I got around to reviewingThe Driftera bit late; with several other titles on my plate, I put this one on the backburner until after finishing games likeThe Necromancer’s Taleand the newest standalone expansion forRoboCop: Rogue City,Unfinished Business. It only took me a few minutes playingThe Drifterto realize my mistake; this edgy, captivating noir thriller features some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in the medium, absorbing me into its supernatural, crime-filled narrative while providing interesting puzzles. Sitting at nine chapters and just over eight hours of content (much shorter if you know the answers),The Drifteris sure to earn its place in your library and has made Powerhoof’s two-person team one of my new favorite developers.
The Drifteropens on Mick Carter, the titular drifter, train-hopping home to attend his mother’s funeral. With nothing but a low-battery phone and estranged from his sister and ex-wife (clarifying these are separate people), Mick is already down on his luck, making it to the funeral. Things worsen when he’s killed by a shadowy figure, only to reawaken moments before his death.
The Drifteris a deliciously dark noir story about corruption, conspiracies, and a delectable taste of the supernatural to spice things up. It features heavy, rightfully cynical commentary on how modern society treats the homeless, told from the perspective of someone punished for not fitting a “socially acceptable” mold. Even outside the greater narrative of a corrupt scheme against the city’s displaced, we see shockingly real instances of discrimination Mick faces daily from those who do fit into this mold. It is not just the tragedy of the horrible events our character has played witness to in his past and will continue to endure throughout the game, but the subtle cruelty in moments of reprieve that connects you to Mick Carter and makes the emotional beats resonate.
And feel is something I certainly did throughoutThe Drifter; the game is jam-packed with heart-wrenching moments that don’t feel cheap or unearned. It balances these scenes incredibly well with exciting action, suspense, and genuine horror, easily cementing it in the horror genre too. At every moment it risks feeling slow, it pulls you back with another incredible moment and has you hooked once again. The ability to save and quit after each chapter feels like a mocking gesture, as if they know the fantastic endings will hook you into playing “just one more.”
Far more than “just” a narrative game,The Drifterfeatures a classic point-and-click story-puzzle approach to gameplay that is surprisingly engaging, which I say as someone who isn’t a huge fan of this genre. One can argue that this style of play, popularized by the likes ofPajama Sam, is timeless, but something about the wayThe Drifterhandles the code behind the scenes makes everything feel much smoother and more intuitive. I struggle to explain exactly why the game feels so much better to play than many others in the genre, but I can safely say that the way they approach their puzzles certainly helps.
Puzzles inThe Drifterare cleverly designed, with not-so-obvious answers which reward creative thinking, especially when it comes to the interactions with the items you’ve collected throughout the game. Unorthodox as some of the solutions may be, I found that a little bit of focused thought found my way through them without too much trouble, which is saying something as I’m genuinely pretty bad at puzzles. For this reviewer, the game’s puzzles were designed in such a way that they provided genuinely stimulating gameplay without feeling unnecessarily hard or punishing.
Wrapping up what is clearly an unapologetic glazing ofThe Drifter, I have to praise the game for its art. Pixel art is something I always enjoy when I see it, butThe Drifterfeels far more than just another use of the medium. The game’s striking visuals feel as though they push the pixel art in directions I haven’t seen, or at least have rarely seen, done in other games. Scenes of intense gore or bright light convey the game’s dramatic noir tone, and shifting points of view and framing devices are incredible scene-setters for the game’s more dramatic moments.
The Final Word
What I thought would be a quick review I’d check off the backlog turned out to be one of the most emotionally gripping and atmospherically rich games I’ve played in a long time. It’s got heart, horror, puzzles that actually made me feel smart without being frustrating, and a story that had me hooked from start to finish. Powerhoof has made something special here, andThe Drifterabsolutely deserves your attention.
Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review ofThe Drifter. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on ourGame Reviewspage!The Drifteris available onSteam.
