Review for Dry Drowning. Game for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Steam and Xbox One, The release is scheduled: 08/2019
Dry Drowning is a graphic adventure developed in a visual novel style, which two years after the original release arrives on Nintendo Switch with a competent, if not exciting, port. Talking about visual novels is very different from discussing a "normal" videogame genre: this type of videogame is in fact more akin to a virtual book than to a real game. The approach in question certainly has pros and cons, Dry Drowning tries to use to its advantage all the points in favor of a structured novel narrative by inserting the interactivity of the video game with little imagination but at the same time with a discreet effectiveness. In this review we will therefore talk not only about the general quality of the title, but also about how it exploits - and if you do - its hybrid nature between novel and video game well.
Dry Drowning is essentially a psychological thriller with strong references to the symbolism of the Greek epic, which is transported into a futuristic context thanks both to common themes with myths, and to the presence of blatant references to it through the murder cases on which our protagonist will find himself investigating. Mordred and Hera, two investigators in a condition of monetary and social emergency due to a scandal that occurred years earlier, will find themselves investigating a series of murders linked to the murderer Pandora, with whom they share a dark past and because of which they sent on two innocent electric chair. The references to mythology are obviously everywhere, from the names of the characters to what they actually represent, such as Pandora which serves as the beginning for all the evils in the life of Mordred and Hera, as if it were their personal Pandora's box..
The writing team managed to integrate these elements well into a completely original narrative without ever forcing the parallels too much or being trivial. Particularly the atmosphere that exudes from Dry Drowning is truly something the game can call its own, starting from the strong proprietary identity transmitted by the washed-out artworks with a dark color palette. Although obviously some obvious inspiration to Ghost in the Shell can be traced, even if the artworks are more reminiscent of Ergo Proxy, the characters really seem to belong to this dirty and oppressive world: Mordred is the classic private investigator gruff and ready to get his hands dirty, but manages not to fall into the cliché just about how well this role fits in the game world. The same thing can be said about most of the cast, with just a couple of in-depth exceptions that don't negatively affect the overall level of writing. The excellent storytelling is also supported by a videogame system made up of multiple choices, which will often be really hard to undertake and will have a noticeable effect on the story.
Where Dry Drowning begins to show its more fragile side is in the implementation of its main game mechanic. The title has an investigative side in which you will have to analyze scenes to get clues to use in dialogues and interrogations. While the development team has been able to play a lot with such a simplistic system, looking for clues has never really thrilled us. The main problem with this mechanic is simply that it never reserves particular surprises: analyzing the crime scenes seems more an obstacle to the interesting part of the game than a mechanic capable of enhancing the narrative.
Much more convincing, on the other hand, are the interrogation sections, in which the various clues obtained through dialogue or through investigation must be used to unmask the lies of the interviewee. Again nothing impressive from a playful point of view, it is not about extravagant and stylish Danganronpa conversations but rather about simple multiple choices. However, thanks to the compelling soundtrack, good writing and aesthetics of these interrogations, these sections stand out as the most exciting within the more "playful" part of Dry Drowning.
Finally, let's talk about the worst flaw of this visual novel, or rather its Nintendo Switch version. The port is competent, but unfortunately it has a few bugs too many that have brought us quite a few frustrations. Over the course of our approximately 10 hours of play, necessary to see the different endings, we encountered a particular glitch several times that made the menu almost unusable. In one situation, even this menu was not exactly selectable, preventing us from changing areas and continuing with the adventure. These are not issues that completely ruin the experience, after all autosave is always around the corner, however we cannot deny having seen our experience negatively impacted by these annoying bugs.
Ultimately, Dry Drowning is a good product. A visual novel that does not try to do anything too brave, but boasts an excellent narrative, as well as a good aesthetic and musical sector. The gameplay is decidedly mediocre, but it does not impact too negatively on the experience, as it is relatively unobtrusive. Unfortunately, the port for Nintendo Switch is not the best: some graphic bugs could force you to restart the game from time to time to continue. On balance it is a pleasant experience that we can certainly recommend, especially as a forerunner for anyone wishing to try the visual novel genre, being one of the simplest and least demanding experiences for both those who love video games and for those who love to read.
► Dry Drowning is a Visual Novel type game developed by Studio V and published by VLG Publishing for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Steam and Xbox One, The release is expected: 08/2019
