A new standard of point-and-click adventures
(Review code provided by Powerhoof/Strange Signals. Thank you! Mild spoilers follow.)
Mick Carter’s life is the opposite of sunshine and roses; you learn immediately when jumping into The Drifter, out today on Steam and GoG. A funeral has brought him back to his hometown, but after meeting another rail-hopping man and witnessing his violent demise at the hands of some very out-of-place, Sam Fisher-esque soldiers, he’s murdered by said soldiers.
…Or was he?
I first played The Drifter during Fellow Traveller’s LudoNarraCon in 2024, and the game never strayed too far from my thoughts over the past year. From the Aussie studio Powerhoof (Barney Cumming and Dave Lloyd), the game began as a “slow-burner side project” for Lloyd in 2017 and evolved into a full production in 2021.
My first impression? The game is stunning. I’ve been playing many point-and-click adventures lately, most of them cartoony and light-hearted, but The Drifter is different. The game really feels like a 1970s crime movie: a dark, gritty thriller that’s not afraid to be adult. Lloyd cites Stephen King, John Crichton, and Michael Carpenter as inspirations behind the story, and you can certainly feel that influence in a great way.
The pixel art is the first thing you notice, and for good reason. While it’s expertly crafted and wonderfully detailed, it’s the voice acting that earns The Drifter a place on my list of can’t-miss adventure games. Adrian Vaughan’s performance as Mick is masterful, adding so much color and depth to the character that I couldn’t put the game down, even though that meant playing in the dark at 1 in the morning, with the occasional flash bomb from my monitor as certain events occurred. I REGRET NOTHING. The soundtrack is also a thing of beauty, with heavy bass and melodies that ooze suspense.
Puzzles are what make these games tick, and it’s no exception here. You’re exploring environments to pick up weapons, keys, maps, and other assorted items, and at times you’ll be tasked with combining some into improvised items like a Molotov cocktail to escape a situation. Or hanging a booze-soaked rag on a worn hook to give yourself some light. You’re never tasked with doing something that seems out of the ordinary for your character, and the puzzles just make sense.
Though I’ll admit there were a few times I got stuck. Meghann O’Neill created a low-spoiler hint guide in consultation with Powerhoof that helped me immensely in those cases, and you’ll find that here at https://firkraags.itch.io/2024-drifter
As for how to play The Drifter, there are two approaches: the more ‘traditional’ method with mouse and keyboard, and a twin-stick controller scheme that I ended up feeling more comfortable with, despite my experience in the genre. (Both were great ways to play, I was just blown away with how intuitive playing with my controller felt.)
It also played great on my Steam Deck, which bodes well for an eventual Nintendo Switch release later this year. (I know I’ll be playing it again when that happens.)
With strong art direction, captivating writing, unforgettable performances, and sound puzzle design, The Drifter is a must-play and has not only earned a strong recommendation from me, but it’s on my 2025 Games of the Year list.
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