Nintendo fans will soon be able to chart out humanity’s future in space, starting next month!

Publisher The Irregular Corporation and Auroch Digital have confirmed that simulation game Mars Horizon will hit Nintendo Switch and other platforms on 17 November 2020. The game will see players managing almost every aspect of their journey – to be the first space agency to reach Mars!

Check out the official trailer below, along with more details:

About

In Mars Horizon, you take control of a major space agency, leading it from the dawn of the space age through to landing astronauts on Mars. Guide your agency through the space race and write your alternate history of space travel—any of the agencies can be the first to land on The Moon if you make the right choices. Manage the numerous challenges faced then and now:

Key Features

• Create your base with launch pads, research labs, astronaut training facilities, and much more.
• Construct your own custom vehicles from hundreds of combinations.
• Launch satellites and crewed spacecraft to explore the Solar System.
• Run mission control as you solve the various challenges of turn-based missions to earn scientific advancement and public support.
• Explore an extensive tech tree and compete or collaborate with other agencies to plot your roadmap to Mars.
• Choose from five unique space agencies, each with their own traits, base, vehicles, and spacecraft.
• Create your own custom space agency.

You’re in charge of every element of the journey into space: success rides on your decisions.

Manage the Mission

Will you push to stay ahead of the other agencies, or focus on testing and research? There are multiple ways to ensure the first person on Mars is under your command. Every choice matters: will you invest in the most advanced technology or take risks in the rush to the red planet?

Using actual events and missions as inspiration, can you handle the challenges faced by real space agencies?

Journey to Mars

Management is a vital aspect of Mars Horizon. You’ll need to design and build the right spacecraft, hire and train the crew, and make strategic decisions as mission control to survive the journey to Mars.

Enter into diplomatic partnerships with other agencies to share the rewards of space exploration, or risk going it alone to gain greater prestige. Construct the ideal rocket from historically-inspired vehicle parts. Hire contractors to construct vehicles and use their unique benefits to gain a key edge over your competitors.

Face the Challenges

Launching a payload into space is only the first step. In assuming the role of Flight Director of mission control, you’ll need to manage your spacecraft’s resources and solve strategic challenges in turn-based missions in order to succeed. But beware: space is a very unforgiving environment.

These are the critical moment-to-moment decisions of mission control; do you spend power to fix a malfunctioning antenna or save it in case of an oxygen leak? Perhaps risking that extra three months of mission planning could have avoided this issue?

Supported by the European Space Agency

Mars Horizon has been made with the input and support of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency.

We’ve collaborated with numerous experts in space exploration from the ESA in creating Mars Horizon. From engineers developing the technology used in Mars programmes, to those designing the next generation of missions, bringing an unprecedented level of authenticity, realism and legitimacy to the gameplay and its scenarios.

Dig deeper into the game via our podcast, including discussions with staff from the European Space Agency and UK Space Agency. Check out the podcast in the Steam forums or the main site.