There are few games that can sell me on the gameplay alone, and Distance is one of those titles. If you enjoy arcady racing games with friends with style and substance, then you might want to pick this game up now.

Or wait until there is more to come.


A common complaint about Distance is the minimal amount of creator made content.

There is a servicable "story mode" that is a good tutorial to wrap your head around the game's basic mechanics, but it's only halfway done. It also doesn't utilize all the game modes in it, so it's not a tutorial for everything. And if you don't screw up too much, you might get an hour and a half of substance.

But then you have to take into consideration the wide variety of user-created Steam Workshop maps right now. Currently there are over a thousand user-made content. Most of these maps are probably meant for solo so-hard-yet-so-fun players, not so much for multiplayer players. (Or it feels like it from what the devs showcase on their updates.)

The best way to think about Distance is to think about it as a game similar to Audiosurf. You can plug in your own tunes into the game, you can get tons of hours of enjoyment out of the game itself, and the amount of content is more to what is to your tastes.

Thankfully, you won't have to rely on crap-shooting for good user-made content. You can type in a custom search engine in-game to find the types of tracks you are looking for, whether it be thematic things like LIMBO or TRON or Super Meat Boy levels of challenge.

I've only played a single game of multiplayer with one friend, so I cannot say anything about the merits of tis multiplayer longevity. We had fun doing challenge tracks meant for one player while racing one another. (We intentionally crashed into one another a lot.)

Oh, and best of all, the game's multiplayer can be online or split-screen. Leave it to an indie game from EA to bring back the couch.

The point of this section is to state that however much content is left to add into the game, which I sometimes wonder what is left to do other than better optomize the game itself, you will find as much content as you're willing to put into the game.


I'm not going to lie. When I saw what the car can do--fly, do barrel rolls for boosting, and for doing precise jump manuevers with antigravity tracks in Tron--I wanted to get into this game immediately. The inner child who played with Hot Wheels and who wanted to go drive around in Tron came out with this game, and I have no regrets for it.

However, because of the complexity of the controls, I don't think everyone will find them comfortable on the keyboard. Doing the necessary tricks to hop off one track and continue on another requires a lot of quick-reactions. Sometimes the maps themselves will limit your abilities, so you need to be comfortable with your controls.

It's a little difficult to explain, but the gist of the controls is you steer with one thumbstick and rotate the car with the other. You have a button to boost, another button to jump, and another button to engage flight-form.

The game utilizes all of these in complex manuevers. Sometimes you'll need to do a ninty degree flip to swtich lanes, or you need to maintain your boost by doing tricks to maintain your energy. Or maybe you need to engage flight-mode to get back on to the track when you fall off. It feels all natural to use when you get a feel for the controls.

Your car is also able to be split apart by lazers, buzzsaws, etc. It's a really interesting visual effect to cut your car in half--but you won't immediately lose if your car gets damaged. If you can sustain the car to the next checkpoint, your car will get auto-repaired. However, based on what gets hacked off, your ability to control the car is also changed.

The gameplay is very simple, but with all the different modes takes those mechanics into different manners of playing the game. You have a HORSE style mode, a time-trial mode, a Tony Hawk tricks mode, and a no-checkpoint-shorter-levels mode.

There is no weaponry or other arcady elements from other racing games if you were hoping for something like Sonic All-Star Racing/Mario Kart/Diddy Kong Racing in Tron. Nor are there AI opponents to race against like with those games. Distance isn't that kind of game.

At its core, Distance is a racing game with more flash and style. But with a really, really sick car.


The game can run very shoddy at times because of all the visuals thrown into the game, so if you want the best experience you should close other applications for the best performance.

Other than the optomization issue and the questionable amount of content, I don't know how else to criticize the game. The controls feel responsive enough; the gameplay offers more than racing itself; and the game itself is really, really good.

You'll have to ask yourself if that is enough to sell you on the game. If not the car, then check out the soundtrack too.


Here is a detailed list of my scale:

1 : A bug-filled mess with zero content or missing many features. Far too early to get into the games. Also, games that get updates infrequently.

