Indie · December 3, 2020

Per Aspera (2020)

trophy55 achievementsextension7 DLClocal_offer-75% current discountgroup100k–1M ownersrecommend4.0k recommendations
The surface of Mars is littered with Humanity’s failed attempts to colonize its surface. This time will be different - this time there is no room for human error. Per Aspera is a planetary simulation game that combines hard science fiction and base building and takes the experience planet-wide. Step into the role of AMI, an Artificial Consciousness with the prime directive of terraforming Mars for human colonization. FEATURES: Balance a complex well of resources to build interconnected structures that span the entire planet. Customize your planet with branching research trees that allow players to tailor their terraforming plan — Develop new technologies, steeped in real-world science, to create a thriving interplanetary civilization. Uncover the mystery of a threatening presence on Mars and defend your colonies from unknown and combative forces. Immerse yourself in a rich, compelling narrative or take your time and craft the perfect Martian landscape with Sandbox Mode. Includes the immersive voice acting talents of Troy Baker, Phil LaMarr, Laila Berzins, Yong Yea, Lynsey Murrell, and Nneka Okoye. Terraform Together with Friends (up to 4 players). Sandbox Mode Only. Using scientific theories proposed by real space agencies and geographical data directly from NASA, Per Aspera presents life-like conditions and challenges steeped in theoretical science. Per Aspera contains a rich narrative that presents players with difficult decisions with planet-wide consequences. See the world through the eyes of an infant AI as it traverses a complicated ocean of self-discovery and shapes the fate of the human race. Navigate your ever-evolving programming to adapt to morally challenging concepts and forge relationships with the human colonists that look to you for their continued survival. The choices you make will impact how your mission ultimately concludes. Keep your wits about you as this is not the first time humans have tried to tame the Red Planet. Expose long-forgotten relics of Humanity’s failed attempts, learn from their past mistakes, and uncover a looming menace that threatens to see you fail at any cost.

Indie releases from 2020

25 Indie titles launched in 2020 — top 6 by review volume.

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Online Co-Op · 989
  • Real-Time · 646
  • Management · 629
  • Strategy · 623
  • Automation · 621
  • Base-Building · 617
  • City Builder · 614
  • Moddable · 601
  • Colony Sim · 599
  • Resource Management · 593
  • Building · 588
  • Robots · 587
  • Simulation · 584
  • Multiplayer · 570
  • Sandbox · 546

Peer Indie titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Position in Indie

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume5.5k Steam reviewsTop 45% in Indie
Positive rating76% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 90%
Metacritic78/100Genre average 77 — top 48% of Indie titles
Engagement hours24 h averageTop 25% for session depth among Indie

Reception Metrics

Steam community

76%Mostly Positive · 5.5k reviews

4.2k positive · 1.3k negative

Metacritic

78/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

6.7/10

Curator recommendations

4.0k

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (8)

  • English volume_up
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Japanese
  • Portuguese - Brazil
  • Russian
  • Simplified Chinese volume_up

Full audio (2)

  • English
  • Simplified Chinese

Features & Capabilities

Multiplayer

  • Multi-player
  • Co-op
  • Online Co-op

Community

  • Steam Achievements
  • Steam Trading Cards
  • Steam Workshop
  • Steam Cloud

Other

  • Single-player
  • Family Sharing

Release & Availability

Release dateDec 3, 2020
DeveloperTlön Industries
PublisherRaw Fury
Base price$7.49 -75%
DLC / Add-ons7 released
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected]

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

24h

moderate (15–40 hours)

Median

11h

Typical completion time

Achievements

55

Steam unlocks available

Editions & Packages

  • Buy Per Aspera