Those drawn to the call of other planets, may be attracted to the Marsbound project from Ghost Workshop - an economic strategy with psychological thriller elements. The game is currently in active development and can be wishlisted on Steam.
Marsbound lets players step into the role of an AI created to lead humanity’s first inhabited colony on the Red Planet. Each decision must account for a multitude of factors, from equipment amortization to the bipolar tendencies of mission members. Mars’s hostile environment and Earth’s instability will keep throwing unexpected challenges your way, and your crew will lose trust with each of your failures, as trusting a digital mind 100% is impossible.
Herein lies what makes Marsbound different from its inspirations—like Evil Genius or Frostpunk. According to the developers, progress in the storyline relies heavily on the personalities of the colonists and how players interact with them. Another unique aspect is the scarcity of both physical and human resources. The Mars-bound crew can practically be counted on one hand, and due to various reasons, it won’t be possible to bring in more people, so you’ll have to work with what you have. Ghost Workshop has therefore focused not only on precise resource and time management but also on maintaining a positive emotional atmosphere within the team—or, if necessary, on skillful manipulation.
The developers promise the option to choose between humane and efficient yet morally questionable solutions, as an AI need not follow human ethics to achieve its goals. But remember: colonists can not only fall ill or suffer workplace injuries, they can also lose their sanity, get into disputes, or even turn against you. And beware—you wouldn’t want to share HAL’s fate from 2001: A Space Odyssey.