Distance

 
Developer: Refract
Steam Release: Dec 2014
Hours Played: 7.7
Most Similar To: Grip / Lightfield Hyper Edition / Razed / Riff Racer / Thumper
Rating: 5/5 Parsnips




*Early Access Version.

GAMEPLAY
Although there are many elements to the game that point to it being a runner, the fact that you can adjust your speed and are forever aiming for a best time, makes Distance more of a racer. It has also been described as a "racing survival" game. You control a holographic car in a neon-lit Tron/Blade Runner inspired universe with a camera tracking you from behind. You hurtle down a gleaming track at jet-fast speed with the aim of hitting the exit in the quickest possible time. You'll begin on beginner's tracks and be tested for cornering skills and jumps while being introduced to the nitro-boost feature that will over-heat if overused. Later, as the tracks become more challenging, you'll need to perfect your flying skills a la Sonic & All Star Racing Transformed or Sky Drift along with gravity-defying wall rides!  

BALANCE & PACE

Huge rotating blades, laser beams, rising barriers and sheer drops into the abyss will also crop up as hazards to test reactions and driving skills. However, were it not for all these obstacles getting in the way, I'd say the car handling and overall feel is designed in the same vein as the Trackmania series. Like Thumper, Unpossible and Race The Sun, the sense of speed is certainly accentuated in much the same way. The game comes with an Adventure mode (where you test out the tracks with no time-pressure) but most will go for Arcade. With four further modes under this heading, I personally preferred the Sprint section where you choose and race on one track for a best time. Crashes will plonk you back at previous checkpoints resulting in added time and there does seem to be a lot of trial and error to get to know the tracks.        

PRESENTATION & DESIGN

The tracks in Distance are set within a futuristic metropolis that will remind you of the original Blade Runner movie. They are slick, shiny and do a great job in making the player believe they are driving in a future-world. Some surfaces of tracks appear to be made of glass while those rotating swords and evil looking spikes add to the whole menace of it all. Your car is also extremely shiny, nicely streamlined and animated well when the nitro-boost is applied and when flying mode is engaged. However, as it is made up of particles that can be regenerated, there is also a great animation whereby a laser will administer a clean slice exposing its innards should you drive into it. You'll also be pleased to know that it has a thumping good soundtrack as well.   

PROGRESS SYSTEM

In all four modes in Arcade you'll be awarded a bronze, silver or gold award along with a rank alongside your best time at the leaderboards. However, my main gripe with Distance is that for a game that's been in early access for almost four years, there are an incredibly small amount of tracks to play. Although Adventure mode does a decent job in teaching all the moves, I found that the offer of just 15 tracks in the Sprint mode to be a limiting factor. There is clearly plenty that can be done with the editor and the possibilities of making more varied tracks is obviously there - but with the game being quite challenging and actually difficult to get beyond track 5 or 6 for the casual player, I felt that being stuck playing those 5 or 6 tracks to be restrictive. As such, and at quite a hefty price tag, I felt the game could have offered so much more.   

CONCLUSION

On the other hand, developers Refract have opened up the editor to be used by all users and the opportunity to play community-based levels is clearly a dominant feature and there on the home-page to be accessed by all. But in any case my issue still stands: why ramp up the difficulty so high early in the official game and then rely on users to make levels to play among themselves? I want to play a complete game designed by trained developers who know their software; not for developers to make the software and then hand it over to the community to make themselves! Still, this does not take anything away from the way the makers have created such fine fluid movement for the car, mesmerizing locations for the look and the sheer spellbinding sense of speed.