Interested in a new visual novel? One that focuses the attention on a mystery death, a disgraced detective and the world of a serial killer? Dry Drowning is coming to Xbox One and PC, and today the initial details have been laid bare.
Coming to PC (Steam) in August 2019, with an Xbox One release following that in 2020, Dry Drowning from the Italian development team at Studio V will follow the tale of Mordred Foley – a much maligned private detective. His mission is to lift the lid on a serial killer taking out targets in a dystopian future, however, with a dark past of his own, Foley’s world is one gripped by tyranny, where the hunger for power at the top results in society sinking to the absolute bottom.
The action in Dry Drowning takes on the form of a visual novel, complete with a script sharper than your average Netflix serial. This will see players take on the role of Foley as he resumes his life as a detective, with a multi-branching story made up of 150 different threads placing heavy burden on every decision taken, and every line of dialogue uttered.
Dry Drowning also features a unique ‘masks of deception’ system that highlights when a character is lying, with Foley’s investigations uncovering a world where trusting anyone quickly becomes folly.
“The city of Nova Polemos is one where the old rules of right and wrong simply don’t apply,” offers VLG Director Daniele Falcone of the game’s fictional homestead. “From the moment Dry Drowning starts, the player is going to feel uncomfortable. Uncomfortable taking on the role of a man who doesn’t appear to represent your typical hero, uncomfortable investigating a murder and defending a suspect who is anything but an ally, and uncomfortable existing in a world where the usual rules of life simply don’t apply. It’s a unique combination we think will grip any player who appreciates a good story well told.”
Dry Drowning features include:-
- Choices that really matter: More than 150 story branches and three completely different endings.
- Moral choices that impact character relationships and the game environment across a potential 20 hours of gameplay.
- Elaborate clue system for investigations: Learn about the city of Nova Polemos and its citizens through dialogue, evidences, items, and character biographies.
- Horror style interrogations: Use evidence to reconstruct cases, break people’s masks of deception, and uncover the truth with Dry Drowning’s “Living Nightmare” system.
- Explore flashbacks and past cases to solve new ones.
- Dynamic soundtrack with more than 40 dramatic and emotional tracks.
- A balanced mix of Western and Eastern visual arts, casting light on a grim futuristic setting where cyberpunk and retro elements harmoniously coexist.
Interested? You can check out the brand new Xbox One trailer down below. Make sure you give it a little watch and prepare yourself for what Dry Drowning will be bringing to the console in 2020.
