Photonic Distress

About

Photonic Distress is a single player casual shooter game. It was developed by GRIP420 and was released on August 3, 2018. It received positive reviews from players.

Photonic Distress (or PD for short) is a blend of First/Third Person puzzler/platformer with a unique twist. You wake up in an internal representation of your conscience where your goal is to collect 100 memory fragments throughout increasingly complicated and increasing in size procedurally generated levels, or dreams. These levels are illuminated on easy and medium difficulties but dark on ha…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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87%

Audience ScoreBased on 31 reviews

music6 positive mentions

optimization1 negative mentions

Unique and creative gameplay concept involving darkness and using a photon gun to light the path, providing a fresh experience.
Beautiful, detailed graphics with impressive lighting effects that enhance the atmospheric feel of the game.
Excellent soundtrack and ambient music that complements the gameplay and creates a relaxing yet immersive experience.

Some control issues such as clunky jumping mechanics and occasional unresponsiveness, which may cause frustration.
Technical problems including bugs, stuttering, resolution settings not working, and occasional crashes or language setting changes.
High difficulty and darkness can be overwhelming or disorienting for some players, making navigation and platforming challenging.

music
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
65%
The music in the game is widely praised for its catchy, smooth, and high-quality electronic soundtrack that perfectly complements the atmosphere, lighting, and gameplay. It enhances the immersive experience, encouraging players to engage deeply with the game, especially in dark or quiet settings. However, a notable downside is the absence of music in the main menu, which some users found disappointing.
- “The artwork stood out to me as something that’s well done, then the music started… and the combination of these elements of the game made for a great atmosphere to play in.”
- “No problem to run the game with maximum settings, graphics are ok (your gun looks really cool), and the ambient/chillout music is perfect for this kind of challenge, and of very good quality, thanks toteki.”
- “The music is catchy and smooth, won't take long for you to get in a flow with the music and your photon gun! I recommend playing it without any light in your room to increase the feeling of the game.”
gameplay
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The gameplay is praised for its procedural level design, blending shooter and puzzle elements with the innovative use of light as a core mechanic, creating a challenging and immersive experience. While the pace could benefit from added movement variety like sprinting, the game's lighting, sound design, and replayability contribute to an overall solid and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “Last but not least, all the levels are random and seem like a new challenge every time you start a new run (or dream as they call it in-game), but the core gameplay is the same: enter a dark room, fire to light your way, grab glowing things (memory fragments), and find the exit.”
- “Gameplay is puzzle-like, where you wander in dark levels and light your path with a photon gun to progress, making sure not to waste them (sometimes taking risks and jumping without lighting the whole level, for example).”
- “The gameplay is simple but effective, with top-notch lighting and sound design.”
- “Last but not least, all the levels are random and seem like a new challenge every time you start a new run (or dream as they call it in-game) but the core gameplay is the same: enter a dark room, fire to light your way, grab glowing things (memory fragments), and find the exit.”
- “Gameplay is puzzle-like, where you wander in a dark level and light your path with a photon gun to progress, making sure not to waste them (sometimes taking risks and jumping without lighting the whole level, for example).”
- “The gameplay is simple but repetitive, limiting variety despite the game's procedural generation.”
graphics
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
22%
22%
The graphics are generally well-crafted and detailed, contributing to a strong atmosphere alongside the music, though they are not the game's main focus. Performance is stable even on lower-end hardware, with some users recommending skipping cutscenes to avoid driver issues. Overall, the visuals receive positive feedback for their quality and artistic style.
- “I got this game for streaming from Gamefluencer. I had seen another streamer playing it earlier in the day and immediately the graphics in the game stood out to me.”
- “The artwork stood out to me as something that’s well done. Then the music started, and the combination of these elements made for a great atmosphere to play in.”
- “Very well made and detailed graphics with fun gameplay and amazing sound.”
- “When there is a cutscene, I would highly recommend skipping them with the spacebar to avoid graphics driver hang.”
- “Graphics are not necessarily the main topic of the game, though they aren't that important, as most of the pathways in your subconscious mind are dominated by the black abysses beside it.”
replayability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game offers strong replayability through multiple difficulty levels, random level generation with customizable seeds, and varied endings based on challenges. Players can enjoy refining their skills and exploring different playstyles, enhancing long-term engagement.
- “The developers were also kind enough to add random level generation with a customizable seed, for those that are looking for a challenge and replayability.”
- “The game has great replayability as after completing once in the lower difficulties, you will feel confident enough to start playing it more aggressively and maybe beat your personal best time to complete the game. There are different endings for hard and impossible difficulties.”
- “Novel gameplay, good replayability and a good eye to details and graphics.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The story is initially confusing and could benefit from more background detail, but it ultimately engages players as they uncover fragments, enhancing the overall enjoyable gameplay and unique shooter-puzzle experience.
- “Result: fun game - love gameplay and plot and...finally really like the idea of playing a shooter for puzzling!”
- “Man, I don't usually do reviews but hell, I gotta story to tell:”
- “The game is great, I was first confused about the story, but I had to keep dreaming and collect more fragments!”
- “Story confuses me a bit.”
- “Some more background story would be nice.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere is highly praised for its effective combination of lighting, music, and artwork, creating a well-crafted, immersive, and dense environment. Users particularly appreciate the oppressive mood that enhances the overall experience.
- “I love the atmosphere created by the lighting, the music, and the terrain.”
- “The artwork stood out as well done, and when the music started, the combination of these elements created a great atmosphere to play in.”
- “Really like the oppressive mood and dense atmosphere.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game demonstrates solid stability, running smoothly without bugs or major issues even on less powerful hardware, striking a good balance between polished and unpolished performance.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is problematic, with issues such as frequent stuttering near obstacles, resolution not properly switching to native settings, and persistent unintended keyboard language changes after exiting.
- “Stuttering while almost clipping, resolution failing to change to native, changing my keyboard to another language even after closing the game...”