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The Verge
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
The Drifter is a good old-fashioned thriller
Point-and-click adventure games often tell silly, lighthearted stories. For me, the mishaps of the pirate Guybrush Threepwood in the Monkey Island series come to mind. The nature of the genre — wandering around, talking to people, and trying to solve puzzles — lends itself well to humor, as every interaction with a person or object offers an opportunity for a joke. The Drifter, a new point-and-click game from Powerhoof, cleverly uses the format to instead tell a dark, twist-filled thriller, and it sucked me in like a gripping novel. In The Drifter, you play as Mick Carter, who you meet shortly after he hops aboard a train as a stowaway. Within moments you'll witness a brutal, unexplained murder and be forced to go on the run, and the story quickly becomes a complex web of characters, pursuers, and mysteries to poke at. Mick serves as the game's narrator, often describing what he's doing in a grim, first-person tone with full voice acting by Adrian Vaughan. Mick's tone sometimes feels a bit heavy-handed and overdramatic, but I enjoyed Vaughan's performance anyway — it really sets a pulpy tone that's fun to sink into. The game's gorgeous pixel art helps, too, and locations have dramatic lighting and moody shadows. This being a point-and-click adventure, the primary way to move the story forward is by solving puzzles, often by using the right object at the right place at the right time. The game is usually pretty good at suggesting where you need to go through conversations or through a list of broader story threads you're investigating. Actually doing the investigating is straightforward. I played The Drifter on Steam Deck, and it has a smart control scheme seemingly inspired by twin-stick shooters that shaves off a lot of the clunkiness of old-school LucasArts adventure games. You move Mick around with the left control stick, but when you move the right control stick, a little circle pops up around him with squares that indicate things nearby that you can interact with. You can select things you want to look at with a press of a trigger button. (You can, of course, use a more traditional mouse to play the game, too.) More than once, though, I got completely stuck, and I often just brute-forced every item in my inventory with every person I could talk to until I found a way to move forward. I also occasionally leaned on online guides to figure out where to go next or if I missed something while investigating. When I hit walls, I really wished there was some kind of direct in-game hint system to give me a push in the right direction — this is an old-school issue with the genre, but a lot of modern games have figured it out. Pushing through those more obtuse head-scratchers was worth it, though: in the later parts of my eight-hour run of The Drifter, the narrative threads all started to come together in some truly mind-bending ways. More than once, I stayed up way past my bedtime as I raced to figure out what would happen next. I'm glad this story for Mick is over, but part of me hopes he runs into trouble again so I can cozy up with another point-and-click thriller. The Drifter is available now on PC. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Jay Peters Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Games Review Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Gaming
Metro
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Drifter review
A new point 'n' click graphic adventure is not just a clever nod to the early days of video game storytelling but one of the most satisfyingly dark game of the year. It takes some bravery to make a point 'n' click adventure game – on the face of it, one of the most anachronistic of genres – in this day and age. That's doubly true if you use the ancient format as a means of conveying a dark, existential story. But that's exactly what the determinedly indie developer Powerhoof has done with The Drifter. Factor in blocky pixel art graphics, and it would be easy to dismiss The Drifter as another exercise in retro nostalgia affectation. But when you play it, it somehow contrives to feel oddly timeless, thanks to its modern setting and an imaginatively labyrinthine storyline, that inexorably sucks you into its idiosyncrasies. The Drifter's action starts with protagonist Mick Carter stowing away on a freight train, in classic beatnik style. This is appropriate because Carter is essentially a tramp, with a long grey beard and a self-flagellating inner monologue. He's clearly escaping from a traumatic incident in his past, as he returns to the unnamed city where he used to live, in order to attend his mother's funeral. The city may be a mystery but it's clearly somewhere in Australia and Powerhoof is based in Melbourne, with all the voice-acting delivered in unmistakably Aussie tones – a rarity in itself with video games. Things swiftly go pear-shaped: after opening the freight train compartment's stuck door (an exercise that demonstrates how The Drifter adheres to the time-honoured point 'n' click gameplay blueprint of finding, combining, and using objects), the other tramp present is shot dead by what appear to be military types. Carter manages to escape from them and regroup with another bunch of homeless people, plus a local newspaper reporter sniffing around them, in an underpass below the railway. