‘The Drifter’ is a Point-and-Click Adventure That Has Me Begging for More

Every now and then, I get to play a game that blows me away and fills me with a level of excitement that has me bursting at the seams to talk about it. The Drifter is one of those games. I’ve spent the last two weeks replaying a 30-minute demo of this game. Not just on my laptop, but in my head. I have been virtually unable to think about anything else but the entire first chapter of this point-and-click thriller.

‘The drifter’ is perfectly dark but feels emotional as well

You play as Mick Carter, a man who’s had a pretty rough go of things. He’s hopped in a boxcar to get back home for a funeral, and this is where things go absolutely crazy. And that’s literally the beginning of the game. Your boxcar mate goes nuts, and that’s the least of your problems. This game is fast-paced; it wants you to solve its puzzles. That doesn’t mean that they’re mind-numbingly simple, but they are presented in a way that fits the character. Practical and straightforward.

The way The Drifter‘s story moves along reminds me of Matthew Reilly’s Jack West Jr. series. Even in the first chapter of the game, you’re moving from story beat to story beat. Although you’re given just enough time to absorb what’s going on, this game doesn’t like to hold you up. I loved getting back in town and seeing Mick connect with a character from his past, then immediately being thrown right into a conspiracy… and then, the water.

It’s here where The Drifter reveals its hook. Mick can die. He’s just going to come back. And it’s gonna happen in a way that comes off like it might actually be pretty painful for him to do so. The puzzle surrounding his first death is so perfectly executed that you don’t even realize that the game is teaching you exactly how to think going forward. Yes, you’ll have to think fast, but you’ll also have to work smart, not hard.

This game is beautifully voice-acted

The voice acting work on The Drifter is top-notch, and even that feels like an oversimplification. Mick is portrayed in a way that makes him come off like a man in over his head. He’s tired, fed up, and he just wants to get to his destination. But when things go awry, he’s awake, he’s aware, and he wants answers. At no point does the transition between moments feel fake. The same amount of “WTF?” you’re doing, you’ll hear in his voice. It’s a stellar performance.

And just in case you weren’t already sold on this game, here’s the Steam description for The Drifter: “A murdered drifter awakens. Alive again, seconds before his death. Hunted and haunted, help him untangle a mad web of conspiracy in this fast-paced point ‘n click thrill-ride.” I can’t stress enough how excited I was to talk about this game, and I can’t wait for the full release.

The Drifter will be releasing on July 17th, 2025, on Steam, and Powerhoof is also working on a Nintendo Switch version that is targeting release later this year. I can tell you for sure that I’ll be playing it on both. This is definitely a game I need on the go. The demo is now available ahead of its participation in Steam Next Fest, which runs from June 9th to June 16th.