MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond

About

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond is a single player shooter game with a science fiction theme. It was developed by Maddox Games and was released on May 1, 2015. It received positive reviews from players.

News has come back to Earth of an intergalactic war rapidly approaching. There is only one hope left. You.

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Single-Player

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89%

Audience ScoreBased on 18 reviews

atmosphere2 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

Unique and ambitious level design featuring non-Euclidean geometry and complex, surreal maps.
Dual-wielding weapon system allowing for creative combinations in combat.
Strong nostalgic value with a distinctive 90s sci-fi aesthetic and atmospheric audio-visual style.

Steep learning curve with confusing navigation, unclear objectives, and poorly indicated switches or paths.
Technical issues due to DOSBox emulation, including frame drops, inconsistent sound, and limited resolution support.
Frustrating gameplay elements such as a long, repetitive on-rails intro, punishing checkpoints, and unbalanced boss fights.

gameplay
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
70%
15%
The gameplay of Madspace is ambitious and ahead of its time, featuring unique mechanics like dual-wielding, rocketpack traversal, non-Euclidean geometry, and early voice commands. However, technical issues, rough execution, and confusing progression hinder the overall experience, making it feel unpolished despite its innovative concepts. While it offers intense, reflex-driven combat and complex level design, the gameplay struggles to fully engage modern players or fulfill its potential as a classic.
- “Originally released in 1997 for DOS, it was an attempt to push the boundaries of first-person shooters by fusing traditional gunplay with experimental mechanics such as dual-wielded weapons, rocketpack traversal, and even an early voice command system.”
- “The rocketpack mechanic further complicates traversal by adding verticality, allowing players to soar through open shafts or access hidden pathways.”
- “Technical issues aside, Madspace contains some facets of gameplay which were truly ahead of its time, such as non-Euclidean geometry and speech recognition, and whilst taking what was essentially a game-breaking bug to be avoided at all costs and turning it into a core gameplay mechanic is definitely an interesting concept to play around with.”
- “Technical issues aside, Madspace contains some facets of gameplay which were truly ahead of its time, such as non-Euclidean geometry and speech recognition (though it should be noted that I didn’t actually check to see if this worked), and whilst taking what was essentially a game-breaking bug to be avoided at all costs and turning it into a core gameplay mechanic is definitely an interesting concept to play around with, it unfortunately wasn’t enough to carry this game into the spotlight.”
- “Tldr; generally confusing, rough gameplay prevent this from being the 2D FPS I wanted it to be.”
- “Yet when you actually start the gameplay, the verbose text suddenly vanishes, and it isn't clear what the hell your actual goal is.”
graphics
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
24%
38%
Madspace's graphics, while visually striking with a unique, drug-inspired art style, feel dated and exhibit common technical issues of 1990s DOS games, such as sprite scaling and projection warping. Although its visuals may appear confusing or off-putting to modern players, they reflect the experimental and nostalgic aesthetic of its era. However, compared to contemporaries like Quake II, its graphical execution and lack of features like mouse freelook feel outdated even for 1997.
- “The story of Madspace is pure pulpy science fiction, fitting perfectly into the aesthetics of its time.”
- “Graphically, Madspace has not aged gracefully, yet its visual direction remains striking in a nostalgic sense.”
- “It looks imposing, it looks hard to understand, it takes five seconds of being in game to immediately realize it's a cool aesthetic but they didn't make it obtuse for the sake of being obtuse.”
- “Graphically, Madspace has not aged gracefully, with sprite scaling, projection warping, and other graphical issues common in native DOS software rendering.”
- “The visuals look slightly outdated for a 1997 game; some classic games like Quake II were much better at the time of Madspace's release.”
- “While modern audiences may find its archaic design and dated visuals off-putting, those who approach it with patience will discover a forgotten gem that embodies the fearless experimentation of 1990s PC gaming.”
story
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
28%
43%
The story of Madspace offers a pulpy, grim sci-fi setting centered on humanity's war against alien invaders, fitting its minimalist and claustrophobic tone through sparse cutscenes and briefings. However, the lengthy and fast-scrolling text introduction is often seen as tedious and hard to follow, detracting from engagement. Overall, the plot supports the atmosphere but may feel overwhelming or dull in its presentation.
- “The story of Madspace is pure pulpy science fiction, fitting perfectly into the aesthetics of its time.”
- “The setting is grim and claustrophobic: humanity is locked in an interstellar war against an alien race called the Krakin, and the protagonist’s mission is to infiltrate one of their massive warships, destroy its core, and end the conflict from within.”
- “The story you are greeted with is a massive wall of text that quickly becomes boring and nonsensical because it scrolls too fast.”
- “The introduction is painfully long, full of walls of text explaining the backstory.”
- “The plot is delivered through sparse cutscenes and text briefings rather than elaborate storytelling, which suits its minimalist tone.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is praised for its immersive lighting effects and soundscape, successfully capturing the era's emphasis on player-driven immersion despite basic textures and blocky models.
- “This design choice reflects the era’s focus on atmosphere and player-driven immersion rather than narrative depth.”
- “Although textures are basic and models blocky, the lighting effects and atmospheric soundscape help preserve immersion.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the original version featured high-quality, CD-quality tracks, but this audio quality is inconsistently maintained in the re-release.

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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond is a shooter game with science fiction theme.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond is available on PC, Windows and Linux.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond was released on May 1, 2015.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond was developed by Maddox Games.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond has received positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its atmosphere but disliked it for its gameplay.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond is a single player game.

Similar games include Star Wars: Dark Forces, HyperViolent, Wolfenstein 3D, Last Rites, Paradox Vector and others.

MadSpace: To Hell and Beyond

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