Controls can frustrate in tense, scary space-survival game

Positive Messages: 2 out of 5

Positive Role Models: 1 out of 5

Ease of play: 2 out of 5

Violence: 0 out of 5

Language: 0 out of 5

Sexy stuff: 1 of 5

Drinking, drugs and smoking: 1 out of 5

Consumerism: 0 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)

GAME DETAILS

Platform: Mac, Windows

Price: $19.99

Developer: 505 Games

Release Date: March 28, 2016

Genre: Survival Horror

ESRB Rating: T for Drug references, mild sexual themes

Parents need to know that “ADR1FT” is a survival adventure game. Players are the only active character in the game, uncovering details about the rest of the crew via text and audio logs left behind. These communications occasionally reference some of the crew’s past behavior, including sexual relationships and drug use. Although there’s no explicit violence in the game, the tense situation and how it’s presented to the player if/when they begin to suffocate could be a bit intense for younger players.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

“ADR1FT”is a story of isolation and desperation. A cataclysmic event has happened aboard the Northstar IV, a space station developed by Hardiman Aerospace with the goal of researching off-world colonization. The result has left the station in pieces and the crew dead, with the exception of the mission’s leader, Commander Alex Oshima. Stranded in space with only a damaged EVA suit to protect her, Oshima must make her way through the wreckage of the Northstar IV, investigating the cause of the station’s destruction, scavenging for any oxygen she can find, and most importantly, trying to find some way to get back home.

IS IT ANY GOOD?

“ADR1FT” does a phenomenal job of drawing the player into a world that is both beautiful and terrifying. It’s easy to get lost in the almost Zen-like peace and tranquility of floating through space and what remains of the Northstar IV. But right about then is when you hear your character gasping for breath, her air supply dwindling and her vision clouding, and your chest tightens, your throat closes, and you feel the panic of the situation set in again. Grabbing an oxygen canister, both you and your character take in a deep breath and once again appreciate the sense of dread you’re facing.

While much of the tension is intentional, some of its frustration isn’t. The controls, by default, are difficult to get the hang of. Too much thrust and you burn up precious oxygen while flying right past your intended target. Too little thrust and you trudge through at a pace that would make a turtle feel like a cheetah. The same applies for pitch, roll, and every other control. None of that compares, though, to the irritation of reaching out for an item, only to just miss it and watch as you float helplessly past it. Actually, there’s one worse feeling, and that’s when you accidentally bump into whatever item you’re reaching for and knock it clear across the room or out into the abyss. Players can adjust some of the sensitivity levels to help out, but ultimately controlling your character is simply a matter of patience and precision … two things difficult to keep in mind as you’re reminding yourself to breathe.

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