Space 1889

Space 1889 (1990, DOS) is steampunk before steampunk was cool. Based on the tabletop RPG, it sends you to an alternate Victorian era where the British Empire has expanded — to Mars. You’ll manage airships, duel in dusty colonies, and chat with Martians who seem vaguely unimpressed by imperial manners. It’s part adventure, part role-playing, and entirely eccentric. The graphics are charmingly archaic, but the writing and worldbuilding make up for it. Few games let you sip tea while planning interplanetary conquest. Space 1889 might not run smoothly, but it oozes charm and imagination from every rusty gear.