The Echoes of Mars (2024)

Developer: Georgii Antipin
Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres: Casual, Indie, Strategy
Rating: 3.7 of 5, 19 player ratings
Typical playtime: about 1.7 hours
Where to get it: Steam

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More games like this

How it feels

You methodically place towers and deploy strategic tools to fend off waves of alien creatures on a stylized Mars base, with a calm, cerebral pace.

tower defensestrategiccasualsci-fitop-downvoxel artlinearsingleplayer

What players say

Players finish it in one to two hours and find the difficulty peaks early then vanishes, as the economy breaks open and no new enemy types appear. Some appreciate the lane-based design and repair mechanic, but many call it overpriced and unfinished, a student project rather than a retail game.

Screenshots

More games like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.