2: A game with the beginnings of ideas, yet too soon to invest any time. Check back for updates to see if things improve. (Also, games that play well but do not have all the basic features, such as promised multiplayer modes.)

3: A game that is in a playable state, yet may not have all its technical issues sorted out. Features are all available--all game modes--while they may not be finalized. Games in this section are cautious recommendations to buy, so you should check the updates.

4: A game that is in a playable state, technically competent, and has enough content to be worthy of purchasing right now. Features are all accounted for and the updates for the game are frequent enough to not discourage cautious buyers. Of course, the timing of these updates should be with respect to the size of the development team.

5: A game that could be considered finished. It is in the final stages of development with balancing and other last minute changes to be resolved to be fit for release.

The simple raiting is a brief summary to describe the state of this game. The detailed rating goes into the nuances of what is available in Distance.



Content: 3/5

Multiplayer, all game modes, the second type of car (which gives a double-jump at the cost of no flight mode) and the Steam Workshop level editor are in the game. However, what remains besides the story mode is vague.

Quality: 4/5

The core gameplay is refined enough that I would consider it in a complete state. The only thing that may hamper it are the optimization problems.

Optimization: 2/5

If you wish to get the best mileage with Distance, then you don't want other programs to be in the background.

Productivity: 2/5

While I appreciate the community involvement from the developers making fan-made contests and showcasing their creations, I would appreciate more if they added their own content more frequently. Or simply finish the rest of the game to be in a playable state to get more interest.

The updates and bug fixes are frequent enough to let me know they are still working on the game. But I think so many people on the fence with Distance would buy this game if all the features were complete. We're nearing the first year mark of Distance--hopefully, as the devs state, we'll get the full product by 2016.

You can only get so far with selling me with the car before I start to question whether we'll ever reach the end.

