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Break out the Slim Whitman, because the mean-spirited, big-brained, ack-acking ETs from Mars Attacks have returned.
And this time, they’re looking to build a human zoo.
That’s the core concept behind Outlier Games’ Mars Attracts, a theme park simulator game inspired by the classic Topps trading cards that also inspired the 1996 Tim Burton film of the same name.
Inside Mars Attacks Theme Park Simulator Mars Attracts
“We were influenced by games we loved like Theme Park and Dungeon Keeper, which had deep simulation mechanics, but also a layer of humor that really made them memorable,” Outlier Content Creator & Community Manager Bernard O’Rourke exclusively told SYFY Wire. “It was only as we developed the concept that we came upon the idea of tying it into the Mars Attacks IP. When we pitched it to Topps, the IP holders, we were very fortunate that they loved the idea and were very supportive of the weird project we wanted to develop.”
RollerCoaster Tycoon and Zoo Tycoon are mere child’s play when compared to Mars Attracts, which allows the player to indulge that nihilistic part of themselves with a very low opinion of humanity. As O’Rourke explained it, this game is very much for “players who set the animals loose in Zoo Tycoon or deleted the ladder to the swimming pool in The Sims.”
Think of your custom park as a mix of the twist in classic Twilight Zone episode “People Are Alike All Over” and the looney allure of Space Jam‘s Moron Mountain.
“At its heart, Mars Attracts is a game where you play as the mischievous aliens subjecting the poor humans to all kinds of torments,” revealed O’Rourke. “We wanted a game with deep simulation mechanics that supported this fantasy, and really let the player embrace their dark side while building up their park.”
“I think the reason the Mars Attracts Martians are such great characters is that they are kind of chaotic evil, tormenting humanity just because they think it is funny,” he continued. “There’s something immensely appealing about this kind of character that has little to no moral restraint and instead just lives for causing mischief.”
Mars Attracts leans into the “gleefully violent and irreverent” nature of the original trading cards, which got pretty dark at times to show just how ruthless the aliens were in their conquest of Earth. Remember “Destroying a Dog”?
That sadistic apathy of our species has not been lost in the video game translation, the only difference being that fans now have a rare opportunity to see it from the other side.
“We really got a kick out of this humorous, over-the-top chaos, and wanted to capture something like that in our game,” added O’Rourke. “The art style itself was also a big influence, and the retro sci-fi charm really took our art style in some very interesting directions. We wanted to be true to the IP at a very fundamental gameplay level. Players will see things from the Martian perspective, which meant we had to flesh out our Martian characters and build up the lore in order to give players a rich world to immerse themselves in.”
Aside from three floppy disk mini-games released in tandem with the Burton film, Mars Attacks had not been adapted into a proper video game until now. And with the floodgates now open, the sky’s the limit.
“Around our announcement we received a few comments asking for a shooter based game in the world of Mars Attacks,” concluded O’Rourke. “We aren’t the people to make that, but I hope somebody else will give it a go someday!”
Mars Attracts is now available to purchase on Steam.
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