I recently got a chance to play around an hour of RetroSpace on the PlayStation 5 Pro, thanks to a review copy provided by Kwalee.
You can find my gameplay video below:
You can also find my first impressiosn of Retro Space below:
Pros:
- Immersive sim mixed with Metroidvania exploration.
- Engrossing retro-futuristic setting.
Cons:
- None.
Overall:
RetroSpace is an immersive sim where you get to explore a space station that has been overtaken by mutated plants and animals. The various sections of the ship are connected with some places in the earlier areas being inaccessible until later in the game.
Numerous diaries and audio logs are scattered throughout the ship, providing you with a glimpse of the life of the people as well as giving you hints.
The story itself is rather intriguing as something clearly went wrong with the space station, which was originally designed to help humanity look for a new home. As a janitor, you woke up to a desolated ship filled with monsters.
In terms of gameplay, you are given a choice to either fight or sneak past any enemy encounter. Ammo is quite limited, which means that there are times when you have to choose the stealth option.
Fortunately, the game does offer multiple difficulty options, including a story mode. You can also enable a manual save if you find the limited save points to be far and far between.
Throughout your journey, you will run into special pods that will provide an opportunity to augment your combat and sneaking abilities thanks to Mutamods.
If you die, your clone will be created in these same pods. However, due to generic errors, you can get some defects. During my playthrough, for example, my clone ended up swearing every few minutes.
Overall, RetroSpace is an engrossing immersive sim thanks to its intriguing retro-futuristic setting. If you are a fan of BioShock, then you should love this game as well.