Utgivelsesdatoen for The Drifter bekreftet – en dyster tilbakekomst for pek-og-klikk-skrekk

The most quietly terrifying game of the summer might not be a survival horror or an FPS. It’s a point-and-click. The Drifter, a haunting narrative adventure by indie team Powerhoof, officially releases July 17 for Windows, Mac, and Linux. And if you’ve been missing the days of eerie storytelling, pixel precision, and methodical puzzle-solving, this one’s going to hit hard.

The Drifter is everything nostalgic players love about the golden age of adventure games—tight dialogue, moody design, and click-driven progression—but it swaps out the jokes for existential dread. Think Monkey Island, but you're being stalked by something you can't explain.

"The Drifter plays like a typical point-and-click, where players investigate their surroundings, collect key objects, and piece together puzzles to progress further in the story, which in this case, is gripping." – Matt Patches, Polygon

You play as Mick Carter, a drifter in every sense—hitching rides on freight trains, avoiding trouble, and trying to outrun whatever’s gone wrong in his past. But after witnessing a murder and fleeing into an underground encampment, Mick finds himself at the centre of something far darker. Missing persons. Strange symbols. Memories that don’t add up. It’s classic noir wrapped in Australian outback grime, with hints of Lovecraft lurking in the corners.

This isn’t just a moody story. It’s crafted. With voice actor Adrian Vaughn delivering a textured performance and Powerhoof's dense pixel art creating oppressive, shadowed environments, everything about The Drifter is designed to pull you deeper into its spiral. The game wears its influences proudly: Stephen King, Michael Crichton, and a hefty dose of John Carpenter, especially in the Mouth of Madness.

Point-and-Click Is Not Dead

If you haven’t touched a point-and-click in years, don’t worry—this is not the genre you remember from the '90s. There’s no wild item-combo guesswork or getting stuck on a pixel because your cursor was two pixels off. The demo, released during Steam Next Fest, was clean, intuitive, and worked seamlessly even on Steam Deck thanks to a smart interaction wheel.

But what exactly is a point-and-click game, and why does this format still matter?

Point-and-click games are a subgenre of adventure games defined by player interaction via clicking on environments to move characters, pick up items, and solve puzzles. The genre emerged in the 1980s and exploded in popularity through the '90s thanks to studios like LucasArts and Sierra. These games emphasised narrative, character, and logic puzzles over reflexes or combat.

Here’s a quick look at the giants of the genre:

These games evolved from simple puzzle chains to full-blown interactive novels, and while the genre declined with the rise of action-heavy titles, it never truly disappeared. Instead, it adapted—especially through indie developers who grew up on those classics.

The Drifter feels like the next phase of that evolution. It’s not a nostalgia trip—it’s a genre using modern tools to do something new. The horror elements aren’t just window dressing; they’re built into how you navigate the game. It’s psychological tension mixed with narrative control. You’re not fighting monsters—you’re uncovering what they are, and why they exist in this world at all.

That’s what makes The Drifter stand out. It’s not trying to prove the genre can still work—it’s acting like it never stopped working in the first place.

Release Plans and Platforms

The full release is locked in for July 17, launching on Windows, Mac, and Linux, with a Nintendo Switch version planned later this year. That demo from Steam Next Fest? It’s a tight 20-30 minutes, with polished interactions and enough mystery to leave players wanting a lot more.

You don’t need to be a genre expert to enjoy this game. If you like slow-burn mysteries, creepy audio design, and thoughtful puzzles, this one’s for you. And if you’re a long-time fan of point-and-clicks? This might be your favorite game of the year.

The Drifter is more than a throwback. It’s a reminder of what storytelling in games can do when it slows down, zooms in, and just lets you click.