2 Minutes in Space Review | A Simple Yet Addictive Space Survival Challenge

'2 Minutes in Space' is an explosive survival game where you’re placed front and center at the helm of your very own spaceship. Your objective is to endure in a treacherous space environment for as long as possible while collecting valuable resources.

Developed by Rarepixels, an indie game studio based in Spain, 2 Minutes in Space is the second game in their catalog of games. Their first title, an air traffic control simulator known as Planes Control, was released nearly a decade ago and is one I’m familiar with as I’ve played it in the past.

That said, I was forward to testing out 2 Minutes in Space and seeing whether Rarepixels was able to deliver the same engaging gameplay I had experienced in their previous title.

Table of Contents

1. Game Concept
2. Gameplay
3. Graphics / Visual Presentation
4. Sound
5. Performance
6. Microtransactions
7. Uniqueness
8. Conclusion
9. Final Rating

Game Concept

2 Minutes in Space falls under the survival genre and follows a relatively simple game concept – survive or perish.

You play as an astronaut in control of a spaceship which you’ll need to steer away from dangerous items such as celestial objects and explosive missiles. If you come into contact with them, you run the risk of either obtaining serious damage or destroying your ship (and effectively ending your run).

However menacing the environment may be, it’s also rewarding as you can find gold pieces, power-ups, and repair kits. Importantly, you’ll want to get as many gold pieces as possible. This shiny item is the game’s currency and you can use it to unlock different spaceships and environments as well as upgrade your power-ups.

Gameplay

Having heard the game concept, you would think that the gameplay experience would be basic and I don’t blame you. I felt the same way before I started but, as I played through the game, this level of simplicity worked out in the game’s favor.

2 Minutes in Space starts easy with you having to dodge a couple of missiles here and there. As you last longer, the difficulty setting increases as more missiles head your way. This simple concept of dodging and picking up items is great because it doesn’t overwhelm you when the gameplay gets challenging. On that note, I must mention that the pacing is still there. So, worry not, this game is easy to pick up regardless of your experience with this genre of games.

One of the strongest features of 2 Minutes in Space is its ability to keep things fresh no matter how many times you play the game. Not only can you select from a variety of map environments to play in, but you can also choose from a wide selection of spaceships (up to 15 at the time of our review), each of which boasts various stat buffs and weapons to defend yourself with. This big selection invites a certain level of strategy which I greatly appreciate.

I also appreciate the developers making sure that you can play 2 Minutes in Space in a variety of ways. You can choose between playing in landscape or portrait. You can also decide what controls you want for your spaceship, be it control buttons, a joystick, or tapping.

I think my only issue with the gameplay is that it can come across as slightly grindy. You will really need to put in the time to collect enough gold pieces to unlock all the items in the game.

Graphics / Visual Presentation

The visual presentation in 2 Minutes in Space is akin to that of a classic arcade shooter like Galaga but, of course, with an updated aesthetic. It very much still has that top-down, 2D look and feel to it that can feel welcoming, especially if you have nostalgia for that era of games. Regardless of whether the developers took inspiration from these types of titles or not, I was personally a fan of it.

Regarding the spaceships and multiple map environments, there certainly is detail in the art design but they’re kept to a level that is not too distracting. I think this was the right call from the developers as there is already so much going on in terms of gameplay that having too many visual components may be overbearing.

Sound

For the most part, the developers have done a decent job with the sound design. The original score and sound effects are done nicely and don’t come across as generic sounding. The soundtrack is fitting for the game and adds a level of excitement the longer you survive in your run.

My only wish in this department is to have the ability to adjust the volume of the music and sound effects. As it stands, you only have the option to either mute or unmute both of them. I found that the music drowns out the regular sound effects at times, so perhaps having this option will allow players to enjoy both of these together without having to sacrifice the other.

Performance

I tested the game on a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra with default settings and never encountered any lag, framerate issues, or other problems of the sort. Overall, 2 Minutes in Space ran like a dream as there was smooth gameplay and the buttons felt responsive with no input delay.

Given the game’s device requirements, you should be able to play on any high- to medium-end mobile device released within the last five years, but I’m certain the game can still be run on a reasonable, lower-end device too.

It’s worth mentioning that 2 Minutes in Space does not allow you to adjust the graphics quality. However, that should not be a massive problem as the graphics are not excessive for the everyday mobile device.

Microtransactions

Microtransactions can be an absolute game-killer in the mobile gaming scene. If there’s too much, it can often feel like you’re stuck in a pay-to-win situation where playing the game regularly doesn’t feel as rewarding. But, if done correctly, this can make it easy for some players to obtain an item quickly without inhibiting the core gameplay experience for others.

2 Minutes in Space does microtransactions right. At the in-game store, you have the option to purchase gold pieces but you don’t need to do so as you can easily get more of them for free by collecting them during runs.

The game does feature ads which may be a gripe for some players. Fortunately, you have the option to remove them entirely from appearing in the game but it comes at a one-time cost.

Uniqueness

I think 2 Minutes in Space is quite a unique game. It’s not exactly revolutionary for the genre in the mobile scene, but I think it does tremendously in offering a competent, polished game with strategic elements that will keep you on your toes.

Though the game was released in 2021, I believe the game still stands out in the current landscape as the trend at the moment leans mostly towards narrative RPGs and Battle Royales. Again, with multiple environments available and spaceships at your disposal, this makes for quite a remarkable game that feels new every time you play it.

Conclusion

Rarepixels has delivered an addictive, enjoyable, and fairly balanced game that hits the mark across key aspects of the player experience. The concept isn’t rocket science but the developers have executed it at a level that makes the gameplay feel like it is more complicated than it is.

That said, 2 Minutes in Space is a simple yet engaging title. I think it is the perfect fit for players who prefer easy-to-learn games that don’t require you to invest an extended period of time whenever you hop into a run. I personally found myself launching it whenever I had a few minutes to spare as it was great at satisfying those sudden urges to game.

Contrary to its title, you can certainly last longer than just a couple of minutes – which was evident in the global leaderboards. It’s this inherent desire to get a high score that I think contributes to players like myself coming back for more.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by 2 Minutes in Space. Rarepixels states that its objective is “to create the best mobile games in the industry” and I think they’re on the right track here with this game.

Final Rating

Our final rating considers the game's performance across six key areas. Namely, the areas are gameplay, performance, graphics / visual presentation, sound, uniqueness, and microtransactions.

Here is an overview of the scoring in each area:

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