Summary
The past few years have been good for immersive-sim fans. FromCruelty Squad’s surreal biopunk dystopia andShadows of Doubt’s detective sandbox noir toCtrl Alt Ego’s psychedelic space adventure andthe recentSystem Shockremake, gamers have been spoiled for choice when it comes to immersive adventures emphasizing player agency and open-ended gameplay. Still, even in such a crowded space, sometimes a game manages to stand out;RetroSpace, an upcoming ‘discopunk’ im-sim from indie dev team The Wild Gentleman, looks to be one of those games.
First announced in early 2023,RetroSpaceis the next release fromChicken Policedeveloper The Wild Gentleman. A spiritual successor to 2017’sPrey,RetroSpacelets the player loose on the Aurora 5, an abandoned space station filled with mutants, madmen, and mysteries. Promising players a narrative-heavy immersive sim experience in an open-ended setting,RetroSpacelooks to be an exciting addition to PC gaming’s immersive sim landscape, and its retro-future aesthetics cover a niche that has not yet been filled by other games in the genre.
Bloody and gory gameplaylooks to be a big part ofRetroSpace.While players will be able to clean up blood to stop the smell from attracting enemies, they will also be able to spread blood and viscera about in order to make surfaces slippery and attract monsters.
Why RetroSpace is a Loving Homage to Classic Sci-fi
Calling back to some of gaming’s most iconic space-horror experiences,RetroSpacewears its inspirations on its sleeve. With body-horror alien mutations reminiscent ofDead Space, and immersive-sim gameplay paying homage toSystem Shock 2andPrey, the game looks to situate itself as part of a long tradition ofvideo games set on ruined space stations. WithVoid Bastards,Bioshock, andHalf-Lifealso cited as influences, it’s clear that developer The Wild Gentleman is confident inRetroSpace, inviting direct comparisons to some of gaming’s most beloved and influential titles.
Beyond video game inspirations,RetroSpacepulls from film, TV, and literature to craft its unique ‘discopunk’ setting. With environmental design that evokes the pulpy, chunky space-optimism of classic cinematic sci-fi—such as2001: A Space Odyssey,Solaris,andForbidden Planet—and the game’s unique black-comedy approach calling back toRed Dwarf,RetroSpaceis a loving homage to the entire history of science-fiction storytelling. The game even has shades of literary science-fiction, with The Wild Gentleman citing Philip K Dick and Stanislaw Lem as important influences.
RetroSpace is All About Player Choice
RetroSpaceis committed to player choice. At its most fundamental level, the game’s core focus is on letting the player decide between taking a stealthy approach or going in guns-blazing. While that choice might seem simple on the surface, the game’s interlocking gameplay systems mean that taking one approach or the other opens up a series of further choices. While a stealthy player is free to creep through levels like a ghost,RetroSpacealso allows stealthy players to set traps, set up distractions, and/or take out enemies silently. On the flipside, the game’s numerous weapons andvaried environmental interactionsalso provide players with a number of different options when it comes to a more balls-to-the-wall approach.
One of the ways in whichRetroSpacereally hopes to mix up the gameplay is with its ‘mutamods.’ These biomodifications—reminiscent ofPrey’s Neuromods andBioshock’s Plasmids—promise to give players a host of new and exciting abilities. Tentacles, mind control, and enhanced stealth capabilities have all been teased so far, and there are likely to be many more in the game once it releases.
RetroSpace Looks Like a Breath of Fresh Air
With its kitschy retrofuturist approach and diverse set of inspirations,RetroSpacelooks to be taking a unique approach to the immersive-sim genre. Unfortunately, with the game still in active development and no demo yet available, it looks like it might be a while until players get their hands on the game. Interested gamers are encouraged towishlist the game on Steamto stay up to date with RetroSpace’s release schedule.
