Drifting Lands
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Drifting Lands
Sadly, a rather major flaw in Drifting Lands' level design really brings down a game that is mostly well crafted. Looting has all the well-thought out tropes that similar games have in spades. It's just a shame that each level is essentially a miniature horde mode rather than featuring proper level design, and that the number of levels could have been cut drastically to make for a more coherent experience. These hang-ups sadly prevent me from recommending Drifting Lands for diehard fans of the genre, but it's otherwise an alright effort.
The ships themselves and all of the skills used look great, just try not to lose track of yourself among the chaos that is sure to ensue.
Drifting Lands is an entertaining take on the "shmup" genre that adds roguelike elements to spice up the old formula. Backgrounds can be confusing and enemy scaling can feel a bit brutal at times. All in all, however, this is an excellent take on a classic genre.
Before playing Drifting Lands, it didn't occur to me that adding role-playing game mechanics into a shoot ‘em up was something that I needed in my life, but after playing the game, I can't put it down. The narrative is lacking and serves as a launching point for the missions, but the gameplay is king in Drifting Lands. The visuals are crisp and sharp, and the backgrounds have some great looking effects, such as flying through a lightning storm complete with devastating tornadoes. The soundtrack is comprised of hard rocking beats, but levels tend to be on the shorter side, so it doesn't feel like the repeating tracks overstay their welcome. There are no multiplayer options, but some levels do feature an online leaderboard, which is a nice touch.
Should you buy this game? If you are a fan of the shmup genre, then yes you should. Drifting Lands is a solid shmup that belongs in the collection of any fan of the genre. A few odd design choices and a distractingly bad story hold it back from being excellent, but it is a fun game in spite of it. Just be aware that if you're looking for a danmaku, you might be left a little wanting. If you've never tried a shmup before, this is still a good purchase, though you might want to start on Easy to make the game ease up on the perma-loss aspect. The game does have a demo, so if you're sitting on the fence, download that and see for yourself. Now if you'll parden me, I need to get back to looking for a straight laser drop.
Drifting Lands is a Shmup that leverages Action-RPG systems to give it style all its own. While customizing your ships to find that perfect balance of abilities and equipment is engrossing, a repetitive mission structure and paper-thin plot line that may
Drifting Lands takes two fantastic genres and marries the best aspects of them together with flair, creating an original and massively addictive experience that deserves to be on your radar.
Who knew that a shmup built with action RPG elements would be the best thing since sliced bread?