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. With his one useful possession, a mobile phone, having run out of battery, Carter's pressing concern is working out how to get in touch with his sister in order to find out when and where his mother's funeral will take place. But inexplicable events get in the way of that, culminating in him apparently dying and being resurrected. This initiates what will eventually become a time-slipping, sci-fi thread cleverly woven into the fabric of The Drifter. But before a mid-game story change-up it adds a hallucinatory effect, as Carter struggles with more everyday tasks, followed by a period of sleuthing. The Drifter's story is the beating heart of the game and comes complete with a couple of huge twists. It's also inclined to lurch off in unexpected but nevertheless believable directions, so it would be a travesty to spoil to much. It's beautifully written, cleverly layered, and populated with interesting characters – Mick's spiky, long-suffering ex-wife, especially, comes across as three-dimensional and relatable. There's a world-weary, very Australian, tone throughout the game, with an underlying darkness leavened with plenty of humour – Mick is subjected to all manner of indignities, but he takes them all in a stoical, matter-of-fact manner, perhaps driven by a feeling that he deserves to be punished for past misdemeanours. As the storyline evolves towards its climax, it morphs into an epic philosophical examination of the difficulties of dealing with cataclysmic events from the past, and how attempting to change those events may not be a good idea. While it never gets quite as pitch black as the likes of, say, Disco Elysium, The Drifter will certainly offer plenty of satisfaction for those who crave games that don't paint an unnecessarily rosy picture of the world, and which treat their audience as adults endowed with well-developed thought processes. More Trending However, it won't be for everyone: it has the slightly rough and ready feel of a game made by a solo developer – which, in the early years of its development it was, before a handful of extra personnel joined originator Dave Lloyd. The blocky graphics are at least distinctive, but can become confusingly impressionistic, especially when you're trying to pick the correct object from an ever-expanding inventory. And that classic point 'n' click gameplay, given an added layer of directness via a clever twin stick control system, will feel clunky for those who demand fast twitch action. But if you value games that are intelligent, imaginative, and have something interesting to say then The Drifter is hard to resist. Games developed by a single person are always guaranteed to at least be a labour of love. That certainly seems to be the case for The Drifter which, comes across as the absolute antithesis of corporate AI slop. In Short: An inspired new point 'n' click adventure that proves impressively daring with its dark storytelling and retro style presentation. Pros: Clever, imaginative, and very adult storytelling, that's full of twists and has a uniquely Aussie outlook on life. Control system speeds up the classic point 'n' click gameplay. Great music. Cons: The pacing can be slow and ponderous at times, and the graphics a little unclear, especially when dealing with the inventory or small on-screen objects. Score: 7/10 Formats: PC (reviewed) and Nintendo SwitchPrice: TBAPublisher: PowerhoofDeveloper: PowerhoofRelease Date: 17th July 2025 (Switch TBA) Age Rating: N/A Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Nintendo Switch 2 and Donkey Kong Bananza console bundle available now in UK MORE: Creator of The Elder Scrolls quits games industry due to cancer MORE: RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business review – 20 seconds to comply
The Sun
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Gutted EastEnders fans convinced huge character is leaving after family makes big decision about their future
