History VideoGame / MarsWarLogs

''Mars: War Logs'' is a cyberpunk/space opera RPG developed by Creator/{{Spiders}} and published by Creator/FocusHomeInteractive for PC and seventh generation consoles in 2013. Two centuries after the colonization of Mars, an event known as [[CataclysmBackstory The Turmoil]] destroys much of the progress humanity has made in taming the red planet’s harsh landscape, [[CrapsackWorld ushering in a new Dark Age]]. [[AfterTheEnd Seventy years later]], two of the surviving city states, Aurora and Abundance, are engaged in a bloody civil war that is exacerbated by greedy corporate interests intent on monopolizing the planet’s water supply. Amidst this backdrop, Auroran [[PowCamp [=POWs=]]] Roy Temperance and Innocence Smith plot a daring escape from prison. Upon returning to Aurora, they become embroiled in a power struggle against its [[TheCaligula power mad dictator]].

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* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: A dodge roll serves as your primary dodge move in the game. One skill upgrade increases the range[=/=]speed and lets you chain combat rolls together infinitely, allowing you to roll around like Sonic the Hedgehog.

!! ''Mars: War Logs'' contains examples of :

* IronicName: Generally averted, despite the game's SevenHeavenlyVirtues naming convention. Aurora has plenty of assholes, but their vices generally aren't an ironic fit to their virtue name. One character even notes that someone's personality being the opposite of their virtue name has become something of a worn-out joke.
** There are a few exceptions, though. Notably, the JackTheRipOff serial killer who targets women is named [[spoiler: Gallentry]].

UnnecessaryCombatRoll: A dodge roll serves as your primary dodge move in the game. One skill upgrade increases the range[=/=]speed and lets you chain combat rolls together infinitely, allowing you to roll around like Sonic the Hedgehog.

''Mars: War Logs'' is a cyberpunk/space opera RPG developed by Creator/{{Spiders}} and published by Creator/FocusHomeInteractive for PC and seventh generation consoles in 2013. Two centuries after the colonization of Mars, an event known as [[CataclysmBackstory The Turmoil]] destroys much of the progress humanity has made in taming the red planet’s harsh landscape, [[CrapsackWorld ushering in a new Dark Age]]. [[AfterTheEnd Seventy years later]], two of the surviving city states, Aurora and Abundance, are engaged in a bloody civil war that is exacerbated by greedy corporate interests intent on monopolizing the planet’s water supply. Amidst this backdrop, Auroran [[PowCamp POWs]] Roy Temperance and Innocence Smith plot a daring escape from prison. Upon returning to Aurora, they become embroiled in a power struggle against its [[TheCaligula power mad dictator]].

* OnlySixFaces: Only major characters have unique models. Everyone else, including sidequest NPCs, are pulled from the same limited pool of generic NPC faces.

* TookALevelInJerkass: ''VideoGame/TheTechnomancer'' presents Sean as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure and genuinely heroic mentor to Zachariah. In ''Mars War Logs'', while he does have a PetTheDog moment with Mary, he's an arrogant jerk to Roy and a BadBoss to his own men in the prison camp (he threatens to have ten mutants executed for the crime of one, and the guards mention he's fried his own men for unspecified infractions). Mary seems to hint that he was hardened by his experiences in the war (mentioning his fury at his own men for wanting to take liberties with captured female enemy soldiers).

** Averted with Dowser Wisdom, who despite being a former war hero, is a NonActionBigBad who [[spoiler: gets executed in a cutscene without a fight... and not even by you.]]

** Generosity and the Captain of the Praetorian Guard have about twice as much health as regular Technomancer enemies. Sean actually isn't noticeably tougher than a regular Technomancer (he has slightly more health but slightly worse armor, which kind of evens out), but as the first Technomancer you fight he still presents a challenge compared to what you've faced before.

* KingMook: The game's "boss" enemies (Sean, Generosity, and the Praetorians) fight just like regular Technomancer enemies, just with somewhat more health. Tenacity, who you fight at the end of Act II, also fights just like a regular enemy; he has significantly higher-than-normal health, but surrenders once you deplete it by about half.

