Travel back to 1993.

I am (currently) the oldest writer on the Game Raven Review roster, so I actually remember 1993 pretty well, especially the arcade. The booming sound of an arcade cabinet, the allure of demo reels trying to make you part with your quarter, the feel of grease-covered buttons… all moments lost to time, like tears after you can’t beat the Technodrome level of Turtles in Time. 

If you’re looking to relive—or live for the first time—the feel of an arcade shooter, 1993 Space Machine is the perfect time warp.

The game started development in, well, 1993 by four Swedish teens. The project was abandoned and later found on an old floppy disk by one of the teens in 2013 and completed in 2016. 1993 Space Machine may just be the Jurassic Park of games—a project unearthed after years of dormancy being injected into the new world for us to enjoy (or be destroyed by said project. This may be a bad analogy).

GRAPHICS 8/10

Visually, 1993 Space Machine takes its aesthetic from Amiga games of the past, because at one time it was an Amiga game and it shows (more on this in a minute). Period-correct tech like parallax scrolling make an appearance, and the big, chunky hand-drawn sprites look fantastic in HD. Your ship attacks and explosions emit satisfying sparks and chunks of debris, as well as crystals and coins that can be traded in for upgrades. 

Some levels are bursting with color and life, while others can be a bit drab. Speaking of the lack of color, your ships just come in one: grey. It would have been nice to have a bit of flair for your vessel. 

SOUND QUALITY 7/10

The sounds of 1993 Space Machine also adhere to the year in which it was crafted. Its ethereal soundtrack complete with pulsing drum beats and synth pads are period-correct for 1993.

If you’re into early 90s house music you’ll be in for a treat.

I found the soundtrack to be more laid-back than I would have liked in a fast-paced shooter, however.

GAMEPLAY 8/10

Hit a button to shoot. Hit another to use a special attack. Avoid enemy fire and destroy everything in your path. Sounds simple, right? Well, this is where 1993 Space Machine deviates from the norm. There are nine ships and 24 different weapons and upgrades for said ships in this game. I found it a bit intimidating to commit to a certain loadout at times, but the myriad of combinations in which to destroy enemies is refreshing, especially on higher difficulty levels.

Space Machine 1993 has three difficulty levels, with the highest being HARD. AS. HELL. If you’re into hardcore bullet hell shooters, 1993 Space Machine on the hardest difficulty is for you. 

Ship control is crisp, and the ability to rotate a shield around your craft to absorb enemy fire from all sides is an insanely refreshing mechanic for this genre. Your shield can soak up a decent amount of fire, allowing you a fighting chance to get past difficult chokepoints. You won’t be losing ships to that one errant bullet you didn’t track in this game.

STORY 7/10

The story of 1993 Space Machine is pretty thin, which is par for the course in an arcade shooter. Your mission is to wrestle the Spacemachine, a device that can terraform inhabitable planets to make them livable, from the clutches of the evil Colonel Nestor, which is all the excuse you need to suit up and destroy every single enemy that comes from the right of the screen to the left of the screen.

OVERALL 8/10

From the most hardcore shooter fans to someone looking to relive the glory days of arcade shooters, 1993 Space Machine has you covered, especially if you’re someone who cut their teeth playing games on an early 90s home computer. 

Boot up 1993 Space Machine, turn off the lights, crank up the sound and you may just be able to recapture your salad days of shoveling quarters into your favorite arcade cabinet.

1993 Space Machine started development in 1993, restarted development in 2013, and was published in 2016. The updated 2020 version is available now on Steam and Humble Bundle. The reviewer was provided a key by the publisher for this review.