Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars

Did You Know?

• The game received a score of 28 out of 40 from Famitsu in Japan.
• IGN's Craig Harris criticized the game's dialogue elements as over-saturated.

Storyline

The story takes place in 2173 within the Zone of the Enders universe. Humanity has expanded to Mars and the moons of Jupiter in search of the valuable resource Metatron, establishing full colonies. Earth maintains strict control over the colonials, who are derogatorily called Enders, leading to widespread discrimination. Food shortages and restricted movement are common, and Mars inhabitants have attempted rebellions with little success. The game follows 17-year-old Cage Midwell, a worker on the interplanetary express ship Bonaparte III. After spotting a woman sneaking into the cargo holds, the ship is attacked by a black Orbital Frame. Cage and the woman, Myona Alderan, escape in a mysterious LEV and crash-land on Mars. They are imprisoned and accused of causing the crash, but are freed by Deckson Geyse, leader of the Anti-Terrestrial League faction BIS (Born In Space). Cage becomes involved in the conflict between Earth and Mars.

Structure

Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars is presented like an anime series, splitting its story into 26 episodes, each with a single mission. Apart from the final episode, which is purely narrative, each episode begins and ends with story scenes surrounding a gameplay segment. In between episodes, players can buy mecha upgrades and equipment, and save their progress. A glossary of characters and terms is accessible, and players can save mid-combat at any time. Story scenes can be fast-forwarded, reversed, or skipped entirely. Certain in-game conditions unlock different missions and endings. The gameplay, similar to Super Robot Wars, uses a tactical interface where mecha have unique stats and attacks, with strengths and weaknesses—for instance, Mebius’s Orchist excels at ranged combat with moves like the Elfen Bow but is weak up close. Mission objectives vary, from protecting targets to eliminating specific foes. The Interactive Attack System (IAS) handles attacks and evasions from a first-person perspective.