Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is as meditative as a long drive

Fellow Traveller will publish Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between in 2022. It's an expanded, philosophical reimagining of Silverstring's 2014 cult hit.
Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between screencap featuring a character reading a book on a train

As part of the first Indie Houses Direct, Fellow Traveller have announced a new title: Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between, from Silverstring Media. An expansion on Silverstring’s 2014 cult hit Glitchhikers, Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between will launch on Steam in 2022.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between Gif Featuring An Antlered Character Called 'Hiker'

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between promises to bring the original game’s philosophical appeal to a new year and a new audience. With an expanded scope and a chill new soundtrack, the game recreates liminal space of a long journey with a surreal narrative inspired by the creative, associative thought processing that a long drive elicits.

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Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is a philosophical journey that focuses on the spaces between destinations, and the thoughts that naturally arise during long journeys. It’s a freeform narrative game that encourages curiosity and reflection, and places no pressure on the player to succeed, speed through, or optimise their path. Instead, Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between offers the player a ‘liminal space’ in which they have the ‘ unique experience [of] travelling into their own thoughts, guided by the characters they meet along the way.’ 

The new title isn’t a direct sequel; instead, Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between is described as a ‘reborn and reimagined’ experience that expands on the liminal, philosophical journey of the critically acclaimed original. In 2014, Silverstring’s Glitchhikers was described as ‘fifteen minutes of poetic, thought provoking little moments’ by Indie Game Magazine.

Kill Screen went even further, praising the game’s gentle, introspective existential probing, saying: ‘Glitchhiker’s guided introspection has taught me more about the universe and myself in 15 minutes than most other games manage across a number of hours.’

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between Character Where A Horned Character Plays Musical Instruments In A Variety Of Darkly Lit Locations

In honour of the redux, Silverstring’s original title has now been renamed Glitchikers: First Drive. It is currently available for US$9.99 or Pay What You Want on Silverstring’s website.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between will be released on PC and Mac in early 2022. Wishlist it on Steam.

Jini Maxwell is a writer and curator who lives in Naarm. They are an assistant curator at ACMI, where they also host the Women & Non-binary gamers club. They write about videogames and the people who make them. You can find them on Twitter @astroblob