriers, after all!
You have the choice to treat your abducted humans kindly or unleash chaos upon them – probing included! Your Martian guests are sure to find either option entertaining.
Aside from the core task of building your Martian amusement park, managing it is just as essential. The gameplay loop mirrors what you might find in more traditional tycoon games. However, as the title is still in early development with just one trailer out, we might find some unexpected twists as details emerge.
To help the creators at Outlier in delivering a game that is not only fun but alongside its marvelous weirdness, you can join in on their initial playtest, which is set to commence soon.
Mark your calendars, as the closed alpha playtest for Mars Attracts kicks off on Wednesday, December 4. The game is expected to enter early access in 2025.
If you’re as passionate about crafting as I am, dive into our guide spotlighting the best building games. For those eager to sharpen their strategic and management prowess, our curated lists of top strategy games are a must-see.
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