Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Monuments of Mars delivers classic single-screen platforming that feels both nostalgic and challenging. Each level is carefully designed around jump timing, precise movement, and quick reflexes. While the controls are entirely keyboard based, the responsive input ensures that every leap and dash feels intentional, minimizing frustration even when you’re pinballing off walls to avoid deadly alien creatures.

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The game’s four-episode structure offers a steady ramp in difficulty. You begin with the free shareware episode, First Contact, which introduces basic hazards like moving platforms, disappearing floors, and simple traps. By the time you unlock The Pyramid, The Fortress, and The Face of Mars, you’re juggling teleporters, timed switches, and increasingly elaborate enemy patterns that reward both patience and experimentation.

Item collection adds another layer to the gameplay loop. Scattered throughout each level are air tanks that extend your oxygen supply, keys to unlock hidden doors, and diamonds for extra points. Rather than feeling like superficial fetch quests, these pickups often require detours into perilous alcoves or backtracking through hostile zones, elevating the puzzle elements of the platforming.

Despite its vintage pedigree, Monuments of Mars strikes a commendable balance between trial-and-error gameplay and discoverable shortcuts. Secret exits and bonus areas encourage meticulous exploration, and the game’s relatively small load times keep you engaged as you attempt that one extra-cunning sequence. For fans of old-school PC platformers, the tight interplay between level design and keyboard control creates a satisfying, if sometimes unforgiving, experience.

Graphics

Graphically, Monuments of Mars embraces the low-resolution, 16-color palette that was standard on early PC platforms. The pixel art might seem rudimentary by modern standards, but it possesses a certain charm that evokes the “golden era” of shareware gaming. The red-hued Martian caverns, blocky pyramids, and skeletal alien designs all contribute to a distinctive aesthetic that remains readable even on high-definition displays.

Animations are simple but effective: your astronaut’s jumps and falls are fluid enough to convey momentum, and enemy movements follow predictable loops that you can learn and exploit. Environmental details—like blinking laser beams or rotating spiked balls—flash just enough to warn you of danger without overwhelming the screen. The cohesive art style unifies the four episodes, making each new location feel like part of the same mysterious world.

Despite being limited to single-screen layouts, level art cleverly uses color contrast to guide the player’s eye. Brightly colored switches and doors stand out against muted rock backdrops, while items and hazards glow subtly to attract attention. This visual clarity is crucial when every pixel counts for safe landings or timing a sprint across rising platforms.

While modern gamers might miss dynamic lighting or high-fidelity textures, Monuments of Mars proves that strong level design and consistent visual theming can trump graphical fidelity. Its retro visuals are part of its identity, and fans of pixel-perfect gameplay will appreciate that the game never sacrifices readability for style.

Story

The narrative premise of Monuments of Mars is refreshingly straightforward: NASA has lost contact with its first manned expedition to Mars, and you’re the brave astronaut sent to uncover what happened. This setup provides enough context to justify the varied environments—from echoing pyramids to mechanized fortresses—without bogging down the action with lengthy cutscenes or dialogue.

Each episode feels like a chapter in a larger mystery. First Contact establishes the Martian ruins and introduces you to basic hazards, while The Pyramid delves into ancient alien architecture hinting at a long-lost civilization. The Fortress ups the ante with mechanical contraptions and security systems that suggest these monuments were as much defensive strongholds as ceremonial sites. By The Face of Mars, the game’s title becomes literal as you navigate levels carved into a colossal, inscrutable visage.

Though there is no spoken exposition or animated storytelling, item descriptions and level names subtly guide your imagination. Recovering astronaut bodies, stashing away personal effects, and discovering cryptic hieroglyphics all contribute to an emergent narrative. You piece together the fate of the missing crew through environmental clues rather than overt plot devices.

This minimalist approach to storytelling works well in a puzzle-platformer context. It keeps you focused on the gameplay while allowing your curiosity to build organically. By the final level, the sense of achievement is twofold: you’ve mastered intricate level designs and unraveled the basic outline of Mars’s perilous monoliths.

Overall Experience

Monuments of Mars stands as a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness of early PC developers. It may lack the polish of contemporary indie platformers, but its tight controls, clever level design, and atmospheric pixel art have aged remarkably well. Each episode offers around twenty bite-sized challenges that you can tackle in short bursts or marathon sessions, making it ideal for both quick playthroughs and deep dives.

Replayability is high thanks to secret exits, varying difficulty spikes, and the urge to collect every diamond and air tank. The keyboard-only control scheme might feel archaic to some, but it reinforces the precision-based gameplay that defines the experience. If you enjoy mastering pattern recognition and carefully timed jumps, Monuments of Mars will keep you engaged for hours.

The game’s shareware distribution of the first episode remains a smart entry point. You can sample the initial levels free of charge and decide if you’re hungry for more pyramid puzzles, fortress forays, and face-shaped chambers. The affordable price of the full trilogy makes it a risk-free investment for platforming enthusiasts and retro gamers alike.

In conclusion, Monuments of Mars offers a compelling blend of platforming, puzzle-solving, and exploratory intrigue. Its retro charm, combined with surprisingly deep level mechanics, makes it a worthwhile addition to any gamer’s collection—especially those who appreciate the heritage of DOS-era classics and the simple joy of pixel-perfect jumps on alien soil.

Retro Replay Score

6.7/10