Martian Gothic: Unification

Martian Gothic: Unification (a.k.a. Martian Gothic) is a survival horror game for the PlayStation and PC. It was developed by Creative Reality and published by Take 2 Interactive.

Gameplay

In Martian Gothic, the player is able to assume the roles of three characters sent from Earth to a martian base to examine why it has been silent for many months, after a base member broadcasts a final message of "Stay alone, stay alive." Upon arrival you find all the residents are apparently dead and that the base hides a horrible secret. You may switch between the three characters at any time which is crucial to solve many of the puzzles. A lot of planning ahead and teamwork is required. A unique feature is that if any of the characters meet face to face, it's game over.

Because the characters cannot meet face-to-face, they trade items using a system of "Vac-Tubes" which can transport 4 items to other Vac-Tubes at a time. Also, when the player needs to dump or leave an item behind, s/he may do so by leaving the relevant item into various hatches, which can hold up to 4-6 items. But using the hatches may leave the player confused about where he left the item - but the player can use any PC to bring up a list of the contents of every hatch; even ones which have not been opened yet.

Uncovering Past Events

In order for the character to unravel the events before their arrival, they may search dead bodies for letters or micro-recorders which may contain information about the character, plot, passwords, and the way they died. Also, many verbal journals have been stored on some of the base's computers which also contain information - but almost always about the plot.

Characters

Kenzo Uji: Kenzo, looked upon by some as a "techno-zen hippy" is an infomesh expert.

Martin Karne: Martin, the "security escort" of the crew, arrives by his own free will in search of his ex-wife, Judith Harroway, after losing his son.

Diane Matlock: An advanced scientist who has been enlisted in case the radio silence is caused by a bio-hazard. She has some friends on Vita 1, probably part of her reason for joining.

MOOD: The computer of Vita base. She has her own personality and reacts differently to each character. MOOD knows everything on the base and will usually give passwords to Kenzo. At the end of the PC game (the last cutscene is not on the PS1 version), MOOD reveals that she "is free of ^* network of circuits" and released from her "cage of wires". This may imply and speculate that she is not actually a computer program; this theory would also be backed-up by the fact that it, maybe even in the year 2019, current technology cannot possibly give a computer a free will and personality.

Ben Gunn / Dr. Farr: Dr. Farr, a decent biologist, was working on an vaccine should ever a biohazard arise. However, he left the experiment and decided to hide in the Kitchen, where he seems to have gone crazed. At times, he can become possessed by the "cold spirit of Mars."

Enemies

NonDead: The dead Vita Base 1 crew and colonists have all been revived by an ancient martian strain of virus. However, it is unknown how Rigor Mortis has been avoided.

TriMorph: Varying in size, these creatures contain faces of the deceased on their skin and seem weak against Hydrochloric Acid. The TriMorphs can make offspring (although it is unknown how - most likely asexual reproduction) to create large spider-like creatures, known as Extrudes.

Extrude: Large spider-like beings, they are very fast and seem to use one of their front legs to stab. They can also spit poison.

Ghost: Months before the events of the game, a Vita 1 base member died and was buried on the Mars surface. However, his spirit had been brought back, without a body, by the "cold spirit of Mars". He seems to be harmless and does not attempt to hurt anyone; he just hovers infront of doorways, blocking the path to several places. There are 3 other ghosts which have also been resurrected.

Kuakarak / The Sovereign: The Kuakarak (who also call themselves "The Sovereign") are the ancient race who once occupied Mars before becoming extinct. However, some Martian DNA strains managed to survive for billions in an underground tomb (referred to as "Pandora's Box" by Judith Harroway) which had been opened by the Vita 1 base crew. The martian virus strain then invaded, took over, and re-animated the crew to transform them into NonDead, or mutate some into TriMorphs.

Queen Mab: Although its actual gender and name is not known, Queen Mab is the very last of the Kuakarak species, that sealed itself away in an organic cocoon, which has widely been mistaken by the crew as a tomb - which they dubbed "The Regal Tomb" or "Pandora's Box" (see above). When it awoke, it released Kuakarak DNA strains from its ancestors (The Sovereign).

Locations

Vita 1: A research base developed and constructed by the Allenby Corporation and Earth Control, the crew of Vita 1 was to research alien life and microfossil bacteria after discovering a meteorite from Mars had actually contained living bacteria. Vita 1 is actually on the Mars surface, near "Olimpus Mons". The crew had drilled into the Mars crust, where they discovered an ancient Kuakarak city, laid in ruins, which they named "Necropolis".

Necropolis: Under the constructed Vita 1 base, the old Kuakarak city, Necropolis, is laid in ruins. The Necropolis is like a maze which has 4 areas; "The Pit", "The Dome", "The Altar" and "The Regal Tomb".

The Pit is a volcanic vent sculptured by the Kuakarak, which ventilates gases from the biggest volcano in the universe; Olimpus Mons.

The Dome is a large room which looks like an indoor arena, with a dome-shaped roof. The crew of Vita 1 set their main Necropolis base here.

The Altar, also described by Matlock as a "Martian Gothic Cathedral", is a large sculpture, but its purpose is unknown, but it is known that is produces music when activated, can electrocute anyone standing one it, gives of a weird light energy, and can change things - such as Tags.

The Regal Tomb is beyond the giant pillar, Obelisk, where lies Queen Mab of the Kuakarak in her own organic shell.

Mars Surface: The surface of Mars isn't explored much; but the Vita 1 crew created a small cemetery where the ghosts originate from.

Olimpus Mons: Although extinct, Olimpus Mons is the biggest volcano in the universe. It is reported to three-times bigger than Mt. Everest of Earth. It isn't actually accessible, but a volcanic vent releasing gases from Olimpus Mons is.

Bugs & Infamous Errors

The Respirator Bug: On the PlayStation 1 version of the game, there is an infamous bug which freezes/locks the game into a black screen. When Kenzo first enters the MOOD Antechamber and uses his Respirator item, the game crashes. The only known ways to avoid this is to save and retry again and again, or use a friends PlayStation 1 (The old original bulky PlayStation works for some). However, the PC version is unaffected by this bug.

The TriMorph Chase Error: When Matlock uses a ventilation shaft to enter Judith Harroway's room, a TriMorph chase sequence occurs in which the player has to outrun it and trap it forever in the shaft; however, sometimes the trap doesn't operate (and your character gets eaten) or the TriMorph can escape the trap (and prevents you from completing a vital part of the game). The only known ways to avoid this is to start again, load from a different save, use a friends save, or download a game patch from various file hosting websites.

The Stand Still Error: In the Necropolis, where the Obelisk resides, a character may move into the TriMorph's vision, and the TriMorph will try to run at the character but will not actually move. This error/bug is not really dangerous, in fact, it will make the game easier as this can be used as a distraction while another character can avoid the TriMoph. However, this error doesn't always work, and it is thought to have been fixed by latest patches.