EASTENDERS fans are speculating about the fate of Linda Carter following the news she and her mother Elaine Peacock are selling the Queen Vic. Some EastEndenders fans believe the decision could leave Linda at a loose end and signal her exit. 4 4 The uncertainty has sparked a flurry of discussion on social media, as one suggested on Reddit: 'So we know Linda and Elaine are selling The Vic. 'Are they leaving the show or will they remain on the Square? 'And if they're remaining, where are they going to be living and what will they do? 'Elaine can retire, but Linda doesn't really have any skills beyond landlady. 'I really hope Kellie Bright doesn't leave as I think she's one of the better actors the show has.' Another viewer echoed the concern, saying: 'They should both leave; hard as it may be to admit; Linda and Mick were a package and she's rubbish without him just as he'd be crap without her. 'I've had enough of her wearing pink and getting drunk; I mean it's been 12 years and what else does she do apart from that?! She needs to leave and so does Elaine! Nothing here for either of them.' However, others said they were jumping to conclusions. 'Nothing's been said about them leaving, not even rumours,' one fan replied. 'Speaking of, Max is supposedly coming back — they wouldn't get rid of Linda and, in turn, the drama of Max finding out about Annie.' Linda Carter sinks to all-time low in gross EastEnders scene - as alcoholism spirals Linda's had plenty of storylines beyond the pub — alcoholism, losing Mick, and the affair with Max. Kellie has portrayed Linda since 2013, and quickly became one of the most recognisable faces on EastEnders. Arriving with her actor Danny Dyer playing her on-screen husband Mick, Kellie's stories involved sexual assault, alcoholism, and the death of Mick in 2022. Her mum Elaine (Harriet Thorpe) joined the soap in 2023. She resolved to get her daughter back on the straight and narrow and off the booze. The pair are now selling The Queen Vic - with EastEnders accidentally leaked the spoiler earlier this year. The Sun later revealed Albert Square's next landlady at the Queen Vic pub is Kat Moon. The leopard print-loving loudmouth takes over the EastEnders boozer after owners Linda Carter and her mum Elaine Peacock were forced to put it up for sale 4 4
RTÉ News
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
From sitcoms to sagas - TV's top dads
From grumpy sofa kings to emotionally complex crime lords, TV dads come in all shapes and sweater vests. They've made us laugh, cry, cringe and occasionally pick up the phone to call our own da. In honour of Father's Day, here's our pick of the most iconic and unforgettable dads to ever grace the small screen. Gerry Quinn - Derry Girls Played by: Tommy Tiernan The most underappreciated man in Derry. Surrounded by teenage chaos and chatty aunties, Gerry is the ultimate long-suffering dad, deadpan, dry, and deeply devoted. Philip Banks - The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Played by: James Avery Firm, fair, and full of fatherly wisdom, Uncle Phil wasn't just a dad; he was the rock of the Banks family and a guiding force for Will. A true TV icon. Homer Simpson - The Simpsons Voiced by: Dan Castellaneta Lovable, lazy, and often wildly inappropriate, Homer is the cartoon dad we all know and, somehow, love. His heart is in the right place, even if he isn't the smartest. Mick Carter - EastEnders Played by Danny Dyer From the Queen Vic to family drama, Mick Carter brought depth to the role of the pub landlord father. His struggles with literacy, his protective nature over his children, and his complex relationship with his own past made him one of soap opera's most compelling father figures. Jim Royle - The Royle Family Played by: Ricky Tomlinson King of the armchair and the sarcastic sigh, Jim is the sofa-bound dad who gave us some of the best deadpan one-liners in TV history. "My arse!" Tony Soprano - The Sopranos Played by: James Gandolfini A mafia boss with a therapist and a soft spot for his kids, Tony was complex, dangerous, and weirdly relatable. Possibly the most compelling TV dad of all time. Dan Conner - Roseanne / The Conners Played by: John Goodman Salt-of-the-earth and flannel-clad, Dan was the heart of the Conner family. He tackled life's challenges with humour, love, and plenty of dad wisdom. Ted Lasso - Ted Lasso Played by: Jason Sudeikis Part coach, part cheerleader, part philosopher - Ted is the dad who'll talk feelings and football. His optimism is infectious, his biscuits are legendary. Red Forman - That '70s Show Played by: Kurtwood Smith Gruff and no-nonsense, Red ruled with an iron glare and one famous threat: a foot up someone's ass. Beneath the bluster? A surprisingly big heart. Ned Stark - Game of Thrones Played by: Sean Bean Honourable to a fault, Ned tried to do right by his family - and paid the price. His legacy looms large, even long after that scene. Walter White - Breaking Bad Played by: Bryan Cranston What starts as a desperate dad trying to provide becomes a dark, explosive journey. Walter White is parenting goals… if those goals are extremely illegal and morally murky. Martin Crane - Frasier Played by: John Mahoney Down-to-earth and delightfully unimpressed, Martin brought warmth and reality to his posh sons' opera-fuelled antics. Dog in lap, beer in hand, he kept it real. Michael Bluth - Arrested Development Played by: Jason Bateman Stuck with the world's most dysfunctional family, Michael somehow kept (most of) his sanity while raising his son and parenting his own parents. Johnny Rose - Schitt's Creek Played by: Eugene Levy Elegant, earnest, and emotionally steady, Johnny evolved from fish-out-of-water to father-of-the-year material. Suitcases full of class and compassion.
