Terraforming Mars: Ares Expedition Review – The Best of Mars, Without the Bloat

The announcement of Ares Expedition filled me with anxious excitement. I was all for a slimmed-down version of Terraforming Mars. But how could it live up to the expectations?

Compacting the big sprawling critically acclaimed engine builder down to a board game that could be played within an hour seemed like an impossible feat. Were we headed towards another ill-fated sequel like Son of the Mask?

The overall style of Ares Expedition comes straight from the original game. You get and build project cards, which give you resources, which then let you build more project cards. All the while, you’re trying to make Mars livable by adjusting oxygen levels, temperature, and oceans.

Keeping you entertained is the 6 different resource types you’re balancing, making sure you have enough to buy your project card. The very same card you’re hoping will play nice with everything else you’ve built.

That’s all there from the original, however, there are some big changes. Such as the shrunken board, which removes the whole tile placement portion of the game. As well as cities, milestones, and awards.

There’s also the introduction of the Phases Step. Where instead of generations, Ares Expeditions has a number of phases. But only the phases selected by players are played during the round. Those familiar with Race for the Galaxy will have a spontaneous moment of recognition.

For the rest of us, this means despite there being five phases (Development, Construction, Action, Production, and Research) you might only carry out the Construction, and Production during the round. This adds a layer of mental gymnastics that the original didn’t have.

Otherwise, the ending remains the same. Once all three global parameters meet livable thresholds, whoever has the highest Terraforming Rating wins.

The downside of phases

To answer the question of whether Terraforming Mars Ares Expedition lives up to the original. It does. But the Phases Step adds a very different feel to the game. Where it works as both a great introduction to the larger game and feels like a different game altogether.

Although, in some ways, it feels like a video game. Where only what you can see is rendered, and what you can’t see is empty space. Meaning, in their efforts to shrink the game, the mechanics and card combinations aren’t as fleshed out.

Or maybe they are, but you don’t get the same amount of card draw in Ares Expedition. With fewer cards in your hand, the less synergy you find throughout the game. Specifically, if you’re trying to create combinations around animals and microbes.

That’s to be expected.

The unexpected downside of these set phases is that to ensure your plan or strategy gets carried out, you get trapped playing the same phases over and over. For instance, when you’re building your engine with project cards you might be switching between Production and Development for a significant number of turns.

Unfortunately, this was frustratingly common in the two-player game. Whereas in the four-player game, the spread of phases meant that someone else was likely to select the phases I needed. Giving me the freedom to choose something else.

Mars on the go

While Ares Expedition feels like a Diet Coke version of Terraforming Mars, there is one aspect where it goes above and beyond the original. That is the production.

In Ares Expedition there is a clear, consistent, and professional look and feel to the cards and the product as a whole. Especially in the collector’s edition. This has dual layered player boards from the get-go, as well as nice storage containers for all of the components. All without having to buy a Big Box version.

Despite Ares Expeditions hiccups at two players, at four (and hopefully five with the upcoming Foundations expansion) it sings. And while it’s not the whole album that Terraforming Mars vocalises, you do get some of the best hits. Which when you don’t have an afternoon to sink your teeth into the bigger version of the game, is perfect.

This is why, despite not loving it as much, it still earns its place on my shelf.