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Developed by Auroch Digital and published by The Irregular Corporation Mars Horizon is a strategy simulation game created with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency. 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. The games’ timeline starts at the beginning of the space age in January 1957 all the way through landing the first astronauts on Mars. The game was designed with the intent to be as real and authentic as running your very own space agency in an educational way. This includes learning about the history of space exploration, the technology involved, and more. This week, we got the chance to speak with Tomas Rawlings, CEO of Auroch Digital, about the game, its inspiration, and all the science that goes into it.
Over the course of this interview, Rawlings explains the nuances and strengths of working with the European Space Agency on the game and ultimately how space exploration and the science behind us unites countries and people, even during times of disagreement. We also dig into the mechanics of the game and the importance of allowing for success and failure in equal measure, bringing the science to life.
Click play on the audio above to dive into the full interview and hear what Thomas Rawlings has to say about this realistic, fun, and educational game.
Mars Horizon is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows (via Steam). Want to read our review of the game? Find it here.
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