The Drifter (LudoNarraCon '24 Preview)

Raising the bar on point-and-click adventures

Billed as a fast-paced point ‘n click thrill ride, I wasn’t sure I wanted to play The Drifter on my Logitech G Cloud, but that’s how it worked out. I’ve played my share of games in that genre, and usually, without a second thought, they’re just mouse and keyboard.

By the time I finished Chapter 1 of The Drifter, I was craving more time inside the pixelated world, investigating the mystery around me, all the while shocked and impressed by how intuitive the gamepad controls were.

Mick Carter is riding the rails to return to his hometown for his mother’s funeral and finds himself sharing a car with another man, who has obviously seen some stuff. Mick gets the train car open, but that’s when stuff gets weird. His train car mate gets unceremoniously murdered by an unknown force (not the cops), and he finds himself careening down a hill to get to safety.

There’s a group of homeless in the area, including someone from Mick’s past; a man named Bill. While talking to his sister, Mick’s phone dies, leading him on a quest to find what he needs to charge it. There’s a car; Bill has the keys, but you need a hose and some gas.

Finding the hose involves talking to a reporter, who is trying to talk to the homeless people who live under the bridge where Mick ended up. After a discussion with the reporter where you get to pick the responses, he ends up with the tool he needs to get the hose to fix the car.

But alas, it doesn’t work.

You learn from Bill during this stretch that there’s something going on in the area, people are disappearing and no one really knows why. There’s a story of these ‘phantoms’ who seemingly prey on the unhoused.

And here’s where the real hook comes in. You get kidnapped and are forced to save yourself with what you have picked up so far. But YOU DIE.

And then you come back, right before your moment of death, ready to save yourself and move on.

End Chapter 1.

The Drifter is releasing on Steam and targeting the Nintendo Switch “when it’s done,” and other platforms are possible.

(Preview based on early access to the demo, provided by Powerhoof and Fellow Traveller.)