Physics games like Mars First Logistics are usually made for a laugh or a chin scratch. This game was anything but. Mars First Logistics had me coming back over and over again to see what else the game had under its belt… I still have not reached half of it.
Developed by Shape Shop and published by Shape Shop and Outersloth, Mars First Logistics is a 3D Sandbox delivery game with brilliant vehicle design and driving simulation.
I was casually recovering from a sickness when I received a code for this game. The Title Sucks, the visuals look pretentious, and the vibes are down. But then I pressed play.
GAME OF THE YEAR!
Mars Lego
If you have seen those shorts on YouTube where some random schmuck tries to shred paper or cross a fridge with Lego, then you know exactly what to expect from Mars First Logistics.
Groundbreaking and easy to understand, building vehicles or tools attached to them is addictively fun. When you take something you just brainstormed and have it successfully finish the mission at hand, it feels like seeing your child take their first steps.
Speaking of missions, you are a rover tasked with building a colony on Mars. You drive around helping deliver objects from point A to point B, collecting points and unlocking new parts as you go.
These points are used to purchase extra pieces of a part if needed, and can be used to help build certain things.
Gravity of the Situation
The physics of Mars First Logistics puts modern triple-A games to shame.
They could spend another decade perfecting horse manure simulations until every turd has dynamic shadow mapping and smell-o-vision, but none of that would come close to the sheer joy and realism of how this game handles movement, weight, and terrain.
This isn’t just a drive and deliver game; it’s a true engineering sandbox. Every nut, hinge, and piston matters. You don’t just slap parts together; you design machines that obey physics.
Build something too tall, and it’ll tip over when you turn. Make it too light, and it’ll bounce off rocks like a toy. Misjudge your centre of gravity, and your precious cargo will roll right out as you hit a crater ridge.
The vehicles you create must work, not just look cool. You’re constantly balancing torque, traction, and weight distribution, testing every angle of your design before it can even move an inch. When it finally does, the feeling is incredible.
No other game this year has made me care this much about the shape of my wheels, the length of my arms, or the angle of my cargo ramp. Every successful delivery feels earned, not because of scripted missions or cinematic cutscenes, but because your own design survived Mars’ unforgiving terrain.
And this, in its entirety, is the funnest game I have played this year.
Mars First Game
This is what happens when game design respects physics and the player. Every wobble, crash, and impossible hill teaches you something real.
You don’t just drive; you engineer, you experiment, and eventually, you master the terrain.
Sure, the title’s odd and the visuals may not scream ‘blockbuster,’ but don’t let that fool you. This is creativity in motion, a sandbox that rewards problem-solvers and tinkerers alike.
Mars First Logistics isn’t just a quirky physics sim; it’s a rare kind of magic. It takes a pile of parts, a stretch of Martian dust, and your stubborn curiosity, then turns it all into something deeply satisfying.
There’s no hand-holding, no flashy cutscenes, just you, your machine. And when that machine finally works, when your delivery makes it across the ridge and lands clean, it’s a rush no scripted moment could match.
If every big studio chased gameplay like this instead of polish for polish’s sake, we’d be living in a golden age again. Mars may be empty, but this game? It’s bursting with soul.
