Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Space 1889’s gameplay is a faithful adaptation of GDW’s classic pencil‐and‐paper roleplaying system, delivering a rich blend of exploration, social interaction, and tactical combat. Character creation offers a variety of Victorian‐era archetypes—from intrepid explorers to genius inventors—allowing players to tailor their skill sets for diplomacy, archaeology, marksmanship, or scientific experimentation. As you travel to remote corners of the Earth and beyond, each decision carries weight: will you bribe the local governor to gain entry to Atlantis, or attempt a stealthy infiltration under moonlight?

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Exploration forms the backbone of the experience. The game’s world is divided into a diverse set of locales, from the flooded ruins of Atlantis to the cryptic passages of King Tut’s tomb. Each area is peppered with hidden passages, puzzle‐locked vaults, and period‐appropriate traps that reward keen observation and lateral thinking. Unlike many linear adventures, Space 1889 encourages backtracking: items and clues collected on Mars may open doors in a Himalayan plateau or provide leverage in a London laboratory.

Combat is turn‐based and tactically demanding, mirroring the slow‐grind tension of Victorian duels. Firearm engagements and hand‐to‐hand clashes play out on grid‐based maps, where cover, positioning, and wind conditions can tip the balance of power. The addition of Martian “liftwood” skiffs and Edison’s experimental weaponry further spices up encounters, letting players mount high‐speed chases across desert dunes or dog‐fights among the craters of Mars.

Graphics

Visually, Space 1889 embraces a steampunk aesthetic rooted in Victorian science fiction art. The game’s environments are rendered with hand‐painted backgrounds that evoke sepia‐toned postcards, combining ornate architecture with anachronistic machinery. Atlantean halls glitter with phosphorescent coral, while Mars’s red deserts are punctuated by the skeletal remains of ancient canal systems.

Character portraits capture the period’s fashion in remarkable detail: brass goggles, frock coats, full skirts, and ornate Tesla coils strapped to leather harnesses. Though the animations are modest by modern standards, each NPC exhibits unique body language, from inquisitive eyebrow raises to wary defensive stances—subtle touches that breathe life into static frames.

The user interface is designed to look like a polished brass control panel, complete with rotating dials and toggled levers that respond with satisfying clinks and mechanical whirs. While it occasionally feels cumbersome—particularly when inventory screens overlap—the UI reinforces the game’s Victorian‐steampunk identity and invites you to embrace the role of a resourceful adventurer tinkering with Edison’s latest contraptions.

Story

Space 1889 unfolds as a sprawling adventure in the “future” imagined by 19th‐century visionaries. Thomas Edison’s invention of Martian liftwood kickstarts an era of interplanetary travel, and it’s up to your party of heroes to chart new frontiers—be it the submerged palace of Atlantis, the sun‐blasted ruins of Tutankhamun’s tomb, or the windswept canyons of Barsoom. Every destination feels ripe with historical resonance and speculative wonder.

The narrative is driven by a combination of scripted events and emergent storytelling. An early mission might have you bargaining for an ancient Atlantean relic, while a later expedition plunges you into Martian civil war, replete with planetary politics and espionage. Dialogue choices affect alliances, revealing hidden agendas among British colonial authorities, Martian royalists, and shadowy organizations seeking Edison’s secrets.

Quests often weave real‐world mythologies with speculative science, creating memorable set‐pieces: deciphering hieroglyphs that hint at alien visitation, foiling a saboteur’s plan to destroy the Mars liftwood docks, or rescuing a kidnapped noble trapped in a glass‐domed greenhouse teeming with exotic Venusian flora. These high‐stakes scenarios maintain narrative momentum and reward players willing to dig into lore and dialogue trees.

Overall Experience

Space 1889 delivers an immersive, old‐school RPG experience that will resonate with fans of Paragon’s MegaTraveller series and lovers of Victorian steampunk. Its strengths lie in the breadth of exploration, the depth of its period‐inspired storytelling, and the tactile pleasure of interacting with brass‐clad interfaces. Each session feels like uncovering a dusty pulp novel, page by page.

That said, modern players should be prepared for a deliberate pace. Combat can be unforgiving, and inventory management sometimes feels dated. Occasional pathfinding quirks and the need for frequent saves may test your patience. Yet overcoming these challenges only amplifies the sense of achievement when you finally expose Atlantis’s hidden vaults or broker peace among warring Martian factions.

Ultimately, Space 1889 shines as a labor of love—an adventurous homage to Victorian science fiction and tabletop RPGs. If you relish methodical exploration, enjoy unraveling arcane mysteries with fellow adventurers, and appreciate a richly textured setting that blends history with imaginative speculation, this title is a rewarding voyage through an alternate past’s vision of the future.

Retro Replay Score

7/10