Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Star Trek: Generations – Beyond the Nexus delivers a surprisingly varied gameplay experience for a mid-’90s tie-in. The core starship combat segments place you at the helm of the Enterprise (either the -B or the -D), giving you direct control over phasers, photon torpedoes, and shield management. Battles against Tholians, Klingons, and Romulans require keen situational awareness, and the targeting system forces you to prioritize threats rather than simply blasting everything on screen. While the controls can feel a bit rigid by modern standards, the satisfaction of outmaneuvering an enemy cruiser remains palpable.

Complementing the space battles are navigation challenges that have you flying the Enterprise through a series of glowing rectangles in space. At first glance, this mode seems like a simple obstacle course, but as the fields grow more complex and time windows shrink, you’ll find yourself honing precision and timing—skills that carry over to the more intense combat scenarios. These flight sequences break up the pacing nicely, ensuring the game never feels like a one-trick pony.

Beneath the shipboard action, Beyond the Nexus also sends you on away missions with a top-down perspective. Here, you control a single character—often Kirk or Picard—and blast away at alien foes with your trusty phaser. Though these sections are more straightforward in design, they add a welcome sense of variety. The limited weapon options and tight corridors heighten tension and encourage cautious advancement rather than reckless strafing.

The two puzzle modes bring an extra layer of cerebral challenge. The frequency-decoding puzzles ask you to order symbols correctly within a finite number of guesses, reminiscent of Mastermind. Each attempt grants partial feedback, rewarding logical deduction and offering that “aha” moment when you finally crack the code. Power rerouting, by contrast, tasks you with piecing together a path on a grid using random pipe-like segments, evoking classic Pipe Mania gameplay. Both puzzle types are well-implemented and provide a welcome respite from action, though puzzle purists may find the limited retries a bit unforgiving.

Graphics

For a title released in the mid-1990s, Beyond the Nexus punches well above its weight graphically. The starship combat interface features crisp sprites of your vessel and enemy ships, complemented by bright, colorful explosion effects when phasers or torpedoes make contact. The UI is clear and functional, with status bars for shields and energy that keep you informed without cluttering the screen.

Away mission environments are rendered in charming, if modest, detail. You’ll traverse corridors with distinctive textures that capture the feel of a Federation starship interior, complete with blinking console panels and subtly animated doors. Character sprites are small but expressive, their limited animations conveying enough personality to keep you immersed—especially when command menus pop up with familiar icons like tricorders and phaser rifles.

Puzzle screens adopt a cleaner, more abstract aesthetic. The symbol grid in the decoding puzzles is laid out with simple lines and geometric shapes, making it easy to distinguish elements at a glance. The rerouting puzzles’ pipe pieces are brightly colored and neatly animated when energy flows through them. While neither puzzle mode pushes the graphical envelope, both remain visually coherent and easy on the eyes during extended play sessions.

Cinematic interstitials, inspired by the film’s original footage, are presented as static artwork rather than full-motion video. These stills capture key moments from Star Trek: Generations with a comic-book flair, tying the game’s events to the movie’s narrative. Though actual video would have been preferable, the artwork choices maintain consistency with the game’s overall visual style.

Story

Beyond the Nexus faithfully adapts the plot of Star Trek: Generations, weaving in the mystery of the Nexus energy ribbon and the tragic fall of Captain Kirk. You’ll witness familiar set-pieces—such as the Enterprise-B’s ill-fated maiden voyage and the encounter with Dr. Tolian Soran—while also guiding Picard as he navigates the ribbon’s surreal realms. Fans of the film will appreciate seeing iconic moments reinterpreted in interactive form.

The game’s narrative unfolds through text briefings and illustrated cutscenes, each providing clear context for your next objective. Dialogue is succinct but captures the essence of each captain’s voice, lending emotional weight to the stakes: a mad scientist’s lust for power threatens to annihilate a populated world, and only two generations of Starfleet officers can set it right. Although there’s no voice acting, the written script is polished enough to sustain engagement.

Story progression feels natural, thanks to the balanced mix of gameplay modes. You’re never stuck doing the same activity for too long, and each new challenge deepens your understanding of the Nexus phenomenon. The narrative climax pairs a high-stakes starship duel with a tense away-mission showdown, creating a satisfying payoff that rewards both strategic skill and puzzle-solving prowess.

Overall Experience

Star Trek: Generations – Beyond the Nexus delivers a robust package that will particularly resonate with Trekkies and classic adventure gamers. Its wealth of gameplay styles—from starship dogfights to logic puzzles—keeps the experience fresh across multiple hours of play. While the controls and graphics show their age, the core design remains engaging and diverse.

Replay value is high, thanks to the different difficulty options and the desire to improve your performance in each mode. Whether you’re chasing higher accuracy in beam attacks, shaving seconds off your navigational runs, or solving puzzles more efficiently, there’s always a new personal best to strive for. And for completionists, hunting down every hidden bonus and dialogue variant adds another layer of incentive.

Beyond the Nexus succeeds as both a faithful movie adaptation and a standalone Star Trek adventure. It offers enough challenge to satisfy seasoned gamers while retaining an approachable learning curve for newcomers. If you’ve ever dreamed of commanding the Enterprise through the dizzying expanse of the Nexus, this title remains a rewarding voyage through familiar—and sometimes perilous—cosmic wonders.

Retro Replay Score

5.5/10