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Danny Dyer opens up about his EastEnders exit after bashing the soap and his co-stars in furious tirade
reflected on his decision to quit EastEnders after he won a BAFTA Television Award on Sunday. The actor, 47, scooped Male Performance in a Comedy for his role in Mr. Bigstuff, despite facing stiff competition from Bilal Hasna, Dylan Thomas-Smith, Nabhaan Rizwan, Oliver Savell and Phil Dunning. Speaking in the press room after his win, Danny reflected on his varied career as he mused: You're only as good as the job in front of you really and it's getting the opportunities. 'It's also difficult to just get a job and so to get to this stage when you're getting awards and stuff, it is a journey.' Referencing his time on the BBC soap, he continued: 'I've been around a long time and EastEnders changed my career for so many different reasons but unless you roll the dice and you decide to see what else is out there, you never know... 'It's working out really well for me at the moment. I'm having a lovely time but it can always go tits up. I know how this game works, I've had my ups and my downs but I'm just really grateful for it.' Danny starred as Mick Carter on EastEnders for nine years, earning a whopping quarter of a million pounds a year at the height of his stint, before his explosive exit on Christmas Day 2022. However, last week, Danny didn't have much positive to say about the soap, as he slammed the workload, declared he had been 'off his nut' on prescription drugs and had ended up in rehab twice because of the show. Calling out co-stars Jessie Wallace and Shane Richie, Danny brazenly branded them 'c***s' as he claimed they had blanked both him and his onscreen wife Kellie Bright. Recalling his arrival on the soap in 2013, the Rivals star said it was not a warm welcome, describing the set as 'a very cliquey place to work'. He claimed his taking over the Queen Vic caused Jessie and Shane, who played previous pub landlords Kat Slater and Alfie Moon, to 'have the hump'. According to The Sun, Danny boldly said: 'There were a lot of people blanking us when we first turned up and me and Kellie thought "You know what, f**k these c***s, let's get together and show them something different" - we had to prove ourselves over six months.' Danny also hit out at the soap opera's storylines, particularly Mick's 'mental' romance with Janine Butcher, insisting 'a lot of it is s**t'. As well as being unimpressed with his own character's fate, he raged over the decision to kill off Lola Pearce last year from a brain tumour, which he said 'wasted' actress Danielle Harold's talents. The Sun also claimed he slammed the BBC for not giving the cast sufficient duty of care, claiming they wouldn't allow actors time off to go to a family member's funeral - allegations which the BBC has denied. Danny - who was paid around £250,000 a year on the soap - said that while the salary was good, the stars had 'no life' and claimed the dark storylines 'messed lots of people's heads up', insisting they were 'lunatics'. 'You earn good money, but you ain't got time to go to a cashpoint, you have no life,' he said. 'There's not much duty of care, that's the truth, on EastEnders there is no messing about and you've got to do it, it's the hardest part of our job.' 'It messes a lot of people's heads up, most people are off their nut, you meet them on the street, they're lunatics I'm telling you - institutionalised,' he added. He also claimed that bosses put antiseptic into the beer barrels in the Queen Vic in order to prevent him from drinking from them. In response to Danny's comments, a spokesperson for EastEnders stated: 'We would never discuss an individual's private matters, however, we do not recognise these claims. 