** The final level is guarded by Elite Soldiers, which are just like the regular Aurora Soldiers you've been fighting since Act II, only more "elite". Some of them have gold-colored armor but are otherwise just like any other soldier-type enemy.

* KingMook: The game's "boss" enemies (Sean, Generosity, and the Praetorians) fight just like regular Technomancer enemies, just with maybe a little more health. Tenacity, who you fight at the end of Act II, also fights just like a regular enemy.

** The chaos in Aurora turns out to be because [[spoiler: the Technomancers are conducting twisted experiments on Auroran citizens in an attempt to find a cure for mutation (Aurora's leader, Wisdom Phillips, is secretly a mutant himself and wants a cure, and ''The Technomancer'' reveals that Technomancers themselves are also mutants, and are looking for a way to stabilize their powers). Their need for more and more test subjects is what's driving the Auroran state crackdown on its citizens.]]

** Serum, the game's currency and the substance you use to create health syringes and Fluid, is extracted from human bodies, killing the person being extracted from. Extracting from defeated enemies will net you more money and healing/restoration items, but will also quickly cause your reputation to drop.

A sequel, ''The Technomancer'', was released on June 29, 2016. ''The Technomancer'' takes place concurrent with the events of ''Mars War Logs'' and focuses on an Abundance Technomancer named Zachariah, who is trying to find a way to reestablish contact with Earth while being pursued by Abundance's totalitarian SecretPolice.

* EliteMooks: Praetorians.

* MagiTek: Roy's Technomancy powers require a special glove to use, as he is not a born Technomancer. Fluid is used in lieu of MP, but a Technomancer is essentially a mage character build.

* ScavengerWorld: A more organized example than most, but it's definitely there. Cities are made of scrap, and even government soldiers wield improvised weaponry; notably, there don't seem to be any real firearms on Mars, as everyone is equipped with modified work tools (nailguns).

* SevenHeavenlyVirtues: An Auroran naming convention, which makes Roy, Sean, and Mary [[AerithAndBob stand out a bit]]. Sean and Mary are from Abundance, and Roy's original name was Temperance (When Roy introduces himself as "Roy", Innocence is confused as that's apparently an unusual name for an Auroran.)

A sequel, ''The Technomancer'', was released on June 29, 2016. ''The Technomancer'' focuses on an Abundance Technomancer named Zachariah, who is trying to find a way to reestablish contact with Earth.

* OnlyTheLeadsGetAHappyEnding: [[spoiler:Roy has overthrown a [[TheCaligula mad dictator]] and managed to get a pardon and a girlfriend while he’s at it. However, the new leadership doesn't look much better than the old one, and Innocence is either dead or resents Roy for selling out his ideals]].

* ScavengerSociety: A more organized example than most, but it's definitely there. Cities are made of scrap, and even government soldiers wield improvised weaponry; notably, there don't seem to be any real firearms on Mars, as everyone is equipped with modified work tools (nailguns).

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: General Grant presents himself as this, but he’s actually [[TheStarscream something else entirely]].

* HumanResources: The chaos in Aurora turns out to be because [[spoiler: the Technomancers are conducting twisted experiments on Auroran citizens in an attempt to find a cure for mutation (Aurora's leader, Wisdom Phillips, is secretly a mutant himself and wants a cure, and ''The Technomancer'' reveals that Technomancers themselves are also mutants, and are looking for a way to stabilize their powers). Their need for more and more test subjects is what's driving the Auroran state crackdown on its citizens.]]

* CainAndAbel: Devotion and Generosity.

* TheDragon: Generosity, the leader of the Technomancers, is this to BigBad Wisdom Phillips

* MeaningfulName: Innocence is just a kid who got caught up in the war.

* SevenHeavenlyVirtues: An Auroran naming convention, which makes Roy, Sean, and Mary [[AerithAndBob stand out a bit]].

* ApocalypseHow: Mars has suffered a Class 2 due to an event known as "The Turmoil," leading to the Martian atmosphere being unable to filter out solar radiation. [[spoiler: ''The Technomancer'' shows that the Turmoil was on the scale of the solar system and ''Earth suffered a Class X.'']]