Rating
The Drifter
The Drifter is a 2d point and click adventure in the classic style. Taking cues from the recent revival of the genre there is an emphasis on story, with puzzle solving being 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 fee...
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The Drifter Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Every once in a while, a game comes along that seems ground-breaking without necessarily introducing anything new. Instead, the game takes elements from other similar titles and mixes them together with such skill that the genre as a whole takes a step forward. We know this from open world games with Grand Theft Auto III or the FPS genre with Half Life 2. Now the point-and-click genre has also got such a game. Finding faults with The Drifter is as difficult as pixel hunting in classic point & click games, and therefore it naturally deserves the highest possible rating.
What I thought would be a quick review I’d check off the backlog turned out to be one of the most emotionally gripping and atmospherically rich games I’ve played in a long time. It’s got heart, horror, puzzles that actually made me feel smart without being frustrating, and a story that had me hooked from start to finish. Powerhoof has made something special here, and The Drifter absolutely deserves your attention.
Deserving of a place in the point and click hall of fame, The Drifter is a pulpy thriller with fantastic storytelling, excellent puzzles and truly stand-out voice acting. Undoubtedly one of the highlights of 2025, make sure this is on your radar if you're a fan of adventure games with unforgettable narratives.
The Drifter has everything you want from a modern point-and-click adventure – a banging story, excellent characters that are unabashedly Australian, and expertly designed puzzles. It’s one of the best adventure games you’ll ever play and it feels like an evolution for the genre, and Powerhoof deserves all the acclaim about to come its way.
After tons of time squinting at my monitor trying to solve whodunits and twisting my iPad around to see if my puzzle will cooperate, The Drifter has been the refreshing and innovative experience I’ve been looking for. You’ll find me hard-pressed to find any glaring flaws, as it excels in its characters, writing, puzzling, and everything else. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish that I’d recommend to anyone.
I’ve been playing point-and-click adventures since the glory days of Sierra and LucasArts. Classics like the King’s Quest and Monkey Island series are among some of my favorites from the late 1980s to early 1990s, and will always hold a special place in my heart. That said, there has been a wonderful resurgence of retro-inspired point-and-click adventures as of late, with games like Norco, The Case of the Golden Idol, and Unusual Findings being notable standouts. I was immediately in...
A point-and-click adventure with strong horror themes and a gorgeous pixel-art aesthetic, The Drifter is something of a lovechild between Twin Peaks and Wolf Creek. Developed by Melbourne-based studio Powerhoof (the team behind asymmetric multiplayer dungeon-crawler Crawl), this title is described as a “pulp adventure thriller” and has had the Checkpoint Gaming team shivering with anticipation since we first encountered it at PAX all the way back in 2019. A fascinating, action-packed take...
Step into a dark thriller and unravel a conspiracy while solving practical adventure game puzzles in The Drifter.
The Drifter is a great point-and-click adventure that keeps you engaged throughout, with smart puzzles and great characters.
The Drifter is an excellent adventure game with a fantastic story, excellent sound, and lovely pixel art, though sadly drags a bit here and there.
The Drifter is a graphic adventure like no other. The combination of its intriguing story, fantastic setting, excellent voice acting, and control system makes it a must-play for fans of the genre, and it might even win over those who have never played one of these games before. Some puzzles are a bit obtuse, and others too simple, but it maintains a good balance that makes this game a great experience.
Between the emotional core centering around Mick and his family, the B-movie batshit tinfoil sci-fi stuff, and the eventual revelations that tie everything together in both theme and plot, there are a lot of elements jostling for space and time in The Drifter. It's impressive that it manages to wrap things coherently, nevermind the satisfying and touching way it does. Ultimately, it's a good story, well told, that knows when to lay on the head scratchers and when to ferry you along with simpl...