"Terraformers" is an upcoming strategy game that has the familiar premise of terraforming Mars, but implements innovative gameplay not found in other games I had the opportunity to play it at Steam Next Fest 2021, and I found the same theme of recent I found it more appealing than real-time base-building games, which are more strategy-oriented, such as Civilization V or tile-placement board games.

Terraformers' turn-based gameplay focuses on building various cities in regions of Mars. Those cities would be responsible for various neighborhoods, and the choice between giving newly settled areas to existing cities to increase their productivity or establishing new cities was quite interesting.

As turns passed, new building cards were drawn, acquiring them through events and also replacing characters for the Martian leadership. As the generations progress, these leaders can grow old, retire, and die.

Beyond the basics of exploring and expanding, each city was a mini-game in itself, with new buildings placed nearby to increase synergy. Thus, there was always a choice between building now and risking missing out on later synergies, or letting individual cities specialize in precise areas of expertise, even if it meant missing out on production in the meantime.

In the final version of the game, the Martian surface will be randomized each time and the resources available will change each time you play Terraformers is available on the official website and on Steam. A release date has not yet been set.