A new indie game called The Drifter is now out, with its initial wave of reviews being nothing short of stellar. A pixel art point-and-click adventure, the title has received praise on numerous fronts, including its compelling hook that has players taking control of a character trying to solve his own murder.
The Drifter is developed by Powerhoof, an indie studio operating out of Melbourne, Australia. It was designed, written, and coded by Dave Lloyd, an industry veteran whose love for point-and-click adventures dates back to the early 2000s, when he was making such titles with the Adventure Game Studio engine. The Drifter has been in the works since 2017, though it didn't enter full production until four years later.
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Posts 2Following eight years' worth of development, The Drifter was released on July 17. It is currently only available for PC—via Steam and GOG—though Powerhoof is also working on a Nintendo Switch port. While the game will regularly retail for $19.99, it materialized with a 15% launch discount, bringing it down to $16.99. This promotional offer is set to run until July 31. Powerhoof offered a limited-time demo of The Drifter during the June 2025 edition of Steam Next Fest. However, the trial version of the game has since been removed and does not appear to be returning.
Where to Buy The Drifter
Steam GOGTwo days after its release, The Drifter holds a "Mighty" rating on OpenCritic, with an average score of 86 and a 93% reviewer recommendation rate. This puts it in the 96th percentile of all the games scored on the aggregator platform, in addition to making it one of the highest-rated point and click titles in recent memory. Critics praised The Drifter for its compelling narrative, intoxicating atmosphere, and a consistent collection of puzzles that are challenging but never illogical, among other qualities. The game's soundtrack and voice acting have also elicited widespread compliments from critics. Early player feedback appears to match this largely favorable critical reception, with The Drifter currently holding 87.54% positive reviews on Steam, qualifying it for Valve’s “Very Positive” rating.
CloseThe Unity Engine-powered game still hasn't generated massive commercial momentum, though it's not doing too badly for an indie release. According to SteamDB data, The Drifter peaked at 445 concurrent Steam players on July 19, and is currently ranked 148th on Valve's "Top Sellers" list, which tracks all recent in-game revenue, including outright purchases, microtransactions, and subscriptions.
The Switch port of the pulpy sci-fi adventure game is currently without a concrete release date. However, Powerhoof previously confirmed that it's planning to bring The Drifter to the eShop before the end of 2025, so sometime in the next five months.
An unprecedented thrill ride unfolds in 'New Game With Stellar Reviews' as players find themselves solving their own virtual murder - a delightful blend of detective work and self-reflection crafted with skill.
