Release Date: August 2, 2019
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Platforms:
PC Windows August 2, 2019
PlayStation 4 cancelled
Xbox One cancelled
Nintendo Switch February 22, 2021
Developer: Studio V
Publisher: VLG Publishing
Age restrictions: 18+
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System Requirements for Dry Drowning Video Game:
PC / Windows
Minimum System Requirements:
Intel Core i3-4160 3.6 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card Intel HD 4400 or better, 2 GB HDD, Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit.
Recommended System Requirements:
Intel Core i5-3570 3.4 GHz, 4 GB RAM, graphic card 2 GB GeForce GTX 660 or better, 2 GB HDD, Windows 7/8.1/10 64-bit.
Game Ratings for Dry Drowning Video Game.
Nindie Spotlight: 6.6 / 10 by Justin Nation
Operating somewhere between a visual novel and a classic adventure Dry Drowning is a bit of an odd bird...
Digitally ed: 4.5 / 5 by Matt Sainsbury
Dry Drowning reminds me a little of another game that I went into with absolutely no expectations, and went on to become one of my favourite games of all time: Tokyo Dark: Remembrance. Both are heavily inspired by noir and horror elements, though Tokyo Dark is Lovecraftian and Dry Drowning is more cyberpunk. Both games share a bold willingness to discomfort the audience, an interest in social commentary relevant to the real world, and an unrelenting intensity and urgency in the storytelling. I very nearly missed Dry Drowning because it very much looks like the low-budget visual novel that many other critics have accused it of being. I'm not sure what they were playing, though, because if you actually listen to what the game's saying, and pay attention to the literary genres that it belongs to, this is really quite a remarkable experience.
TechRaptor: 7 / 10 by Dan Hodges
In spite of its spotty localization, Dry Drowning is a compelling blend of visual novel and adventure game, providing a gritty cyberpunk world to explore, a brutal case to uncover, and Orwellian politics to navigate.
Average score from votes.