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Distant Space

Distant Space Game Cover
77%Game Brain Score
Most mentioned positive aspects:gameplay, graphics
Most mentioned negative aspects:music, story
77% User Score Based on 1,255 reviews

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PCWindows
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Distant Space Game Cover

About Distant Space

Distant Space is a single player casual shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by PixelMouse and was released on December 20, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Space Distant are present the arcade game of cosmic fights in arcade style of the 80's, this is a game where you can control the spaceship and forced to destroy extraterrestrials, which are moving in the certain order.

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Distant Space screenshot
Distant Space screenshot
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Reviews

77%Audience ScoreBased on 1,255 reviews
gameplay24 positive mentions
music98 negative mentions
  • Simple and easy-to-understand arcade gameplay that captures classic retro shooter feel
  • Short and fun experience, suitable for quick casual play sessions and achievement hunting
  • Runs smoothly on modest hardware with responsive controls and no bugs reported
  • Very short game length with minimal content and repetitive levels and bosses
  • Lack of fullscreen mode causes mouse cursor issues and frustration during gameplay
  • Graphics and color palette are dull and can cause visual discomfort; music is repetitive and can be annoying

  • music

    157 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    13% positive mentions, 25% neutral mentions, 62% negative mentions

    The music in the game is largely described as repetitive and looping the same short track continuously, which many find irritating or headache-inducing. However, the retro synth-wave style and 8-bit chiptune elements receive praise for effectively capturing a nostalgic arcade atmosphere and complementing the gameplay. Overall, while the soundtrack fits the theme well and creates mood, its lack of variety and constant repetition significantly detracts from the experience for many players.

    • “Accompanied by a fantastic retro synth-wave soundtrack, it nails the old-school arcade atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “The visuals are clean, the environments are interesting to explore, and the soundtrack does a great job of pulling you into the experience.”
    • “The sound design is equally immersive, with a pulse-pounding soundtrack that complements the fast action and tense moments.”
    • “After 30 minutes, my head was pounding from the flashing background and repetitive sound effects and music.”
    • “You hear the same 1:30 of music over and over again; the levels rarely offer any kind of challenge that forces you to change the way you play a level, you just hold left-mouse and keep shooting.”
    • “Only one song that loops nonstop and the shooting sounds bad.”

  • gameplay

    106 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    23% positive mentions, 65% neutral mentions, 12% negative mentions

    The gameplay is simple, straightforward, and heavily inspired by classic arcade shooters like Space Invaders, offering a brief but nostalgic experience with intuitive controls and basic mechanics. However, it is often described as repetitive, lacking depth, innovation, and challenge, with short playtime around 20–30 minutes, making it more suitable for quick, casual sessions rather than long-term engagement. While the gameplay is easy to pick up and somewhat addictive, it lacks variety and strategic elements to maintain lasting interest.

    • “The gameplay is simple, fast, and highly addictive.”
    • “The gameplay is straightforward and easy to pick up, which makes it relaxing and fun to play, especially if you enjoy retro-inspired games.”
    • “Controls are responsive, and the mechanics are simple enough that you can focus entirely on the experience instead of struggling with complexity.”
    • “The gameplay is simple and repetitive with little evolution, making it boring after a few minutes.”
    • “Extremely simple mechanics with virtually no strategy or meaningful player interaction, resulting in a trivial and unengaging experience.”
    • “The gameplay is short, around 20-30 minutes, easy to complete, and lacks challenge or depth, with few variations or power-ups.”

  • graphics

    80 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    13% positive mentions, 77% neutral mentions, 10% negative mentions

    The graphics are consistently described as simple, minimalistic, and retro-inspired, often resembling early arcade or Atari-era visuals, with some finding them clean and nostalgic while others criticize them as dull, repetitive, or even visually uncomfortable. This aesthetic choice suits fans of old-school arcade style but may feel uninspired or hard on the eyes for others. Overall, the graphics serve more as a deliberate stylistic backdrop rather than a feature-rich or modern visual experience.

    • “The visuals feature colorful, stylized graphics that bring alien worlds and spacecraft to life, while the atmospheric soundtrack enhances the sense of adventure and discovery.”
    • “The visuals are clean, the environments are interesting to explore, and the soundtrack does a great job of pulling you into the experience.”
    • “The presentation is deliberately retro, featuring bright pixel-art visuals and a backdrop that feels both nostalgic and slightly melancholic.”
    • “Distant space looks and plays like an average Atari 2600 game, except with much uglier graphics.”
    • “Graphics make the game physically hurt my eyes; sometimes I can't even see the bullets.”
    • “The mixture of repetitive music on loop with eye gouging visuals, boring gameplay with no powerups, replenishment, little variation; would not even be a suitable torture device for the most underfunded prison in a third-world country.”

  • story

    32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    9% positive mentions, 57% neutral mentions, 34% negative mentions

    The game lacks a traditional story, offering no narrative or deep plot, focusing instead on simple, repetitive missions and straightforward gameplay. It emphasizes skill and rhythm over cinematic storytelling, making it suitable for short, casual sessions rather than those seeking an engaging storyline.

