Timed to the home video release of "The Martian," the downloadable game "Tharsis" ($14.99 for PS4 and PC by Choice Provisions; rated Mature) also concerns a disastrous trip to Mars.
On this one, though, you might have to resort to eating former fellow crew members just to survive. Hey, no one said this monthslong space voyage was going to be easy.
"Tharsis" is a turn-based strategy game. In each round, various crises surface on the ship. You must decide where and how to deploy crew members to deal with the problems and avoid a game-ending disaster. A roll of the virtual dice determines the outcome of their efforts.
Because the crisis scenarios occur randomly and rolling the dice is itself a chance affair, the game play involves as much strategy as, say, a game of Yahtzee.
Yet the simply presented "Tharsis" manages to be oddly addictive. It takes 10 turns to "win" -- unlocking a climactic resolution to the journey -- and dedicated gamers will be compelled to keep rolling the dice until they eventually do.
