THE DRIFTER

Conspiracies lurk in the pixel-art darkness

- Ian Evenden

With its Australian accents, pixelated style and dark themes, there’s a hint of Beneath a Steel Sky about The Drifter, but this point-and-click game, which begins with a violent death on a train and heads into some mature territory, such as homelessness and broken relationships, is all its own.

Mick is the drifter of the title, returning to a city he left five years ago for his mother’s funeral. As he’s hitching rides on freight trains, and talks about visiting a shelter, it’s tempting to call him unhoused, but he claims not to be, telling one character that he has places to stay. He has a lot of experience with that world, however, and carries a phone and charger with him to keep in touch with family and loved ones along with other essentials in his pack.