Navigating the disco-punk corridors of the Aurora 5 presents players with bizarre mutants, mind-bending time jumps, and existential cosmic dread. As an immersive sim inspired by genre classics like System Shock 2 and BioShock, RetroSpace does not simply funnel players down a linear path. Instead, the narrative culminates in a pivotal choice that decides the destination of the ship and the fate of its frozen passengers.
Creative director Bánk B. Varga confirmed that the game features eight distinct ending variations in total. These include two primary narrative branches determined by your final decision, modified by six playstyle-dependent bonus endings and post-credit scenes. Here is a complete breakdown of every ending in RetroSpace, how to unlock them, and what each outcome reveals about the Aurora expedition.
The Big Narrative Twist Behind the Endings
To understand the final outcomes, players must piece together the truth uncovered late in the campaign. For most of the game, you operate under the assumption that you are an ordinary station janitor suffering from stasis amnesia, guided over comms by a scientist named Dr. Nebula.
After you defeat the three mutant bosses and extract their DNA to purge the station's computer core, Dr. Nebula's true nature is unveiled:
- True Identity: Dr. Nebula is actually an older Dr. Herbert Westfield from 37 years in the future. Facing physical deterioration, he uploaded his mind into Herb, a unique android assistant.
- The Janitor's Identity: You are not a random janitor. You are also Dr. Herbert Westfield, originating from this current timeline.
- The Void Child: Decades earlier, a cosmic consciousness connected to the black hole—referred to as the "child"—contacted Dr. Westfield using the voice of the young son he abandoned on Earth. The entity coaxed him into flying Aurora 5 into the gravitational anomaly under the false promise of returning home. In reality, the entity was trapped in cosmic isolation and sought to observe human emotions.
- The Memory Wipe: When older Westfield tricked timelines to recruit his younger self to steer the ship back home, the younger Westfield refused, prioritizing the fleet and the sleeping colonists. In response, older Westfield sabotaged a Hilodome cloning pod on the 16th attempt to wipe your memories and manipulate you into doing his bidding.
At the climax, older Westfield steps back, handing you the controls and leaving the final destination in your hands.
Primary Ending 1: Returning to the Fleet (The "Good" Ending)
Choosing to honor your character's original mission directs Aurora 5 to align coordinates with the rest of the Golden Journey convoy.
How to Unlock
Select the option to rejoin the Aurora fleet at the navigation terminal once the contagion block has been cleared. Unlocking this ending awards the Steam achievement Too good to be true.
What Happens
Aurora 5 initiates its jump sequence. The ship successfully exits the black hole's distortion field and arrives at the designated rendezvous coordinates. However, the automated status check reports complete silence:
- Comm systems announce: "We have reached our destination. We are not receiving any radio transmissions from the other vessels. Standing by."
- Visual confirmation outside the observation bay reveals a grim picture: the fleet is present, but at least one neighboring Aurora station has been torn completely in half.
- The remaining ships drift in deep space with no comm chatter, leaving the ultimate fate of the other vessels and their AI management unresolved.
Primary Ending 2: Returning to Earth (The "Bad" Ending)
Choosing to follow older Westfield's obsessive desire sets the navigation computers on a course back toward Earth.
How to Unlock
Select the option to set course for Earth at the bridge terminal. Reaching this conclusion awards the Steam achievement Not the best outcome....
What Happens
Aurora 5 executes its warp jump back toward the Sol system. The player character looks visibly solemn during the flight, knowing they gave up on the fleet's mission:
- Upon arrival, the station attempts to open communications with planetary ground control.
- Comm systems report: "We have reached our destination. We are not receiving any radio transmissions from Earth. Standing by."
- Looking down at Earth reveals a desolate, brown wasteland enveloped in dense atmospheric smog and ringed by the shattered husks of dead satellites.
- The result demonstrates that Dr. Westfield's sacrifice was ultimately futile; Earth perished long before the ship could ever return.
Which RetroSpace Ending Is Canon?
While developer The Wild Gentlemen has not issued an official decree labeling one route as definitive canon, player community analysis—most notably detailed by retrospective channel Pixel Panda Arcade—strongly leans toward the Good Ending (Fleet Return) as the thematic canon:
| Narrative Element | Fleet Ending ("Good") | Earth Ending ("Bad") |
|---|---|---|
| Player Agency | Restores the protagonist's original pre-amnesia choice | Yields to Dr. Nebula's manipulation and brainwashing |
| Thematic Coherence | Centers on free will, self-determination, and moral duty | Submits to an obsession rooted in grief and delusion |
| World State | The surviving sleepers still have a station and potential allies | The ship arrives at a completely lifeless, ruined planet |
| Narrative Setup | Leaves open mysteries regarding the fractured AI and the fleet | Concludes in an immediate, absolute dead-end for humanity |
Rejoining the fleet honors the protagonist's established resistance against Dr. Nebula before his memories were wiped across 16 failed cloning cycles. It also preserves the overarching mystery surrounding the AI system Amira and the phantom "Board" governing the expedition.
How Playstyles Influence Bonus Endings and Epilogues
Beyond the binary choice on the bridge, RetroSpace includes six bonus ending states and unique post-credit scenes driven entirely by systemic player choices throughout the campaign:
- Mutamod Visual Manifestation: Developer Bánk B. Varga confirmed on the official Steam discussion boards that while the player only sees their hands during standard first-person gameplay, your full character model is revealed at the very end. Heavy reliance on Mutamods alters your physical appearance in the final cutscene, reflecting severe physical degeneration.
- Stealth and Pacifist Variations: The game features dedicated achievements for non-lethal runs (Clean hands, completing the game without killing humanoids, bots, or turrets) and undetected runs (Never there in ghost mode). Completing the story within these playstyle constraints modifies post-credit cutscenes.
- Weapon-Restricted Clears: Specific challenges, such as beating the game using only the Power Wrench and HyperBroom (Warren Wrenchman) or spending zero cash at vending machines (Hobo for life), introduce distinct epilogue tones.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How many endings are there in RetroSpace?
According to developer interviews with Game Informer, RetroSpace contains eight ending variations in total. This includes two main narrative conclusions (Earth vs. Fleet) and six bonus endings shaped by specific player habits, mutation usage, and challenge achievements.
Can you save Earth in any ending?
No. In the Bad Ending where Aurora 5 returns to Earth, the planet is completely silent, darkened by pollution and industrial smog, with broken satellites drifting in orbit. There is no route in the game that reverses the collapse of Earth.
Do Mutamods ruin your ending?
Using Mutamods does not lock you out of selecting the Good Ending or earning the Too good to be true achievement. However, developer posts confirm that excessive mutation permanently affects how your character looks in the final sequence, providing a visual consequence for altering your genetic code.
Does RetroSpace have New Game Plus to see other endings?
Pre-launch builds and reviews noted the absence of a dedicated New Game Plus mode. Seeing different endings and post-credit variations requires starting a new run to adjust your playstyle, difficulty settings, and final bridge choices.
