Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Name: The Box: Vol. 1
Item: The Box: Vol. 1
Author: Retro Replay

The Box: Vol. 1 offers a uniquely diverse gameplay experience by bundling three distinct titles—Burntime, Dynatech, and Whale’s Voyage—into one package. Each entry brings its own mechanics to the table, ensuring that players won’t tire of a single gameplay loop. From a gritty post-apocalyptic survival sim to mech-based first-person shooting and interstellar trading, this compilation feels like three separate vacations in gaming history, all accessible from a single menu.

(HEY YOU!! We hope you enjoy! We try not to run ads. So basically, this is a very expensive hobby running this site. Please consider joining us for updates, forums, and more. Network w/ us to make some cash or friends while retro gaming, and you can win some free retro games for posting. Okay, carry on 👍)

Burntime’s core gameplay centers around resource management and real-time tactical combat. You’ll explore ruined cities, scavenge food and weapons, and recruit survivors to your faction. Combat unfolds in an isometric view, letting you position your team to clear out rival gangs or feral mutants. The tension of balancing food supplies and ammunition creates a genuine sense of desperation that drives you to plan every move carefully.

In contrast, Dynatech catapults you into a near-future battlefield wearing a customizable armored suit. The transition to a first-person perspective brings adrenaline-pumping firefights against human opponents and automated defenses. You’ll tweak your loadout—choosing between heavy cannons, energy rifles, or defensive shields—to tackle each mission. The level design rewards strategic thinking: some objectives favor a stealthy approach, while others demand all-out assault tactics.

Finally, Whale’s Voyage slows the pace into an expansive sci-fi RPG. You pilot an interstellar freighter, buy and sell commodities across star systems, and accept side quests that range from diplomatic negotiations to derelict ship rescues. A simple experience-point system allows you to upgrade skills like navigation or diplomacy. The trading loop is surprisingly addictive, and occasional ship-to-ship skirmishes add a dash of excitement to your merchant’s life.

Graphics

Given their original release dates in the early to mid-1990s, the visual presentation of these three games varies widely—but each has its own nostalgic charm. The Box: Vol. 1 faithfully preserves the pixel-perfect era of MS-DOS and Amiga titles, allowing modern systems to run them in windowed or full-screen modes without glitching or slowdown. A configurable scaler ensures that 2D sprites and backgrounds look crisp on today’s high-density displays.

Burntime’s isometric graphics shine with detailed ruin architectures and character sprites that convey the bleakness of a post-nuclear world. Cracked roads, burning buildings, and ragged survivors all feel cohesive. Animations are simple but effective—you’ll see dust clouds kick up underfoot and flickers of fire in the distance, enhancing the atmosphere.

Dynatech’s visuals switch to polygonal 3D, albeit at a very early stage of 3D engine development. You’ll notice flat shading on your mech and chunky enemy models, yet the environments feel surprisingly varied. From neon-lit cityscapes to industrial corridors, each level sports a distinct color palette. Lighting effects are rudimentary but present enough to cast basic shadows, giving the world some depth.

Whale’s Voyage returns to 2D but elevates it with rich starfield backdrops and smooth, hand-drawn interfaces. Planetary maps pop with bright, contrasting colors—sales terminals, cargo bays, and cosmic vistas all feel alive. Ship portraits and character dialog boxes benefit from detailed pixel art that holds up even when zoomed in, making conversations and menu navigation a pleasant visual experience.

Story

Though the three titles are unrelated narratively, each delivers a compelling premise that drives you forward. In Burntime, you play as one of three rival leaders vying for dominance in a world ravaged by nuclear fallout. A loose storyline threads together faction rivalries, territorial clashes, and scavenger hunts for long-lost vaults of supplies. While dialogue is sparse, the environment tells most of the story, leaving players to imagine a ravaged society clawing its way back to civilization.

Dynatech casts you as an elite operative recovering from betrayal at the hands of a corrupt corporation. As you track down missing scientists and expose nefarious experiments, the narrative unfolds through mission briefings and in-game radio chatter. Though character development is limited by the game’s action focus, the dystopian corporate intrigue and moral ambiguity keep your interest—a classic cyberpunk setup that still resonates today.

Whale’s Voyage offers the most traditional RPG storyline: you begin as an ambitious trader with dreams of wealth and fame, only to uncover political conspiracies and ancient alien artifacts along your travels. Dialog trees allow you to make choices—allying with smuggler crews or negotiating peace between warring planets. Side characters are memorable, and the plot gradually transitions from a simple trading simulator into an interplanetary mystery with multiple endings, depending on your decisions.

Together, these three narratives showcase a range of storytelling approaches—from atmospheric environmental tales to dialogue-driven RPG arcs. The Box: Vol. 1 doesn’t force a single tone but instead celebrates the storytelling diversity of early ’90s PC gaming.

Overall Experience

The Box: Vol. 1 is more than a mere nostalgia trip; it’s a reminder of how varied early PC gaming could be. Loading times are minimal thanks to modern emulation layers, and optional quality-of-life features—like save-state support and custom keybindings—make these classics far more accessible than they were decades ago. Each game feels thoughtfully preserved and tuned for contemporary play.

While some aspects may feel dated—punishing difficulty spikes in Burntime, blocky visuals in Dynatech, or occasionally tedious trading menus in Whale’s Voyage—the compilation’s sheer variety compensates for any single game’s flaws. You’re unlikely to get bored: when one title starts to wear thin, switch to another and experience a completely different genre and pacing.

For retro enthusiasts, The Box: Vol. 1 is a treasure chest of gaming history. Newcomers will discover foundational mechanics that influenced modern survival sims, shooters, and RPGs. The compilation’s simple launcher, robust configuration options, and minimal system requirements make it an easy addition to any game library.

Ultimately, The Box: Vol. 1 delivers substantial value by packaging three engaging, historically significant titles in a polished format. Whether you’re reliving childhood memories or exploring early PC gems for the first time, this collection offers countless hours of varied, rewarding gameplay.