There are few games that can sell me on the gameplay alone, and Distance is one of those titles. If you enjoy arcady racing games with friends with style and substance, then you might want to pick this game up now. Or wait until there is more to come. [h1]Is There Enough To Go Around?[/h1] A common complaint about Distance is the minimal amount of creator made content. There is a servicable "story mode" that is a good tutorial to wrap your head around the game's basic mechanics, but it's only halfway done. It also doesn't utilize all the game modes in it, so it's not a tutorial for everything. And if you don't screw up too much, you might get an hour and a half of substance. But then you have to take into consideration the wide variety of user-created Steam Workshop maps right now. Currently there are over a thousand user-made content. Most of these maps are probably meant for solo so-hard-yet-so-fun players, not so much for multiplayer players. (Or it feels like it from what the devs showcase on their updates.) The best way to think about Distance is to think about it as a game similar to Audiosurf. You can plug in your own tunes into the game, you can get tons of hours of enjoyment out of the game itself, and the amount of content is more to what is to your tastes. Thankfully, you won't have to rely on crap-shooting for good user-made content. You can type in a custom search engine in-game to find the types of tracks you are looking for, whether it be thematic things like LIMBO or TRON or Super Meat Boy levels of challenge. I've only played a single game of multiplayer with one friend, so I cannot say anything about the merits of tis multiplayer longevity. We had fun doing challenge tracks meant for one player while racing one another. (We intentionally crashed into one another a lot.) Oh, and best of all, the game's multiplayer can be online or split-screen. Leave it to an indie game from EA to bring back the couch. The point of this section is to state that however much content is left to add into the game, which I sometimes wonder what is left to do other than better optomize the game itself, you will find as much content as you're willing to put into the game. [h1]You Sold Me On the Car[/h1] I'm not going to lie. When I saw what the car can do--fly, do barrel rolls for boosting, and for doing precise jump manuevers with antigravity tracks in Tron--I wanted to get into this game immediately. The inner child who played with Hot Wheels and who wanted to go drive around in Tron came out with this game, and I have no regrets for it. However, because of the complexity of the controls, I don't think everyone will find them comfortable on the keyboard. Doing the necessary tricks to hop off one track and continue on another requires a lot of quick-reactions. Sometimes the maps themselves will limit your abilities, so you need to be comfortable with your controls. It's a little difficult to explain, but the gist of the controls is you steer with one thumbstick and rotate the car with the other. You have a button to boost, another button to jump, and another button to engage flight-form. The game utilizes all of these in complex manuevers. Sometimes you'll need to do a ninty degree flip to swtich lanes, or you need to maintain your boost by doing tricks to maintain your energy. Or maybe you need to engage flight-mode to get back on to the track when you fall off. It feels all natural to use when you get a feel for the controls. Your car is also able to be split apart by lazers, buzzsaws, etc. It's a really interesting visual effect to cut your car in half--but you won't immediately lose if your car gets damaged. If you can sustain the car to the next checkpoint, your car will get auto-repaired. However, based on what gets hacked off, your ability to control the car is also changed. The gameplay is very simple, but with all the different modes takes those mechanics into different manners of playing the game. You have a HORSE style mode, a time-trial mode, a Tony Hawk tricks mode, and a no-checkpoint-shorter-levels mode. There is no weaponry or other arcady elements from other racing games if you were hoping for something like Sonic All-Star Racing/Mario Kart/Diddy Kong Racing in Tron. Nor are there AI opponents to race against like with those games. Distance isn't that kind of game. At its core, Distance is a racing game with more flash and style. But with a really, really sick car. [h1]Are There Other Dents?[/h1] The game can run very shoddy at times because of all the visuals thrown into the game, so if you want the best experience you should close other applications for the best performance. Other than the optomization issue and the questionable amount of content, I don't know how else to criticize the game. The controls feel responsive enough; the gameplay offers more than racing itself; and the game itself is really, really good. You'll have to ask yourself if that is enough to sell you on the game. If not the car, then check out the soundtrack too. [h1]Rating of Completion/Competence[/h1] Here is a detailed list of my scale: 1 : A bug-filled mess with zero content or missing many features. Far too early to get into the games. Also, games that get updates infrequently. 2: A game with the beginnings of ideas, yet too soon to invest any time. Check back for updates to see if things improve. (Also, games that play well but do not have all the basic features, such as promised multiplayer modes.) 3: A game that is in a playable state, yet may not have all its technical issues sorted out. Features are all available--all game modes--while they may not be finalized. Games in this section are cautious recommendations to buy, so you should check the updates. 4: A game that is in a playable state, technically competent, and has enough content to be worthy of purchasing right now. Features are all accounted for and the updates for the game are frequent enough to not discourage cautious buyers. Of course, the timing of these updates should be with respect to the size of the development team. 5: A game that could be considered finished. It is in the final stages of development with balancing and other last minute changes to be resolved to be fit for release. The simple raiting is a brief summary to describe the state of this game. The detailed rating goes into the nuances of what is available in Distance. [h1]Simple Rating: 3/5[/h1] [h1]Detailed Rating: 11/20 (55%). A cautious recommendation only for the gameplay.[/h1] [b]Content: 3/5[/b] Multiplayer, all game modes, the second type of car (which gives a double-jump at the cost of no flight mode) and the Steam Workshop level editor are in the game. However, what remains besides the story mode is vague. [b]Quality: 4/5[/b] The core gameplay is refined enough that I would consider it in a complete state. The only thing that may hamper it are the optimization problems. [b]Optimization: 2/5[/b] If you wish to get the best mileage with Distance, then you don't want other programs to be in the background. [b]Productivity: 2/5[/b] While I appreciate the community involvement from the developers making fan-made contests and showcasing their creations, I would appreciate more if they added their own content more frequently. Or simply finish the rest of the game to be in a playable state to get more interest. The updates and bug fixes are frequent enough to let me know they are still working on the game. But I think so many people on the fence with Distance would buy this game if all the features were complete. We're nearing the first year mark of Distance--hopefully, as the devs state, we'll get the full product by 2016. You can only get so far with selling me with the car before I start to question whether we'll ever reach the end.