Space exploration will never lose its appeal, no matter the delays or technical challenges to overcome. We recently took a closer look at the Apollo program, sharing wonderful resources like the audio from Apollo 11 or exclusive photos from Apollo 7, but when it comes to playing, what options are there? One of the most interesting titles is Buzz Aldrin's Race Into Space, released by Strategic Visions and Interplay in 1993, with Buzz Aldrin himself as a consultant during development.
The Challenge of Retro Games
Some old games were virtually impossible to finish without an official guide. More than once this was done on purpose, since the plan was to earn extra money from the books and offset what was ‘lost’ to illegal copies, but at the same time there were developers who offered no mercy to their players.
Once the ‘YouTube era’ began, the need to search for old walkthroughs disappeared. Many enthusiastic YouTubers publish dozens of ‘Let’s Play’ videos revealing every hidden detail of these games, and if I have to think of an example, the first that comes to mind is Kerbal Space Program (I would never have been able to put a capsule into orbit without Scott Manley’s videos).
However, Kerbal Space Program is not a ‘retro’ title. There are even darker challenges of space simulation and strategy waiting out there, and the one we’ll mention today is Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space.
The Gameplay
The game lets us choose either of the two sides that faced off in the historic space race. A normal game runs from 1957 to the end of 1977, but the only way to win earlier is to land a crewed mission on the lunar surface.
In other words, Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space is not an “astronaut simulator” — we’re in charge of every aspect of the space program, starting with the development of autonomous probes, rockets, capsules, boosters, and more.
At the end of each turn (click the flag), the game presents different details and historical events that can affect the program’s development, which implies a certain degree of randomness. While it is possible to reach the Moon ahead of time, the logical approach is to do good work in each phase, not depend on a dice roll in the background.
Play It Today
The good news is that you can play Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space today, directly in your browser thanks to the folks at Classic Reload, or by downloading its open source variant released by the original developers, which runs on modern operating systems without emulation. I admit an experienced player could finish Buzz Aldrin’s Race Into Space in under two hours, but you’d better prepare for the grind. It’s not that easy.