'EastEnders has extremely robust and well-established procedures in place to safeguard the welfare of everyone who works on the show.' Danny also spoke about EastEnders on the BAFTAs red carpet. He told Sky News: 'It's a roll of the dice leaving EastEnders it gives you sustainability but it is a risk and it has paid off for me. 'I don't know what is going on at the minute, I'm just rolling with it at the minute, it is a bit odd. I'm so proud of this Sky show and I'm happy to represent that show and I've got the Rivals lot here, I've just seen them. 'Two very different shows, I've been around a long time and I've done good and some bad stuff. I've had a good run this year, I'm getting nods now and I would love to nip this one but I've got to stay grounded and keep the ego grounded.' 2025 TV BAFTA AWARDS - ALL THE WINNERS Drama Series Blue Lights (BBC One) - WINNER Sherwood (BBC One) Supacell (Netflix) Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light (BBC One) Limited Drama Baby Reindeer (Netflix) Lost Boys and Fairies (BBC One) Mr Bates vs the Post Office (ITV1) - WINNER One Day (Netflix) International After The Party (Channel 4) Colin From Accounts (BBC Two) Say Nothing (Disney+) Shogun (Disney+) - WINNER True Detective: Night Country (Sky Atlantic) You Are Not Alone: Fighting The Wolfpack, Netflix Leading Actress Anna Maxwell Martin, Until I Kill You (ITV1) Billie Piper, Scoop (Netflix) Lola Petticrew, Say Nothing (Disney+) Marisa Abela, Industry (BBC One) - WINNER Monica Dolan, Mr Bates Vs The Post Office (ITV1) Sharon D Clarke, Mr Loverman (BBC One) Leading Actor David Tennant, Rivals (Disney+) Gary Oldman, Slow Horses (Apple TV+) Lennie James, Mr Loverman (BBC One) - WINNER Martin Freeman, The Responder (BBC One) Richard Gadd, Baby Reindeer (Netflix) Toby Jones, Mr Bates Vs The Post Office (ITV1) Female Performance in a Comedy Anjana Vasan, We Are Lady Parts (Channel 4) Kate O'Flynn, Everyone Else Burns Channel 4) Lolly Adefope, The Franchise (Sky Comedy) Nicola Coughlan, Big Mood (Channel 4) Ruth Jones, Gavin & Stacey (BBC One) - WINNER Sophie Willan, Alma's Not Normal (BBC Two) Scripted Comedy Alma's Not Normal (BBC Two) - WINNER Brassic (Sky Max) G'Wed (ITV1) Ludwig (BBC One) Specialist Factual Atomic People (BBC Two) - WINNER Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story (National Geographic) Children of the Cult (ITV1) Miners' Strike 1984: The Battle For Britain (Channel 4) Reality Dragons' Den (BBC One) The Jury: Murder Trial (Channel 4) - WINNER Love Is Blind (Channel 4) The Traitors (BBC One) Current Affairs Storyville: Life and Death in Gaza (BBC) Maternity: Broken Trust (ITV1) State of Rage (Channel 4) - WINNER Ukraine's War: The Other Side (ITV1) Shortform Brown Brit (Channel 4) Peaked (Channel 4) Quiet Life (BBC Three) - WINNER Spud (BBC Three) Factual Entertainment In Vogue: The 90s (Vogue Studios, Disney+) Race Across The World (BBC One) Rob and Rylan's Grand Tour (BBC Two) - WINNER Sort Your Life Out (BBC One) Children's Scripted CBeebies As You Like It at Shakespeare's Globe (CBeebies) - WINNER Horrible Histories (CBBC) Ready Eddie Go! (Sky Kids)Tweedy & Fluff (Channel 5) P&O Cruises Memorable Moment Bridgerton: The carriage scene, where Colin admits his true feelings for Penelope (Netflix) Gavin & Stacey: The Finale: Smithy's wedding, when Mick stands up (BBC One) Mr Bates Vs The Post Office: Jo Hamilton phones the Horizon helpline (ITV1) Rivals: Rupert Campbell-Black and Sarah Stratton are caught in a game of naked tennis (Disney+) Strictly Come Dancing: Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell waltz to You'll Never Walk Alone (BBC One) - WINNER Traitors: 'Paul isn't my son … but Ross is!' (BBC One) Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell's Strictly waltz scooped the award for P&O Cruises Memorable Moment
