REVIEW: Dry Drowning

A serial killer known only as Pandora is roaming the streets of Nova Polemos. He and his accomplices are staging their crimes to evoke greek myths. Foley Investigations is made up of Mordred Foley, a private detective, and Hera, his assistant. They are trying to keep the perpetrator at bay.

I ended the game feeling guilty and happy. Dry Drowsing is silly and relies too heavily on tropes. It tries to do too much. It is still entertaining, well-paced and makes you feel like your choices are important. Mordred, Hera, and their investigation of increasingly complex crimes are set against the backdrop of a dystopian future city. Mordred, who was complicit in the executions of Pandora's criminals before the game started, makes things even more complicated. He's now looking for redemption.

Dry Drowning utilizes its visual novel format well, using it to drive the story through dialogue, but also giving the player lots more to do than in a traditional visual novel format. You will be a detective investigating scenes and interrogating suspects to uncover their lies. You will collect evidence, travel to various places, and make crucial decisions that will impact the fate of the entire city. It is also very good at keeping you on track. You can remove evidence from your inventory or travel to places that you don't need. This all adds up to a well-paced game that leaves you free to focus on the important question of what is actually going on.

There are four chapters to the game. Two and three have four different versions depending on what you choose. The fourth chapter is one option. There is plenty of replayability, so you can see what could have happened differently. In the first three chapters, you will be investigating murders. As you progress through the chapters, you will find yourself jumping back and forth between past and present to solve two cases at once. Although none of the investigations is difficult, it can feel like there's enough to keep your brain active, especially when you're doing the classic detective speech that reveals what actually happened before your arrest.

Dry Drowning is heavily influenced by science fiction and neo-noir. There are many classic dystopian tropes, such as fear of immigrants, oppression and a fear of aliens that dominate the city. Problem is that there are always problems. So There is so much happening that the story can get a little messy. I wondered if some of the background information and storylines were necessary. Although the ending I received was a good one, it left me with many questions. Although I know what the other endings were, I am glad that I made those choices. However, I still wish I had more information about the events in the city after the game ended.

One thing that I would have preferred was different is the way Hera, Mordred’s assistant, was treated. While there are many tropes that are enjoyable, they are often re-used because they add to the genre or because they are interesting. However, tropes that perpetuate harmful stereotypes should be ignored. You can have a moody, neonoir detective who treats women well. Mordred cares about Hera but also treats her like a child. He uses her as his moral compass. Writers who assign women no character or develop their character beyond what they mean to male characters always feel lazy. Hera could have been much more than she was allowed to be.

However, overall Dry Drowning It's a great experience, makes good use of its format and was clearly created by people who love the genre. Even if visual novels are not your usual choice, there is still plenty to keep you interested than you might think. You can feel that your choices shape the story and Mordred’s journey a lot. The game keeps you on track by having fun. You'll find something here that you enjoy if you are a detective fan.