I have not seen the movie The Martian nor have I read the book, so I jumped right into the game. I also played Lifeline at the same time, and it was so much fun.

Beyond being text based games about rescuing an astronaut, these two games are incredibly different. In The Martian, you are teamed up with an entire team of scientists who are helping Mark survive and remain sane. Lifeline, on the other hand, is more like a chance meeting with an awesome new friend. It doesn’t have the same support of a backstory or support team. I think my favorite difference between the games was the different length at which the creators stretch your imagination. Lifeline is more sci-fi and I gobbled it up like a brand new episode of Dr. Who. The Martian felt more like a personal challenge I couldn’t wait to accept.

Each game asks you to help the character make important decisions, and you have to be ready to do some research, especially for The Martian.

Both games ask you to do a little research, be careful, though, if you make the wrong call, it could be the last decision the astronaut makes!

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It’s hard to lose your friend…

The Martian gives you a little scaffolding here and there with a whole team of scientists, but you are on your own with Taylor in Lifeline, making the Martian slightly more challenging at times. Lifeline, however, is filled with edge-of-your-seat suspense, which packs its own punch.

I found the best challenge in the Martian, wasn’t necessarily the hardest. It was trying to figure out how to talk to Mark, and be sensitive to his situation. The game is good at making sure to keep you in check by acquainting you with the team psychiatrist. I really don’t want to share too much of my favorite challenges in Lifeline, it would give away some of the best parts of the story. I will say that I am likely to play Lifeline a second or maybe third time because there are still things I want to know about in the game.

Both of these games are great, they pulled me in the way a good book does, the story writing and creativity in both games was great. I highly recommend both, and I enjoyed playing them together, but that may not be for everyone.