Ares Program

Humanity's last hope: Mars

Earth's civilization has fallen in an AI war. On a partly terraformed Mars, a handful of survivors must dig out a home and build a future. Ares Program combines underground colony management, environmental simulation and direct control of your colonists in combat.

Build a colony that can sustain itself

Excavate layered geology, grow crops, cook meals and expand your industries. Route gases, liquids and electricity through pumps, pipes, filters and storage tanks. Manage oxygen, heat and pressure as your settlement grows from a shelter into an underground base.

Lead your people and defend their home

Set work priorities and schedules for colonists with individual skills, needs, equipment and stress. Draft a squad and give movement and attack orders when raiders, AGI scout robots or flying drones approach. Use barricades, traps and automated turrets to support your defense. Injuries affect individual body parts: rescue the fallen, treat wounds and help your survivors recover.

Hack the AI's orbital networks

A colonist with a neural chip can use a working satellite communicator to infiltrate AI satellites. Explore connected nodes in a turn-based hacking minigame, overcome defensive systems and use recovery, shield and penetration tools to reach the system core. Research skill improves your virus's attack strength. Recover in-game cryptocurrency or AI technology, and decode signals that reveal anomalies on Mars.

Trade and explore beyond your base

Meet visiting caravans and trade with other survivors. Build cargo trucks and exploration vehicles, choose a crew, and load cargo, food, oxygen and battery power for the journey. Use the rotating 3D Mars map to plan trips to nearby settlements and investigate anomalies. A powered satellite communicator also enables trade with the Human Protection Alliance's orbital station during contact windows, with purchases delivered by supply drop.

Make a life on a hostile planet

Random events bring new survivors, supplies and threats. Expand research, recreation and medical care while balancing everyday needs against the risks beyond your walls. Contextual tutorials introduce colony controls, combat, rescue, hacking and caravans. The interface and tutorials support English, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Russian and Spanish.