    • “Would recommend to neurodivergent toddlers for its engaging storyline and non-stimulating visuals.”
    • “It’s a compact experience, straightforward in its goals yet satisfying in its immediacy, echoing an era when gaming was more about skill and rhythm than cinematic storytelling.”
    • “The missions are varied, keeping you engaged with different objectives and new enemies to face in every level.”
    • “No story.”
    • “Not much story direction — you make your own fun.”
    • “There is no story in the game.”

  • grinding

    19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 21% neutral mentions, 79% negative mentions

    Grinding in the game is described as tedious and lengthy, especially due to bosses with excessive health that slow down combat with frequent immunity phases. While some find it suitable for achievement or card farming, the overall grind can feel uninteresting and a chore, making the experience less enjoyable for those who aren’t fans of repetitive gameplay.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The only downside for me personally was the bosses; they have too much HP, which makes killing them quite tedious, but otherwise it's okay, thanks to the developers for the achievements.”
    • “The boss fights are fairly easy generally but long-winded and tedious, as every time you hit the boss it flashes with immunity for half a second or so, so you have to slowly wear them down.”

  • atmosphere

    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    63% positive mentions, 37% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive, retro-inspired, and nostalgic feel, enhanced by a synth-wave soundtrack and stylized visuals that evoke the vast loneliness of space. It creates a calm, contemplative, and tension-filled experience that prioritizes mood and exploration over fast-paced action. Overall, the game's minimalistic design and quiet ambiance are its strongest and most memorable aspects.

    • “Accompanied by a fantastic retro synth-wave soundtrack, it nails the old-school arcade atmosphere perfectly.”
    • “It takes a simple idea—being alone in the vastness of space—and builds an experience around atmosphere, tension, and quiet exploration.”
    • “The atmosphere is the real winner here - it's lonely, quiet, and captures the feeling of vast, empty space really well.”

  • replayability

    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    18% positive mentions, 55% neutral mentions, 27% negative mentions

    The game's replayability is generally considered low, as many players find little incentive to revisit it after completing achievements or the main content. However, some appreciate the progression system that allows experimenting with ship configurations, offering limited additional playtime. Overall, the lack of depth, high scores, or meaningful challenges reduces its long-term appeal.

    • “The game’s progression system encourages experimentation with different ship configurations and tactics, adding replayability.”
    • “Pretty good classic game for a great price; sadly not much replay value after you get all the achievements (can be done in under 1 hour), but for a small game you might play once in a while when you're bored or want a nostalgia trip. It does the job really well and would recommend this to anyone who likes arcade-style games.”
    • “I don’t see any replay value in the game.”
    • “Once you beat the game there is no replayability.”
    • “No high scores, no replayability.”

  • humor

    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    The game’s humor is lighthearted and nostalgic, delivering simple but amusing moments, particularly through its mini-games and pixel art style. While players find it funny and enjoyable, the overall experience is brief, typically lasting around 20 minutes.

    • “Funny mini game.”
    • “Small funny space shooting game in pixel style. I actually had fun playing, but it's a really short game; I finished it in 22 minutes. If you have nothing else to play, try it.”
    • “Funny game, it takes me back to my childhood.”

  • monetization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    0% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 100% negative mentions

    Users criticize the monetization as a quick cash grab with limited features, lacking level selection, fullscreen, and proper settings. They also associate it with low-effort, shovelware-style releases commonly made with Gamemaker Studio.

    • “No level selection, no fullscreen, no actual settings, and all of that is compressed into a 20-minute cash grab.”
    • “Very often, GameMaker Studio is used to make shovelware and lazy cash grabs.”

  • stability

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    The game is praised for its stability, with users reporting no glitches or bugs, contributing to a smooth and enjoyable experience.

  • optimization

    2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    50% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 50% negative mentions

    Optimization receives mixed feedback: while some users report constant lag and poor performance, others note that the game runs smoothly even on very low-end hardware.

    • “+ Runs smoothly on a toaster”
    • “The optimization is just awful, as it was constantly lagging.”

  • emotional

    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
    100% positive mentions, 0% neutral mentions, 0% negative mentions

    Users found the game emotionally unsettling, with some experiencing discomfort or nausea shortly after playing.

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Play Times

4h Median play time
3h Average play time
2-4h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Distant Space is a casual shooter game with science fiction theme. Common tags for Distant Space include indie, trading, 2d, pixel graphics, bullet hell and others.

Distant Space is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 3 hours playing Distant Space.

Distant Space was released on December 20, 2016.

Distant Space was developed by PixelMouse.

Distant Space has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked Distant Space for its gameplay but disliked it for its music.

Distant Space is a single player game.

Similar games include Distant Space 2, Bit Blaster XL, SAMOLIOTIK, Asteroid Bounty Hunter, Duke of Alpha Centauri and others.