It’s going for an ‘investigative feel’
The two-man team at Melbourne studio Powerhoof revealed their next game this week, and it’s worth a look for point-and-click fans who never stopped adventuring. The Drifter – coming to PC and Nintendo Switch “when it’s done” – is a pulpy thriller about a drifter who happens upon a murder. He’s spotted, killed, brought back to life “seconds before his death,” and framed for the whole sordid affair.
While Mick (good name for an adventure game protagonist, by the way) unravels the otherworldly conspiracy, he’s also “haunted by a feeling that something followed him back from the other side.”
I gave this project a cursory glance because I really like Powerhoof’s use of lighting and color (and because Crawl was neat in its own right), but I’m sticking around for that story premise.
The developers say they’re “drawing on King, Crichton, and Carpenter, with a dash of ’70s Ozploitation,” and add that puzzles in The Drifter will be “the glue that ties it together rather than the focus.”
“Mick’s a pretty practical guy, and so puzzles are down-to-earth, designed to be unobtrusive, and give an investigative feel,” Powerhoof said. “We’re keeping the pacing is quick and lean.”
That’s what I like to hear!