Interesting Scenario? - Check. Developers that worked on the Civilization series? - Check. Original Soundtrack by Christopher Tin? - Check! Offworld Trading Company had my attention from the very first moment I spotted it back on the old Steam Greenlight service. Still, it took some time for me to actually buy this game, not least because Elite: Dangerous and Cities Skylines were taking an absurdly large amount of my free time back on my gaming PC. When I finally bought it, the game ended up on my MacBook Air, rather than on my gaming machine.. And while that notebook has seen more hardware intensive games, Offworld Trading Company still demands quite a bit of it.
The premise of the game is as simple as it is compelling. In the near future, Earth’s resources are nearing depletion. At the same time, government funded attempts to set up a colony on Mars have failed spectacularly, leaving behind a number of small outposts on the red planet that are barely surviving. In a last-ditch attempt to gain new resources and a stable foothold on Mars, private companies are given free rein on the planet, and a scramble for land and resource claims ensues, as mighty conglomerates struggle for superiority against scrappy startups. You, as the player, are in charge of the Martian operations of one of these companies, and must both set up your company and colony, and turn a profit.
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| Colony ships like this are the last hope for many people in Offworld Trading Company. |
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| Mars is seen as a land, no, a planet of opportunity. |
This is done by building mines and quarries, as well as refinery and factory facilities, power plants, hydroponic facilities, anything a successful colony needs, before eventually sending resources off-world, and back to Earth. You start with only a limited land claim on Mars, and will need to upgrade your facilities to gain more claims, and expand your reach. However, you’re not alone, and a lot of the gameplay revolves around gaining resources before your competitors do, working more efficiently than they do and, if needed, throwing a little spanner into the works of the competition. They certainly won’t hesitate in doing the same to you.
In a way, Offworld Trading Company defies classification. The resource mining and refining part feels a lot like 1990s real time strategy gems along the lines of Command & Conquer or Starcraft, with a cutthroat economy and sabotage system added on top of it. Developers Mohawk games describe it as an economic RTS game, and I find that description to be quite apt, as you can have quite a lot on your plate, beating off competitors, dealing with the effects of their last sabotage attempt, or playing the stock or commodities markets to get a bit of an advantage. However, in my, admittedly limited, games, it has never felt unfair, the balancing is pretty much on point, with your own strengths and weaknesses, those of your competitors, and not least the surprises that Mars can unleash on you.
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| In the beginning, your base is not much to look at. Just a HQ, a few mines and a power plant or two. |
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| Sometimes, you come across special resources or features, such as this geothermal vent. It is highly recommended to claim them as soon as possible. |
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| While the Martian landscape throws up some building restrictions, transport is unaffected thanks to transport ships. |
The graphics certainly do their part in creating a compelling game. The landscape looks alien, or rather authentically Martian. You’ll see a lot of red, and depending on the map you play, may be confronted with a lot of craters. All factions have an instantly recognisable building style, and watching the cargo ships shuttle to and fro between your HQ, your factories, and the outlying mines is strangely satisfying, as is the animation of the factories themselves, and the environmental effects. This game is simply beautiful. The art style perfectly matches the game, there is nothing that feels out of place, tacked on.
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| Don't let the cute drawing style fool you. NPCs can act ruthless. |
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| Do I detect a hint of robot-based discrimination here? |
The quirky writing certainly helps a lot. Sure, the companies more often than not follow standard stereotypes (the high-tech consortium, the scrappy blue-collar startup, the science outfit, the old money company, etc.), but their backstories and communications always come with a knowing wink, and the game never takes itself too seriously. I’m somehow reminded of the diplomacy of Civ IV, which had the same kind of irreverent writing, and this similarity is more than just superficial. A number of members of the Mohawk Games team used to work on Civilization IV and V. Soren Johnson, one of the co-founders was lead designer for Civilization IV, and Dorian Newcomb won a BAFTA for his work as art director on Civilization V. Their craftsmanship and talent is evident throughout the game.
There is another significant member of the Civilization-IV team that needs to be mentioned here. Many people still remember the main theme of that game, a rousing choral piece entitled Baba Yetu. It was the brainchild of Christopher Tin, and turned out to be his breakthrough. The song won a Grammy in 2011, making it the first time ever that a song specifically written for a video game won such an award. Well, he is back at it on Offworld Trading Company. True, the game soundtrack does not have any of the vocal brilliance of Baba Yetu, or the orchestral splendour of Sogno di Volare, his theme for Civlization VI, but his mainly synthesiser based work for the game, with such fanciful titles as Andante for Hydroponic Systems fits the graphics and themes of the game like a glove. In fact, there are echoes of the Blade Runner, or Mass Effect soundtracks throughout, which again is kind of fitting.
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| Offworld Trading Company has, thanks to DLCs, since moved beyond Mars, into the asteroid belt, and onto the moons of Jupiter, as this more advanced base on Io shows. |
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| The harsh environments of bodies such as Io pose completely different challenges to the relatively benign Mars. |
So, with all these accolades about gameplay, design, and soundtrack, how does a MacBook Air handle it? Quite well, which is not surprising given the specs. Admittedly, the cooling fans will be audible throughout the game, but I’ve played 90 minute sessions without the device feeling uncomfortably warm, even when a lot was happening on the map. At the same time, the game remains responsive throughout, with no noticeable lags or graphics glitches. The one thing I did notice was that this game drained my MacBook battery pretty quickly, but then again, with the CPU maxed out and overclocking, and the GPU doing some hard work itself, that is not surprising.
So, what is the general verdict? While I can’t say for sure if smaller MacBook models will be able to muster the resources to run this game, my MacBook Air was able to do so with ease. And given the great looks, creative and quirky writing, crisp gameplay and sublime soundtrack, this is a game for anyone who craves a bit of quick, engaging fun without being dumbed down.
System Requirements
- MINIMUM:
- OS: OS X Yosemite or Better
- Processor: 1.4 GHz Intel Core i5
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT / ATI Radeon HD 3870 / Intel HD Graphics 4600
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 2 GB available space
- RECOMMENDED:
- OS: OS X Yosemite or Better
- Processor: 2.6 GHz Intel Core i5
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel Iris Graphics or Better
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Suitability for MacBook Air: High
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