Mars Attracts surprised fans with its recent reveal. Taking the iconic Mars Attacks franchise and turning it into a theme park simulator is a rather wild concept, and I’m all for it. But, of course, we have only seen a small bit of the game so far, and we’re waiting for more footage and gameplay to be unveiled. That said, we got to speak with Paul Froggatt, the Technical Director at Outlier. During our interview, we learned a little more about what to expect when Mars Attracts lands in the marketplace next year.
Gameranx: Could you start by introducing Outlier and your role within the company?
Paul Froggatt: Outlier is an independent developer based in Ireland, and focuses on strategy/simulation games for PC and console. The studio released its first game ‘This Means Warp’ (think multiplayer FTL) on PC in 2022, followed by a console release in 2023. I co-founded the studio alongside Matt Rathbun in 2018 and was responsible for the programming / technical development of both This Means Warp and Mars Attracts.
Gameranx: Mars Attracts had a significant impact online when it was announced. How would you describe the title for newcomers stumbling across this game?
Paul Froggatt: Mars Attracts is a theme park management sim where players take on the role of the Martians from Mars Attacks. Players must build amusement parks on Mars and abduct humans to star as the main attractions!
Gameranx: How did Mars Attracts come to fruition? What sparked the initial concept, and when did development begin?
Paul Froggatt: For us, it all starts with gameplay. So in this case, the idea of a reverse zoo with aliens imprisoning humans came first. When we went out looking for an IP that would make a good fit for that concept, we were incredibly lucky to find out that Topps (who own the Mars Attacks IP) loved the idea. And really, how could we not jump at the chance to work with such an iconic character design? Once we had the basic idea I set to work on an early prototype. That was almost two years ago now, and the game has come a long way since then.
Gameranx: The setting for Mars Attracts is pretty unique for a theme park sim. What challenges and obstacles can players expect?
Paul Froggatt: For one thing, there is a lot more to Mars Attracts than just placing down attractions! Martian scientists have the ability to carry out experiments on humans in order to gain research points which can be used to unlock new rides, amenities and more. Players will have to embrace their inner mad scientist if they want to make the most out of their park. On the other hand, (most) humans aren’t too fond of being probed, so overzealous players may find themselves having to handle escape attempts and humans running amok among their guests.
Gameranx: Is there a zoo-like element with humans as attractions? How does the process of capturing and integrating humans into the park work?
Paul Froggatt: Absolutely. We had a lot of fun diving into the concept of ‘humans as exhibits’. This opened up some really interesting possibilities for gameplay as our human characters have a complex array of needs and emotions which players will have to manage. Capturing the humans is the easy part, the real challenge is actually keeping them alive and happy. In addition to being an attraction for Martian guests, humans form the core of the game’s Research system, so players will need to hire scientists and experiment on their captive humans to progress and unlock new things for their park.
Gameranx: From my understanding, the humans used in the amusement park must have enclosures resembling their natural surroundings. Can you elaborate on that and on managing the human captives?
Paul Froggatt: The goal is to make the humans feel at home, so much so that they don’t even realize they are no longer on Earth. The Martians haven’t quite mastered this art yet, and some of their techniques are a little… invasive. Of course, if the player prefers not to tailor the enclosures to a human’s taste, they can always invest in tighter security measures instead!
Gameranx: What kind of guest management can players expect? Will their needs and wants help players influence how they adjust their park?
Paul Froggatt: We wanted to blend the park building mechanics and character needs systems of games like Roller Coaster Tycoon or Planet Zoo with the escape mechanics of something like Prison Architect. Players may find themselves having to make some difficult choices when it comes to balancing the happiness of their captive humans with the appeal of their park for guests.
Gameranx: Can you share any details about the game’s narrative?
Paul Froggatt: Not yet, but this will be coming at a later stage.
Gameranx: Where are we currently with the development process?
Paul Froggatt: We just shared the very first look at the playable prototype at Gamescom! We still have a lot of development still to go, but the foundations of the game’s systems are now in place. We’re targeting a public demo early next year, with an Early Access release slated for mid-2025.
Gameranx: I understand that Mars Attracts is coming to PC through Early Access. However, are there plans to launch the game on console platforms later?
Paul Froggatt: We would love to bring Mars Attracts to consoles, but for Early Access we’ll be focusing on the PC build so that we can develop the game that fans really want to play ahead of a wider release. All I can say for now is watch this space, and if you’re interested in a console release, please let us know!
While we don’t have a specific date quite yet, players interested in Mars Attracts can expect it to launch through Early Access sometime next year.
