I would say that Distant Bloom is yet another entry in the seemingly never-ending category of cosy games, but if I’m being honest, I’m always on the lookout for a new one. Their calming nature and simplistic gameplay loop are both their charm and their limitation. I enjoy them, but more often than not, I dive in for a couple of weeks before losing interest and starting the cycle all over again. So, I’m constantly searching for another game to scratch that itch.
Developed and published by Ember Trail and Kinda Brave, Distant Bloom markets itself as a serene management game, which I think is a pretty accurate description. It’s been available on PC for a while now with mostly positive reviews and has recently made its way to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation. For the purpose of this review, I tested the PlayStation version.
Story
While Distant Bloom isn’t overly story-driven, it does have narrative elements woven throughout. Accompanied by your robot companion, you play as an axolotl-like alien known only as The Assistant. As part of an expedition, your leaders send your crew to a distant planet to establish a new home for your species. Things get off to a rocky start when your ship malfunctions, scattering the cryopods containing your crew across the planet.
The world you land on is far from the lush haven you were expecting. Instead, it’s nearly devoid of life, strewn with rubbish, oil spills, and other junk that can be cleared and repurposed for crafting. In addition to searching for your ship and crewmates, you also take it upon yourself to clean up the planet by removing waste and planting seeds to restore its natural beauty whilst uncovering its secrets in the process.
Presentation and Performance
Visually, Distant Bloom has a cute, cartoony aesthetic. The world starts out dull and desolate, so it’s incredibly satisfying to see colour and vibrancy return as you make progress. The camera angles can be a bit awkward since you can’t pan the camera, but aside from that, the game looks pretty good. The music and sound effects complement the visuals nicely, creating a cosy, laid-back atmosphere.
For the most part, Distant Bloom ran smoothly on the PS5, but I did encounter a few glitches. First, I got stuck between two rocks. Then, while entering one of the icy regions, I glitched through the floor. Thankfully, I was able to return to base without losing much progress, though I did have to backtrack.
Gameplay
Distant Bloom features a simple but addictive gameplay loop. At first, you can explore only a limited area with basic tools, but as you rescue crewmates and unlock new equipment, the map expands, letting you clear obstacles and reach new zones.
The expedition leader assigns you a number of tasks throughout the game—mostly following probe coordinates and locating missing crew members. This part felt a little tedious. The map becomes quite large, and there’s a lot of back-and-forth as you complete tasks and report back. There is a menu option to return directly to base, but otherwise, there’s very limited fast travel to previously visited areas. There are a couple of connected doors you can travel through, but that’s it. The lack of a detailed map made this even more frustrating. The available mini-map points you toward quest objectives but doesn’t show terrain or pathways, which made navigation tricky at times.
As you complete objectives, you’ll come across hexagonal grids where you can plant seeds. In some areas, plant growth helps open up new paths by removing hazards or growing roots. Planting a diverse array of flora that’s compatible with the soil type creates a healthier ecosystem and gradually restores colour to the environment. Once all the grids in an area are filled, it’s considered healthy.
A slight pitfall for me was that upon planting three different types of plants, extra seeds are automatically fired off to help complete the area. In theory, this should be helpful, but more often than not, I found myself having to dig them up and replant because it meant I ended up with too many of the same plant next to each other.
Crafting
After rescuing your companions, you unlock the ability to cook, construct buildings, and craft tools. These are nice touches, but I felt they could have been fleshed out more. Maybe it was just me, but I didn’t feel much incentive to cook. Aside from curing sick creatures, meals mainly serve to boost relationships with specific characters. Crafting is similarly basic: You use the materials gathered while cleaning up to construct buildings and objects, but there’s no customisation. You simply place the structure where directed and add the required materials. That was a little disappointing, but I did appreciate being able to switch off after work and just lose myself in the gameplay.
Final Thoughts
Distant Bloom suffers from the occasional glitch, but for the most part, it’s a solid cosy management game that allows you to switch off after a long day. There are no enemies to face, and most of the missions are simple back-and-forth quests to gather information. I’ll admit, I would have liked a little more freedom to build and plant wherever I wanted, but I found its simple and repetitive gameplay to be addictive. Every time I was getting ready to turn the game off, I found myself thinking, “I’ll just finish this last planting segment” or “I’ll just find this last probe”, and before I knew it, I’d spent several hours with the game.
Aside from the handful of bugs I encountered, my main issue was with navigation. With its deep layout and winding paths, the map was tough to navigate. The minimalist compass didn’t help much, and more than once, I found myself lost and frustrated. That said, I did enjoy seeing the world around me growing more and more vibrant as I planted seeds and cleaned up the environment. If you’re a fan of cosy games, it is definitely worth checking out.
Developer: Ember Trail
Publisher: Kinda Brave
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC
Release Date: 27th March 2025
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Distant Bloom was provided by the publisher.
