Adr1ft Review

Ever wonder what it what it was like to be Sandra Bullock and be virtually all alone in space? Well you’re in luck because there exists a game Called Adrift (Adr1ft) where you are literally drifting in space with nothing but debris and solitude surrounding you. The game starts with your basic tutorial that does an excellent job teaching you the ins and outs of the game. This is a very unique game with unique movement, and the only thing that I can compare it to, is the space walk segments from Dead Space and Dead Space 2. As for solitude you are definitely alone and, Adrift nails its goal with great atmosphere and wonderful sound design that really sets the tone for this experience.

Since we’re talking about space walking, let’s bring up the movement in Adrift. For lack of a better term, it’s stellar. However, there is a drawback. The destruction of the space station that you called home for the passed 3 years affected your space suit, causing your oxygen to be used as fuel for your thrusters. So what’s keeping you alive is also what’s getting you around. Before we go any further I want to mention how breath taking the game is, From the tutorial to the actual game. It’s visually striking and a sight to behold. Don’t forget to get an eyeful of that pale blue dot we live on. Paired with headphones and a dark room it actually feels like you’re in the grasp of the black nothingness that is space. Even the main menu filled my eyes with Unreal Engine 4 goodness. So from right then and there I was ready to accept space and it’s infinite beauty. The physics in this game is really next level, Everything holds weight, or lack there of rather. You bump into something and it goes flying. You use an air canister toss it and it B-lines and never stops until it hits another object. There is no combat in Adrift so it does carry the “walking simulator” stigma, and I can see some players experiencing issues with motion sickness. After all it is a first person experience and you are floating around and at times spinning around looking for collectibles and oxygen.

The game doesn’t hold your hand when it comes to the story, if you want to find out what happened go and explore every little nook and cranny you can. There’s everything from audio files to emails you can read to learn about the past 3 years on this rotating abode. Another thing that I can compare to Dead Space, is the fact that there are little pieces of story in almost every corner of the game. During your exploring time don’t wander out too far, or you will die, your oxygen will only last for so long and get you so far. The game really depends on you remembering where you went and doesn’t really give you a concrete objective. You hit the scan button and it points to oxygen or a collectable. You want to go out and find where you’re supposed to go next but the fear of running out of oxygen is very real, and is incredibly disheartening. You start to wheeze and grasp for the blank space in front of you. Then the color fades from everything around you and you’re accepted into the black waters of space. To really get a hold of where you want to go next in the game remember where you came from, go out a ways from the wreckage and then pick a point you think you haven’t been to yet and go for it. Picking up all the oxygen you can is key to survival. Adrift does get easier once you get your first suit upgrade, which is fairly early in the game. The similarities of the corridors and rooms and bigger structures can get a little stale but there are small differences on the inside that you can really appreciate.

You will be followed around by a disembodied voice that will almost constantly talk to you. They nailed the voice of this computer because again the sound design in this game is great and the voice of the robot is not annoying at all. It’s almost comforting hearing it and having that feeling that you’re not alone. But the cold harsh reality is that you are alone and your only true objective is to escape and make it back to earth safe and sound.

Let’s move on to Trophies, there isn’t a platinum which is a bit disheartening and should be mentioned as I did review this game on the Playstation 4. But don’t let that keep you from that 100 percent completion rate. EVEN if most of the trophies are collectibles, which I despise,  that is one of the very few things that I dislike about Adrift. Moving to a few more trophy points, there are 15 total and over half of them are hidden. So get to collecting and beating the game! You’ll have a great time exploring and an even greater time boosting around the rubble and debris!

In closing if you’re a fan of sci-fi or space, walking simulator or survival games, pick this one up and you won’t be disappointed. There are a few draw backs to the game like lack of combat, the walking simulator aspect, and it is a relatively short game, but they are overshadowed by all the things this game does right, like aesthetics, graphics, sound, and the overall story. This was an overall good experience. Pick it up and stay in space for awhile!