In UFO: Afterlight you are shot into space by Reticulans, and must create and defend a colony on Mars while also fending off attacks from indigenous robots who don't like neighbors. Because most of the citizens on your ship are cryogenically frozen, you must make do with only a handful of engineers, soldiers, and scientists. Each unit can be trained in a variety of different areas to increase physical and mental characteristics. The goal is to make the planet hospitable for the sleeping civilization housed within your transport ship before they come out of their unresponsive state. Getting there requires you to research new technologies, manufacture advanced weapons, and execute strategic attacks against the enemy.