ADR1FT
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for ADR1FT
Visually stunning, Adr1ft is hindered by shallow core mechanics and a serious lack of interactivity.
Getting by on strong atmosphere (no pun intended), scenic views, and an intuitive means of controlling full three-dimensional movement, Adr1ft's repetitive fix-it missions make its second half a chore to get through. Some strong pieces of voice acting would've been put to better use if the story weren't so vague.
Beautiful as you could ask for, especially in VR, but exhaustingly repetitive.
Adr1ft's mix of tense gameplay and mature storytelling stays with you after the mission's end
Adr1ft is a gorgeous game with a moving personal story, but its systems clash against one another, creating tedium and boredom throughout.
As a simulation of being marooned in space, Adrift is peerless. The sense of weightlessness, the sense of scale, just being in the world are all astonishing. But it's impossible to divorce the immersion from its mechanical failures, which sours what otherwise could have been a new high bar for narrative-centric games.
The refusal to accept ADR1FT being part of the "walking sim" crowd has, weirdly, made it less of an easy recommendation, but a recommendation nonetheless, because although it can be frustrating, it's hauntingly beautiful, and a sensational example of how a well crafted environment can be enough to pull you across the finish line.
Overall, ADR1FT has good intentions, but it just fails to execute them phenomenally. Aside from the stunning visual moments — namely moments where you are in the open and can look down at the Earth as it is lit up at night, ADR1FT is a tedious experience that should have been just a 2 hour ordeal. The game's lack of urgency — other than the constant cycle of oxygen tank-grabbing, makes it incredibly hard to believe that my character is struggling to survive at all.
