Dry Drowning

Release Date: August 2, 2019

Adventure, cyberpunk, noir, science fiction, thriller, detective, visual novel, singleplayer

7.1

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Detective visual novel game with noir and cyberpunk atmosphere. As a private investigator, Mordred Foley, we move to a futuristic metropolis to solve the mystery of murders based on Greek myths.

Plot
Mechanics
Technical aspects

Dry Drowning is a cyberpunk detective visual novel adventure game. The title is the effect of several years of work of Italian developers from V Studio, which released its debut title under the VLG Publishing label.

Plot

Dry Drowning takes us to 2066 to the fictional European city of Nova Polemos. During the game we follow the fate of discredited private investigator Mordred Foley, who, together with his assistant, investigates a series of murders inspired by Greek myths. In order to catch the killer, the protagonist has to face not only the gloomy reality of a cyberpunk dystopia, but also his own past.

Mechanics

Dry Drowning is a typical visual novel. Most of the time is spent on conversations, thanks to which we learn more about the characters we encounter and the events taking place in Nova Polemos. In this way, we learn the story, but also make important decisions. These have a significant impact on the plot, leading us on through more than 150 paths and eventually to one of the three endings.

An interesting fact is the Living Nightmares system, which appears sometimes during interrogations. The man we're pushing, is then given an animal mask, and our job is to force him to drop the façade and reveal the truth. To achieve this, we can use the information and evidence you have gathered before. Please note that in each case we have only three attempts, and failure means the end of the game.

Technical aspects

Studio V used Unity engine to create its own vision of a futuristic city. Most of the graphics are static two-dimensional charts and characters, but the devs took care to enrich them with additional effects. The atmosphere of cyberpunk noir is also built by a soundtrack consisting of 50 musical pieces.

Last updated on June 2, 2020

Videos and Screens

[1:24] Dry Drowning trailer #1

7.1

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 44% of Critics. There are 20 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Cubed3: 5 / 10 by Renan Fontes

As far as presentation goes, Dry Drowning does put its best foot forward. The excellent sound direction pairs well with the muted, almost gritty art style. Unfortunately, for as aesthetically and stylistically pleasant as the visual novel is, its script leaves quite a bit to be desired.

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Jump Dash Roll: 6 / 10 by Rob Kershaw

The writing is clichéd and the gameplay linear, but Dry Drowning provides enough quirks for fans of the visual novel genre to warrant a look.

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Screen Rant: 3 / 5 by Rob Gordon

Dry Drowning blends hard-boiled detective tropes with an interesting dystopian mystery, which just about manages to cover its gameplay restrictions.

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