The Drifter - Switch 2 Review

The Drifter was released a year ago on Steam to critical acclaim; the noir-looking point-and-click adventure, known for its gritty storyline and pixel art graphics, finally makes its way to Nintendo Switch. As an Australian-based publication, we’re delighted to see an Aussie game do so well, and I’m pleased to say that The Drifter is unabashedly Antipodean!

The Good

The Drifter follows the story of Mick Carter, a drifter who has spent years away from his hometown before returning to attend his own mother’s funeral. Straight from the off, Mick (voiced superbly by Adrian Vaughan) finds himself embroiled in a shady plot; there are men in SAS-style uniforms going around killing people, and they also have an eye on Mick and his network of friends. The plot is thrilling and, for a point-and-click game at least, it moves at breakneck speed. No sooner are you jumping off a moving train than you are trying to escape from being thrown underwater with breeze blocks tied to your ankles. Of course the game only moves as fast as your fingers are able to do the pointing and the clicking, but with such a devious plot I found myself compelled to move as quickly as I could because it’s the video game version of a page-turner.

The user interface in The Drifter is happily simple; Mick is surrounded by a small radial at his feet, and points of interest and interactions swirl around as points on the circle as you move Mick freely around any given screen. The radial is also context-sensitive, meaning that some points don’t appear until you get closer to certain items or objectives. It did get a little cluttered at times, but otherwise I found the system meant that you were able to work things out for yourself, and yet the radial also didn’t serve as an overly obvious hint system. The difficulty was pitched perfectly, which meant the action could come to the forefront.

More on that voice acting in The Drifter… it really is superb. Adrian Vaughan as Mick is the star of the show but is ably supported by a wealth of interesting characters. Mick’s voice is a classic Aussie rugged voice (think Russell Crowe) but is tinged with emotion and dramatic range as the backstory unfolds. Also, because the puzzles are mostly item-based, it means the dialogue never becomes annoying or repetitive as it does in some similar games. Mick’s hints and sarcastic intuition stay fresh and are only uttered at the right moments to aid the narrative.

TL;DR

• Thrilling plot moves at breakneck pace
• Character user interface is useful but doesn’t give the game away
• Voice acting is the star of the show

The Bad

The Drifter is pretty damn good all around; however, despite praising the user interface, the radial system does get a little cluttered sometimes. The little dots on the radial can sometimes be bunched together to the point where you struggle to click on the item you’re intending to do so (and keep clicking on other things either side of it, agghh). That’s a very minor gripe, though, and it only occurs as an issue fleetingly.

I can’t really think of anything else to nitpick about The Drifter, especially given its indie background. I would, however, caution anyone who has a nervous disposition and/or concerns about playing games with some mental health trigger points. Of course that will all be covered in the rating disclaimer and you don’t need me to tell you what you can and can’t play, but I found some of the scenes particularly jarring (I won’t go into detail here), to the point where I was a little taken aback. I think the juxtaposition between these scenes and the pixel-art nature of the game is what made me feel particularly unprepared. Just beware; The Drifter certainly isn’t a cheery walk in the park, unlike many other point-and-clicks out there.

TL;DR

• Directional radial can get a little cluttered at times 
• The Drifter is very dark and potentially triggering at times

Final Score: 9/10

The Drifter stands out due to its pacing and action set pieces, which is something you rarely see in this genre. The gritty story and superb voice acting elevate the whole experience even further. We love seeing Aussies do well and the developers, Powerhoof, should rightly be considered as adventure game royalty from here on in. We can’t wait to see what they do next!

Thank you for checking out our The Drifter Switch 2 review, thank you to Powerhoof (via Strange Signals) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support:

• Andrew Caluzzi (Inca Studios / Camped Out)
• Bel Cubitt
• Bobby Jack
• Jack Caven
• Nintendo Maniacs
• RedHero