When does Waking Mars get good?

Give it 1 hour. In the first 2 hours almost 1 in 2 reviews are negative (45%); after 7h it's 1 in 65 (2%). Fully opens up by hour 7.

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ActionAdventureIndie

Waking Mars

Dec 13, 2012 Steam: Very Positive

Give it 1 hour

Gets good by 1h almost every game dips in hours 2–3

Fully opens up by 7h rated like by long-time players

Started playing 47% of owners

Steam reviews 89% positive of 1,203

What the data shows

In the first 2 hours almost 1 in 2 reviews are negative (45%); after 7h it's 1 in 65 (2%).
Fully opens up by hour 7.
Few early reviews, so this is a rough estimate.
Only 47% of owners have even the first achievement — the rest barely played.

When it gets good

Share of positive reviews by how many hours the reviewer had played when writing the review.

before it gets good opening up fully opened up

Based on all 1,198 Steam reviews in every language. Median playtime in a sample of 293 reviews: 9.9h for positive, 0.9h for negative. Almost every game is rated lower in the first 2–3 hours: that window includes refunds and quick first impressions. What matters is how deep the dip is and how fast the game recovers.

Where players quit

Share of players who started the game and reached each story milestone. 100% is the most common achievement (46.7% of owners), so people who bought the game and never launched it don't count.

Story milestones aren't labeled yet; all achievements are listed below.

All achievements (17)

Research: Halid Zoa Complete research objectives on Halid-class Zoa lifeforms. 100%
Research: Hydron Zoa Complete research objectives on Hydron-class Zoa lifeforms. 96%
Research: Cerebranes Complete research objectives on Cerebrane lifeforms. 77%
Research: Fertile Terrain Complete research on Fertile Terrain. 68%
Research: Larian Complete research objectives on Larian lifeforms. 64%
Research: Cycot Complete research objectives on Cycot lifeforms. 63%
Research: Feran Zoa Complete research objectives on Feran-class Zoa lifeforms. 58%
Research: Hazards Complete research objectives on the hazardous environments of Lethe Cavern. 56%
Research: Ledon Zoa Complete research objectives on Ledon-class Zoa lifeforms. 56%
Finding 0CT0 Determine the fate of 0CT0. 51%
Research: Phyta Complete research objectives on Phyta-class lifeforms. 50%
Research: Prax Zoa Complete research objectives on Prax-class Zoa lifeforms. 47%
Mars Awake Complete the game. 43%
Research: Cephad Zoa Complete research objectives on Cephad-class Zoa lifeforms. 42%
Research: MegaZoa Complete research objectives on MegaZoa. 39%
A Light Into Space Activate Core illumination. 32%
The Journey Begins Complete the game, unlocking the special ending. 28%

Steam page Updated: 2026-10-20.