The Message from Deep Space is a relatively straightforward game to 100%, and the good news is that you do not need to worry about permanently missing any achievements during your playthrough.
Most achievements will unlock naturally as you progress through the game, while the few optional ones are simple to pick up once you know what to look for. There are also four birthday achievements tied to specific calendar dates, but even those can be obtained after finishing the main game.
This guide goes through every achievement that requires something specific, along with the easiest way to unlock each one.
The Message from Deep Space Achievements Guide
The majority of the achievements in The Message from Deep Space are tied directly to progression.
Because of that, you do not need to constantly stop and check an achievement list while playing. Simply continue through the game normally and the progression achievements should unlock as you reach their respective points.
If an achievement is not specifically mentioned in the sections below, it is expected to unlock naturally as you progress through the story.
There is also no need to worry about missing an achievement and having to restart the entire game.
Missable Achievements
There are no permanently missable achievements in The Message from Deep Space.
This is worth knowing before you begin because it means you can play through the game normally without constantly making backup saves or worrying that one small interaction has locked you out of 100%.
The non-progression achievements can either be obtained during your playthrough or by reopening the game after completing it.
So if you finish the story and notice that you are still missing something, don’t immediately assume that you need another playthrough. Check the requirements below first.
Satisfying
The Satisfying achievement is one of the easiest achievements in the game and is essentially a little reward for leaving the computer alone.
To unlock it, simply stop interacting with the computer and leave the game idle for around two minutes.
After sitting idle for a while, a screensaver will appear.
The screensaver will bounce around the screen, and eventually it should land perfectly in the corner.
Once that happens, the Satisfying achievement will unlock.
You do not need to press anything while waiting. Just leave the game running and let the screensaver do its thing.
If nothing happens immediately, give it a little more time. There is no complicated puzzle attached to this achievement.
CRASH!
The CRASH! achievement is tied to the Calculator tab.
The description makes the achievement sound like you need to somehow crash the calculator by entering an impossible calculation. Fortunately, the required input is very specific.
Open the Calculator tab and enter:
A = 0
B = -1
Then calculate:
A^B
In other words, you are attempting to calculate zero raised to a negative power.
Once you enter the calculation correctly, the achievement should unlock.
You don’t need to experiment with other combinations or try to break the calculator manually. The important part is entering the values exactly as required.
One Last Goodbye
The One Last Goodbye achievement is tied to what happens after you finish the main game.
First, complete the game normally and allow the credits to roll.
Once you have finished, close the game.
Then reopen The Message from Deep Space.
The next time you launch the game after completing it, you will get a special post-credits sequence.
Simply watching this sequence will unlock One Last Goodbye.
This is another achievement that is easy to overlook because you might naturally assume that reaching the end of the credits means you’re completely finished.
It doesn’t.
If you have completed the game but the achievement hasn’t appeared yet, simply launch the game again and let the post-credits sequence play.
Birthday Achievements
There are four achievements connected to character birthdays.
These achievements are:
- Celebrate Alan’s Birthday — January 31
- Celebrate Bautista’s Birthday — October 2
- Celebrate Collins’s Birthday — December 14
- Celebrate Doppler’s Birthday — May 12
To unlock one of these achievements, you need to launch the game on the corresponding date.
The game checks your computer’s system date, so you can either wait until the actual birthday arrives or temporarily change your computer’s clock to the required date.
Once the game is running on the correct date, wait for the birthday dialogue to appear.
The achievement should unlock after the associated birthday conversation triggers.
You do not need to start a new save for these achievements. They can still be obtained after you have already completed the main game.
Alan’s Birthday
Alan’s birthday is January 31.
Launch the game while your computer’s date is set to January 31 and wait for the birthday dialogue to appear.
Once the conversation triggers, the Celebrate Alan’s Birthday achievement will unlock.
If you are changing the system date manually, remember that you need to restart the game after changing the date.
Bautista’s Birthday
Bautista’s birthday is October 2.
Set your computer’s date to October 2, launch the game, and wait for the birthday dialogue.
Once the game recognizes the correct date and the conversation begins, you will receive the Celebrate Bautista’s Birthday achievement.
Collins’s Birthday
Collins’s birthday is December 14.
Set your computer’s date to December 14 before launching the game.
After starting the game, wait for the birthday dialogue to begin. The Celebrate Collins’s Birthday achievement will then unlock.
Doppler’s Birthday
Doppler’s birthday is May 12.
Set the system date to May 12, restart the game, and allow the birthday dialogue to appear.
Once the conversation triggers, you will unlock Celebrate Doppler’s Birthday.
Changing the Date for Birthday Achievements
If you are trying to collect all four birthday achievements without waiting for the actual dates, there are a few important things to keep in mind.
The game checks your computer’s date when it starts, so changing the date while the game is already running is not enough.
After changing the date, restart the game.
You also need to give the birthday dialogue some time to appear. It may not trigger immediately after loading into the game, so don’t close it again after only a few seconds.
There are also some potential issues with changing your system clock too far.
The game may fail to launch if your computer is set to a date that is in the future or more than a year in the past. Steam Cloud Saves may also behave incorrectly until you restore your computer’s date.
Because of that, if you’re using the date-change method, I recommend doing the achievements one at a time and returning your computer’s clock to the correct current date afterward.
The important steps are:
- Change your computer’s date to the required birthday.
- Fully restart the game.
- Wait for the birthday dialogue.
- Confirm that the achievement unlocked.
- Close the game.
- Return your computer’s date to the current date.
- Restart Steam or the game if your Cloud Save does not immediately synchronize correctly.
You can repeat this process for each of the four birthdays.