Overdue Reviews is an occasional series in which I pretend to be a videogame journalist. This week: Adr1ft on PC.
I think the secret to enjoying Adr1ft is to set your expectations at the right level.
If you're hoping to bounce around an exploding space station like Sandra Bullock, dodging flying debris in an adrenaline fuelled orbital ballet of zero gravity stuntwork, reel that in right now. Adrift (yeah I'm not typing the 1 anymore) is a considerably gentler and more careful experience.
Most of your time will be spent floating slowly through or between parts of a shattered space station. The silence of space is punctuated by little - breathing sounds, the beep of your suit, infrequent radio chatter. There are things to interact with - oxygen cylinders, doors, the occasional computer - but they're thinly spread.
Disorientation is common. There's little concept of up or down and many parts of the the station look similar from different angles. It's also quite easy to drift off your intended route, or to repeat your steps without realising.
The lack of speed and maneuverability can feel frustrating until you learn to accept those limitations. You're meant to go slowly - attempting otherwise will not result in success.
The result is a much more believable portrayal of a post-disaster spacewalk. It is in many ways an antidote to the more high octane, low concentration span end of the gaming market. If you can embrace that, you can start to enjoy it. I found it a little repetitive eventually, and the end is a bit anti-climactic, but I'm glad I kept playing.