While not as well-known as some of Paradox Interactive‘s other big-name titles, Surviving Mars is a great city-building game with an awesome sci-fi angle. The game has recently received new DLC, Below and Beyond, which allows players to aim for greater ambitions for their colonies. Players will be able to utilize new buildings and technologies specifically for these areas, along with researching unique anomalies and mysteries.
Alongside this DLC is a free content update colloquially named “Picard” that includes a new dome building called the amphitheater, which provides ample luxury goods for colonists. It also makes some quality-of-life changes, like being able to cycle through power and life support grids that highlight them. There’s also a new command button that shows the dust range on all buildings and structures around the colony. These changes and additions might be minimal and straightforward, but they nonetheless improve the game for fans.
Underground Exploration
While mining for underground resources such as rare metals and water has always been a part of the game, colonies can take it a step further by building permanent facilities underground. When exploring the Martian terrain, your rovers might come across a fissure that leads to a network of volcanic tunnels and caves deep below the surface. The rover can be sent below to start exploring immediately, but it’ll have no way of returning until the elevator has been researched and built. The elevator can transfer all manner of drones, vehicles and colonists, however, it has to be done manually each time and kept in good condition — otherwise those living below might become trapped.
It’s pitch black down in the tunnels, so you’ll need to research proper lighting. Plus, since there’s no wind or sunlight in the tunnels, your only options for power will be either sterling or fusion generators. However, unlike on the surface, there’s no need to worry about meteors or dust storms damaging your colony. Instead, there are earthquakes that can threaten to bury parts of your colony under rubble, though there are technologies players can research to better protect underground colonies — though it’ll require a certain resource that can’t be found on Mars itself.
Asteroid Mining
Colonial operations aren’t limited to just the red planet; players can even explore some celestial bodies. Asteroids will occasionally pass Mars, and these can be landed on and mined for valuable resources such as exotic minerals. These minerals tie in with building underground, meaning that anyone who wants to expand below will eventually have to land on an asteroid.
First, these asteroids need to be found by researching and constructing the recon building that will sometimes spot one passing by. Since regular supply rockets aren’t capable of landing on asteroids, players will also need to research a new type of rocket ship. You will have to work with limited resources, irregular building space and a specific time window before the asteroid goes off into deep space. If you don’t evacuate your drones and colonists from the asteroid before this time limit, they’ll be permanently lost.
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