Curiosity Quest

Curiosity Quest was created by Capy for ROM Game Jam 2015

Command the Rover!

Rovers need to be given instructions in order to carry out their mission, and the Curiosity rover is no different. Help Curiosity move forward and overcome obstacles in this puzzle-style Mars expedition!

The Facts Behind the Game

Curiosity Quest was inspired by the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which saw the Curiosity rover land on the surface of Mars back in 2012. Still going strong today, Curiosity landed inside the large Gale crater near Mars’ equator, which was a site that NASA believed would be a good place to carry out Curiosity’s mission: to look for signs of water and signs of life (both past or present), and to assess the climate and geology of Mars. Though Curiosity can do a few things autonomously (that is, without instructions from Earth), for the most part, it requires instructions to be sent and drivers to tell it where to go, just as the rover in the game does.

The ROM Connection

Scientists at the ROM actively study Mars, from right here on Earth! The ROM has one of the most important collections of Martian meteorite samples in the world. These are rocks which were formed on Mars, then blasted off of Mars by massive asteroid impacts. Eventually, they found their way to Earth and into the hands of scientists. The study of Martian meteorites by ROM scientists has helped solve some long standing mysteries about Mars, such as how long ago its volcanoes were still erupting, giving scientists important insight into the Red Planet’s history!

What's a Game Jam?

At a ROM Game Jam, teams of developers spend a weekend at the ROM learning from collections and curators and using those ideas to build fun games inspired by the museum.  With only two days to research and create their games, the results can be weird, wacky, and downright wonderful!