Dry Drowning is a cyberpunk mystery visual novel developed by Studio V and published by VLG Publishing and WhisperGames for Microsoft Windows on August 2, 2019. It was released on the Nintendo Switch on February 22, 2021.
| Dry Drowning | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Studio V |
| Publisher(s) | VLG Publishing, WhisperGames |
| Director(s) | Giacomo Masi |
| Designer(s) | Giacomo Masi, Samuele Zolfanelli |
| Programmer(s) | Samuele Zolfanelli |
| Artist(s) | Giulia Carli, Samuele Zolfanelli |
| Writer(s) | Giacomo Masi |
| Composer(s) | Giorgio Maioli, Alessandro Masi |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Nintendo Switch |
| Release | Windows August 2, 2019 Switch February 22, 2021 |
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editThe player takes control of Mordred Foley and has to read through the story, while making decisions at certain points. Depending on the choices, the player can influence the relationship to other characters as well as the course of the game, discovering more than 150 story branches, and eventually reach one out of three different endings with variations.[1] The game also includes passages where the player has to find clues or items on the screen by clicking on them. These can be used in interrogation scenes with certain characters in order to unmask them and discover their lies. Throughout the game, the player has access to an in-game operating system called AquaOS. With that, they can re-read their conversations, look at their found items, and read biographies of the characters encountered.
Plot
editThe game is set in the fictional and totalitarian city Nova Polemos in Europa in 2066. Mordred Foley and Hera Kairis are private investigators and before the events of the game, they sent two of the most dangerous serial killers ever, Jennifer Kingston and Robert Herrington, to the electric chair. However, after their execution, their agency underwent an investigation for falsifying the evidence presented during the case, which completely destroyed its reputation. Now they want to restart their careers and lives, while dealing with their past traumas. Soon, Mordred is caught up in several cases that all led him to believe that the dreaded serial killer named Pandora has returned. In order to solve these cases, both Mordred and Hera have to face their pasts and fears, all while a racist political party is about to make the lives of refugees in Nova Polemos even worse.
Development
editThe game was initially conceived by Giacomo Masi and Samuele Zolfanelli,[2] then developed by Studio V and directed and written by Giacomo Masi. It was originally written in Italian and translated into English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and German. The soundtrack was composed, written, and performed by Giorgio Maioli. The ending theme and Hera's pieces, performed on piano, were created by Alessandro Masi.[citation needed] The background and character artworks were made by Giulia Carli, other graphic elements such as the UI were created by Samuele Zolfanelli.[3] The developers cited L.A. Noire, Ace Attorney, Blade Runner and Heavy Rain as some of their inspirations for the game.[4][5]
Releases
editDry Drowning was originally released on Microsoft Windows through Steam, GOG, Itch.io, and Utomik in August 2019.[6] In July 2019, Giacomo Masi announced the game would be released for Xbox One in 2020,[7] though it was not released that year. A Nintendo Switch port was released on February 22, 2021,[8] and a version for PlayStation 4 is set to release in 2021.[6]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | PC: 68/100[9] NS: 80/100[10] |
According to review aggregator Metacritic, Dry Drowning received "mixed or average reviews" for PC based on 11 reviews and "generally favorable reviews" for Nintendo Switch based on 6 reviews.
4players.de gave a positive rating of 80% and wrote: "Stylish noir thriller with an interesting story, but mechanical limitations – despite a variety of possible interactions."[11]
Screen Rant gave a mixed rating of 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Dry Drowning may be a fair bit messy, but there's charm here. Players who are willing to embrace the cheesier elements will find some joy in its well-crafted setting and a decent murder mystery plot. The game is constrictive and lacks the genuine shock and engagement of top tier visual novels like Doki Doki Literature Club, but there are some moments of clever world building and a strong enough mystery propelling it."[12]
The Italian review site SpazioGames gave a positive rating of 8.5 out of 10 points and wrote: "Dry Drowning is a very good game with great narrative experience. Every relationship between the characters is layered to increase player involvement, and each choice has different consequences. A thriller game that deserves to be played."[13]
Awards
editThe game won Best of EGS 2019[14] and Best of JOIN 2019 awards, an honorable mention at GAMEROME and was nominated as "Best Italian Debut Game" at the Italian Video Game Awards 2020.[15] It was also declared Best Game at Join The Indie 2019.[16]
References
edit- ^ Craddock, Ryan (December 15, 2020). "Investigative Thriller Dry Drowning Comes To Switch With Welcome Improvements". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Delli, Lorenzo (July 3, 2019). "Dry Drowning è una visual novel interattiva tutta italiana in arrivo su PC e Console". smartworld (in Italian). Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ Zolfanelli, Samuele (May 23, 2020). "Dry Drowning screenshot saturday". Twitter. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ Kelly, Andy (July 23, 2019). "Play as a shady detective in this Blade Runner-esque thriller". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Fontanesi, Andrea (July 1, 2019). "Dry Drowning: un thriller italiano ispirato a Blade Runner e Heavy Rain". Everyeye (in Italian). Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (January 26, 2021). "Visual novel Dry Drowning coming to PS4, Switch this spring". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Masi, Giacomo (July 1, 2019). "Psychological Investigative Thriller Dry Drowning to Hit Xbox One in 2020". Xbox Wire. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Calvert, Darren (February 18, 2021). "Nintendo Download: 18th February (North America)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on February 18, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "Dry Drowning for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Dry Drowning for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ Schmädig, Benjamin (November 13, 2019). "Dry Drowning - Test, Adventure, PC". 4players.de (in German). Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Gordon, Rob (August 2, 2019). "Dry Drowning Review: A Compelling But Clunky Visual Novel". Screen Rant. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Puntorieri, Marino (August 1, 2019). "Dry Drowning recensione". SpazioGames (in Italian). Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Dry Drowning at EGS 2019". VLG Publishing. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ Di Pietro, Alessio (July 15, 2020). "IVGA – Italian Video Game Awards 2020: tutti i vincitori". Gaming Italiano (in Italian). Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
- ^ "Our Third Award!". Studio V. June 12, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2021 – via Steam.