Tharsis Blasting Off To Mars Tomorrow

Hands up: who wants to embark upon a manned mission Mars to investigate alien signals? One minor complication: the ship's been crippled by an asteroid storm. And that's just the first disaster of many. Cannibalism may not be strictly necessary, but do bear in mind it's an option. If that sounds like your 'bag', have a gander at Tharsis [official site]. The turn-based space survival strategy from Choice Provisions, the BIT.TRIP devs formerly known as Gaijin Games, is counting down to a launch tomorrow. Observe:

It's a digital board game, then. Shorthanded, you're trying to keep the ship ticking along by dealing with disasters. Maybe you'll go on fire, or run out of food, or lose your minds, or... it's all a big mess. Each turn brings new problems, to tackle by shuffling crew members around the ship, rolling, dice, using abilities, and... look, watch that video up there ↑ as it's a tidy little technical tutorial telling you how Tharsis plays. Board game rules are a touch dry, so here's Choice Provisions on the premise for a touch of flavour:

"A mysterious signal originating from the Tharsis region of Mars set us on a frantic mission. Who sent it? And why? Impossible questions, but in them lie the key to humanity’s survival. Now, millions of miles away from home, a micrometeoroid storm has left us with a severely damaged ship, two deceased crew, and the sneaking suspicion this trip was doomed from the start."

Ooh, now that does sound awful!

Tharsis is coming to Windows and Mac via Steam tomorrow.