Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Star Trek: Shattered Universe delivers a mission-driven space combat experience that immediately throws you into the chaos of a flipped reality. After your ISS Excelsior is hurled through a wormhole, you must navigate 19 varied missions—ranging from high-speed dogfights to deep-space bombardments of enemy installations. The mission design cleverly balances scouting reconnaissance with heavy assault, forcing you to think tactically about when to go on the offensive and when to flee or regroup.

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One of the game’s standout features is its ship-swapping mechanic. Beyond piloting the familiar Excelsior-class cruiser, you gain access to six brand-new vessels alongside captured Romulan and Klingon fighters. Each ship handles differently: some boast nimble maneuverability for hit-and-run strikes, while others carry heavier phaser banks and photon torpedoes that can shred capital ships. Mastering the idiosyncrasies of each craft becomes essential as enemy formations grow more complex.

Controls are generally responsive, allowing you to lock onto targets swiftly and weave through asteroid fields at breakneck speeds. Though the interface can feel a bit clunky during intense battles, adjusting weapon loadouts and managing shields on the fly keeps you engaged. The game also introduces useful radar indicators and target-priority markers, ensuring you’re seldom lost in the void. Mid-mission briefings and debriefings provide context for your objectives, helping to maintain suspense across the entire campaign.

Graphics

For its era, Shattered Universe offers crisp, detailed visuals that still hold up when it comes to starship models and cosmic backdrops. The mirror universe ships sport darker hulls with red and black accents, showcasing the game’s commitment to mirror-design aesthetics. Explosions light up the void with vivid bursts of orange and yellow, and the glow from phaser fire trails realistically as you weave between enemies.

The game’s environments vary from desolate asteroid belts to sprawling space stations under siege. Asteroids cast believable shadows over your cockpit view, while dynamic lighting effects reflect off your ship’s metallic hull. Starfields scroll convincingly, giving a real sense of velocity when you activate your impulse or warp drives. Cutscenes between missions, though pre-rendered and dated by today’s standards, still capture the moody tone of the Empire’s ruthless rule.

On higher settings, textures pop with sharpness, and camera shake during ship impacts adds to the immersion—though those with older hardware may need to dial details down for stable frame rates. The user interface, featuring futuristic holographic overlays, remains clear and unobtrusive. Overall, the graphics strike a solid balance between performance and spectacle, making battles visually satisfying without overwhelming your system.

Story

Shattered Universe builds directly on the iconic “Mirror, Mirror” episode of the original Star Trek series. Here, the Federation is a ruthless tyranny, the Enterprise is a weapon of conquest, and allegiances are turned on their head. As captain of the ISS Excelsior, you must navigate this perverse version of human history, facing off against evil counterparts of beloved characters and forming uneasy truces with former foes.

Each mission drives the narrative forward, revealing snippets of intrigue that hint at a larger conspiracy within the Empire’s hierarchy. Briefings by your mirror-Universe crew add dark humor and tension, as officers who once championed peace now relish calls for total annihilation. Your goal isn’t just to escape back to your home timeline—it’s to uncover the shocking truth behind the wormhole incident and the Empire’s sinister objectives.

While the storyline doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it captures the spirit of classic Star Trek by exploring the moral mirror-image of its universe. The dialogue strikes a decent balance between exposition and personality, and key plot twists arrive when least expected. For fans of Star Trek lore, the nods to established canon and the creativity of the mirror-world premises will be especially rewarding.

Overall Experience

Star Trek: Shattered Universe offers a compelling blend of action, strategy, and franchise fan service. Its 19-mission structure ensures you’re never bored, with progressively challenging objectives and the constant temptation to experiment with different ship classes. The ability to pilot Romulan and Klingon fighters gives the game a refreshing twist, letting you taste the power dynamics from multiple perspectives.

Despite occasional control quirks and some dated cutscene quality, the game’s pacing remains tight. It strikes a satisfying balance between immersive storytelling and hands-on space combat, making it accessible to both veteran sim pilots and casual Star Trek enthusiasts. The mirror-universe setting breathes new life into familiar lore, adding stakes and intrigue that keep you invested from the wormhole entry to the final confrontation.

Whether you’re eager to dogfight through asteroid fields, unleash phaser broadsides on enemy cruisers, or simply revel in the “evil Federation” concept, Shattered Universe delivers a solid sci-fi adventure. It may show its age in parts, but the core gameplay loop and narrative premise remain engaging—making it a worthwhile addition to any Star Trek fan’s collection.

Retro Replay Score

5.3/10