Step into a dark thriller and unravel a conspiracy while solving practical adventure game puzzles in The Drifter.
The Drifter
Developer: Powerhoof
Price: TBA
Platform: PC (reviewed)
MonsterVine was supplied with a PC code for review.
Back in 2019, I previewed a demo of the point-and-click adventure game The Drifter, although I had forgotten that when it came time for this review. Instead, what got my attention the most was that the developer also made the free horror adventure game Peridium, which I enjoyed enough to be excited for their new game. At the time of my preview, I described The Drifter as having a noir atmosphere, but it’s much more of a thriller.
You play Mick Carter, a drifter trying to run from his past, who returns home to attend his mother’s funeral. On the way, however, his plans are thrown into disarray when high-tech soldiers shoot at him and start hunting him down. He soon learns about mysterious disappearances and people suddenly going mad, shortly before witnessing the soldiers abduct someone. They catch him and throw him into the reservoir, where he drowns… and then comes back a few seconds before his death. Now he finds himself entangled in a conspiracy, where his own newfound ability to return from death is the least of his problems.
It is a point-and-click adventure game, so you’ll click things in the environment to interact with them and find new items to use for puzzles. By default, there isn’t a way to show everything you can interact with, but you can change that in the settings. Gameplay mostly focuses on practical inventory-based puzzles, such as using a lighter to start a fire or finding a screwdriver to dismantle an electronic device for the components inside. Most of them are intuitive enough, but some might require you to try several things to figure out what the game wants.
In addition to solving puzzles, you’ll also need to talk to other characters. As you gain information, you get a variety of topics you can ask about. Some are necessary to progress, while others just provide additional dialogue. Mick has a cynical outlook on life even outside of the situation he’s found himself in, which results in some sarcastic and bitter dialogue from him, but his past and negative attitude are important parts of his character arc. Gathering items, talking to people, and solving puzzles is the core form of gameplay.
Sometimes, however, you’ll find yourself in a high-stakes situation where failure leads to death. Since Mick narratively returns to a few seconds before his death whenever he dies, the trial-and-error during these parts plays into the story. It’s not just the player trying different things to avoid death until they find the solution, but the character as well. Dying often results in Mick or another character giving a slight hint about what he needs to do. It sometimes took me quite a while to figure out what the hint meant, but fortunately, you never lose too much progress after a death, by the very nature of Mick’s revival. These intense sequences do a lot for the thriller atmosphere and really make the conspiracy feel dangerous.
The Drifter has an exciting plot with several twists and turns, and I ended each chapter wanting to know what would happen next. Some elements of horror come into play throughout the game, while other parts crank up the action. By the end of the game, all my questions had been answered, and the story wrapped up with a satisfying–and thrilling–finale.
The Final Word
The Drifter is an exciting game with puzzles that are tricky yet logical and a compelling storyline. If you enjoy point-and-click adventure gameplay and are looking for a thriller, you can’t go wrong with this one.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great