| Developer: | Refract Studios |
| Director: | Jordan Hemenway |
| Engine: | Unity |
| Genre: | Racing |
| Modes: | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Publisher: | Refract Studios |
Distance is a 2018 racing game by Refract Studios for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation consoles. Following a crowdfunding campaign and an early access launch in 2014, it was released in September 2018 and is scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 in July 2024.
Distance is a racing game where the player controls a vehicle with the ability to fly.[1] Courses feature obstacles like gaps or saws.
Distance was developed by Refract Studios, founded by former DigiPen Institute of Technology students in Seattle.[2] The game is as a spiritual successor to Nitronic Rush, a student project developed at DigiPen and released in 2011, which intellectual property is owned by DigiPen.[3] In October 2012, Refract launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign seeking $125,000 for Distance.[4] It features the addition of a multiplayer mode compared to Nitronic Rush.
The game was released into early access via Steam on December 9, 2014. A PlayStation 4 version was announced on December 2, 2014 and showcased at PlayStation Experience 2015 with PlayStation VR on December 4, 2015.[5] [6] Distance was fully released for Windows on September 18, 2018.[7] PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 versions are scheduled for July 19, 2024.[8]
The PC version of Distance received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregation website Metacritic.[9] Reviewing the early access version in September 2017, Ali Jones of PCGamesN found the multiplayer to be the best part due to the availability of thousands of courses.[10] Upon release in September 2018, Gamekult noted the delayed development and found it to be an exhilarating racing game.[11]