RetroSpace brings disco-punk janitor horror to PS5 and PC

Developer The Wild Gentlemen and publisher Kwalee released RetroSpace today for PlayStation 5 and PC. First announced in January 2023, the game is finally out, bringing a mix of first-person stealth, cosmic horror, and janitorial duties to a space station swallowed by a sentient black hole.

The launch trailer leans heavily into a 1970s sci-fi aesthetic, complete with a self-aware narrator who labels the genre "Immersive Disco-Punk Space-Horror Stealth-Shooter Eurojank Janitor Core." You play as a simple janitor on the Aurora 5 station. Now that time is broken and mutants roam the halls, you have to survive using whatever tools you can find.

A power wrench and a spray bottle

Combat and exploration follow the classic immersive sim playbook. You can sneak past enemies in the dark, hack security systems to work for you, or fight directly. The trailer shows the player character using a "Universe Cleaner" spray bottle to wipe blood off the floor, right before bashing a spider mutant with a wrench.

The Aurora 5 is designed as a massively interconnected open station. As you explore, you unlock shortcuts and alternate paths back to previously visited areas. There is a central hub area that remains mostly peaceful, giving you a place to regroup when the cosmic horror gets too loud. The enemies themselves require some observation. The developers state that survival depends on learning specific behaviors and weaknesses rather than just shooting everything that moves. Security systems are deadly, but a careful player can rewire them into traps.

Genetic degeneration and side effects

Upgrades come in the form of Mutamods, which enhance stealth, combat, and mobility. These grant abilities like mind control or literal tentacle arms. The developer notes they carry unexpected and irreversible side effects, so becoming a shadow-lurking mutant madman comes with a cost.

Death is also built into the progression loop. The station can print an infinite number of clones of your character. The catch is that repeated cloning causes severe genetic degeneration. You also have to retrieve your gear from your former corpse. I want to see how punishing the cloning degenerations actually get in practice. Immersive sims often struggle to balance death penalties with experimentation, and adding physical debuffs to your next life is a bold choice.

Accessibility options

The official PlayStation Store listing details a few welcome accessibility features. Players can adjust the overall challenge with preset difficulty levels, remap controls to avoid holding down buttons, and tweak individual audio channels. The game also includes manual save points, so you can lock in your progress before trying something foolish with a security turret.

RetroSpace is available now. It is rated M for Mature due to intense violence and blood, which makes sense given how much of it you have to mop up.