By: John C. Mayberry
It’s always a refreshing thing to come across a genre of game that you’ve never played before and be pleasantly surprised at how good it turns out to be. The Nintendo Switch port of Dry Drowning, and I promise boys and girls, is one great example of what the interactive visual novel should be. Detective noir with a sci-fi element, and several other important aspects make this visual novel engaging, and likely leaving you playing the whole game through from beginning to end. Then repeating the process until you have taken all possible pathways. There’s over one hundred of those, so yeah, I’d stretch my hands out if I were you, kids.
Assuming the role of Mordred Foley, a private investigator who along with his partner Hera Kairis, will traverse through a futuristic city to solve a series of deaths that point to the return of the serial killer Pandora. Through making choices that can lead you on one of many paths, the classic point-and-click feature used to investigate crime scenes, and utilizing your critical thinking skills, Day Drowning is as much a challenge as it is intriguing as you solve the different cases, hunting down and capturing the suspected serial killer before anyone else can be harmed.
This visual novel has so many good things going for it. Even if games of this genre are not everyone’s cup of tea as it were, the masses who have an appreciation for different kinds of games such as Dry Drowning are in for a surprise. Detective noir set in a futuristic city, a compelling murder mystery, and a dark atmosphere; Dry Drowning is worth whatever amount of space it needs when you download it. So, with that said, if you think you are intuitive enough, brave enough even, to track down Pandora before the killer strikes again, take the challenge. By far this is something that is different, sure, but something you’ll see will not disappoint in the least.
PROS:
Dark, moody atmosphere – Shaky text appearing on screen, sound effects, music, artwork and other aspects you’d expect to see in a crime thriller with a touch of sci-fi and horror thrown into the mix. They all come together perfectly and evenly to develop a game that is equal parts thriller, sci-fi, and horror.
Art style – Character and environment art is excellent. It is a visual pleasure to behold and will keep you drawn into the game’s events. Shadows and hues are used to an effective degree as it does emphasize the atmosphere of the game.
Multiple paths – The game progresses according to the choices you make, which can lead to multiple pathways and alternate endings. There is also about 150 possible pathways to take, giving players the chance to see how differently the story would have progressed if they’d simply chosen one thing over another.
Soundtrack – The soundtrack to Dry Drowning has this moody and foreboding feel to it. It instills a sense of intrigue with a little bit of dread of what cases still need to be investigated, that adds to and emphasizes the moodiness of the game’s story.
Plot/Writing – The plot is a unique combination of science fiction, thriller, mystery, with a touch of horror following two private investigators reviewing crime scenes that seem reminiscent of the methodology of the serial killer Pandora. Decisions you make determine how the player tells the story.
Using your head – Since this is a visual novel of the murder mystery kind, during interrogation scenes you get to use your critical thinking skills to put the pieces together, and from there determine your progress, and eventually the end of the game.
CONS:
May not be for all gamers – Although the visual novel approach for games is innovative, yet there may still be some who think the game is too steady in pace, possibly to the point of becoming slow. This could likely inspire players to switch to another game altogether if they become bored enough with it.
OVERALL SCORE – 9.5 out of 10
A game that would be just as enthralling if it were adapted into a novel, Dry Drowning plays and progress just like you’d expect a thriller/mystery novel to. With over one hundred pathways to choose from, this game will keep you busy for a while and on the edge of your seat as you anxiously play thorough for the same reason anyone would continue reading through a murder mystery: what’s going to happen next? If you want to find out, then open up that Nintendo e-Shop, download Dry Drowning, and see for yourself how the mystery unfolds.
