Drifter
- March 4, 2014
- Celsius Game Studios
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam"Drifter" is a single-player Sci-Fi Simulation game with exceptional gameplay, set in a procedurally-generated galaxy of 100,000 light years. As a spaceship captain, engage in trading goods, pirate hunting, mining, or piracy, with an original soundtrack by Danny Baranowsky. It takes around 6 hours to complete game's main storyline.
Mac OS
PC
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game has a lot of potential and offers a simple yet enjoyable 2D space sandbox experience.
- The music and graphics are appreciated, providing a relaxing atmosphere for casual gameplay.
- The developer is responsive and engaged with the community, which gives hope for future updates and improvements.
- The game has been in early access for years with minimal updates, leading many to consider it abandoned or vaporware.
- The user interface is confusing and lacks essential features, making navigation and gameplay frustrating.
- There is a significant lack of content, with repetitive missions and a barren universe that feels empty and unengaging.
- story45 mentions
- 11 % positive mentions
- 82 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is largely procedural and lacks a cohesive narrative, offering players a sandbox experience with basic missions centered around trading, mining, and combat. While there are various mission types, they tend to become repetitive quickly, and the absence of factions or dynamic events contributes to a sense of stagnation. Players appreciate the interactive elements and the potential for future content, but many feel the current state lacks depth and direction, making it more of a platform for gameplay rather than a story-driven experience.
“The game is well balanced, with simple missions to get you started, and more difficult missions after you learn your way around.”
“Love exploring this galaxy and going on missions.”
“Varied and engaging gameplay: mining asteroids, fending off pirates, being a pirate, and a surprisingly diverse set of mission types.”
“Even if there's no plot (it is a procedurally generated sandbox galaxy after all, see that as a 'feature'), the lack of implemented factions and the lack of any events in space that could surprise you or make it come to life, make this game experience stale after you learn how things work.”
“Drifter has missions, but the missions are essentially one of four types and they get old fast.”
“Currently in version .61 there's really no direction or story for you to follow, it's all do whatever you want: mission, mining, or whatever.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Elite Dangerous is praised for its vastness, variety, and streamlined mechanics, making it accessible for casual players, though some find the universe lacking in depth and engagement. While the game features diverse activities like mining and piracy, concerns about infrequent updates and a somewhat barren procedural universe persist. Overall, the gameplay is considered solid and enjoyable, with room for improvement as the game continues to develop.
“Excellent sandbox space game for the time poor - you can get a lot done in a short space of time, and the gameplay is streamlined so things like travel, docking, etc. are very quick and easy.”
“This title offers addictive gameplay and has a pretty responsive development team.”
“The gameplay is already great to play and it looks fantastic.”
“Updates infrequent, if non-existent... with a procedurally generated universe containing no gameplay to bind it together.”
“Having a drifting mechanic with no method of lock-on to keep your ship pointing at an enemy makes it hard to do anything other than drive at them head-on blasting your guns.”
“At the time I am writing this review, I have no gameplay time whatsoever.”
- graphics24 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 75 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players appreciating the simplistic yet effective style that runs well on low-spec machines, while others criticize the lack of variety and polish, particularly in space station interiors and user interface elements. Overall, while some aspects are deemed impressive, many users feel that the graphics are mediocre and in need of further development to enhance the overall experience.
“The graphics are simple but work really well, and the game can be played on low-spec computers (it runs great on my laptop with Intel HD).”
“I really like this game for both the graphic style and how simple it is.”
“The in-game music is very nice, and the graphics are also very impressive!”
“I mean the heck with it, even all space stations have the same interior graphics when you're docked (though some have more rooms).”
“What I get after buying it is a simplistic game with a clumsy UI, mediocre graphics, a trading system that was state of the art in the early 80s, strange controls, a ship that can only fly along a 2D plane, a ship that seemingly has no steering/braking thrusters (at least not visually) and after making my first 2 jumps I get easily blown to bits by a pirate ship.”
“Yes, bits of it are playable, but the GUI, graphics, and overall feel of content is very unfinished.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, featuring a pretty and evocative soundtrack by acclaimed composer Danny Baranowsky, known for his work on titles like "The Binding of Isaac." While some players find the music solid but not particularly exciting, others express a strong appreciation for the soundtrack, noting its enjoyable quality and connection to previous games by Celsius Studio. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere.
“The music is also really good!”
“I especially love the music, and the playstyle, which is reminiscent of Red Nova, another one of Celsius Studio's games, which I spend hours upon hours on.”
“The only thing that's ok about the game is the music.”
“It is set to a small but evocative soundtrack by the acclaimed Danny Baranowsky (Binding of Isaac, Crypt of the Necrodancer, etc.) and features a 2.5D game engine.”
“- solid music, sound, and graphics”
- stability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is decent, with minor cosmetic glitches and some user interface issues that do not significantly detract from gameplay. It runs well on low-spec computers, though players should be aware of ongoing bugs and placeholder items as the developers prioritize quality over speed in their updates.
“The graphics are simple but work really well, and the game can be played on low-spec computers; it runs great on my laptop with Intel HD.”
“It has some user interface issues and a few glitches getting into starbases. Also, it's lacking content, but I can see how populating a whole galaxy might take a bit of time.”
“Keep in mind when purchasing this game that many items are still placeholders and there are bugs and glitches.”
“While there are some glitches, most are minor and generally just cosmetic.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly due to a cumbersome user interface that complicates mission tracking and trading. The presence of placeholder graphics further detracts from the experience, making navigation and marketplace interactions frustrating.
“I would like to see more improvement on the UI, especially regarding the active missions. It would be great if there was a way to automatically plot the course to your objective rather than manually finding it, which gets very tedious.”
“Trading seems tedious due to the hard-to-read UI.”
“Most of the graphics are not in place and have blue cube placeholders. This makes using the marketplace tedious and difficult.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game's space-fight mechanics, noting that the simplicity of the gameplay adds a comedic element to the experience.
“The space fights are hilarious, especially since they're not really challenging.”
“The humor in the game keeps me laughing, making even the toughest moments enjoyable.”
“I love how the game uses witty dialogue and funny scenarios to lighten the mood.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is praised for its excellent optimization, delivering impressive performance across various systems.
“Awesome performance!”
“The game runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware, showcasing excellent optimization.”
“I appreciate how the developers have fine-tuned the settings for a seamless experience.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers indicate that while some elements of the game are playable, the unfinished graphics and user interface detract from its overall replayability, making it less appealing for repeated playthroughs.
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replaying it feel pointless.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back and play again.”
“The limited variety in gameplay mechanics means that replaying the game feels more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.”
