Press release:
Melbourne, Australia – June 12, 2026 – Indie development duo Powerhoof are today stoked to announce that the critically-acclaimed fast-paced, point and click thriller The Drifter will launch Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 22.
The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition supports up to 4K 120fps, delivering extra crisp pixel art and improved frame rates for ultra-smooth parallax scrolling. Switch 2 players can also swap between twin-stick and traditional point-and-click controls with the Joy-Con 2 mouse sensor functionality.
A classic 2D point and click adventure with the brake-lines cut – The Drifter plunges players headfirst into a web of shadowy corporations, conspiracy, murder, and the thousand year obsession of a madman.
Mick Carter’s been drifting a while now – moving from job to job, never staying one place long. Jumping a box-car to his old home town, he witnesses a violent murder, is pursued by hi-tech soldiers, thrown in a reservoir and drowned.
Just before his consciousness is ripped away, it is thrust back into his body. Alive again, seconds before his death. Mick is framed for the killing he witnessed, tormented by his own past, and haunted by the feeling that something followed him back from the other side…
The Drifter takes its cues from modern revival of the adventure genre and focuses on serving up a tight, razor-sharp narrative – propelling the player through the story – while grounded, unobtrusive and satisfying investigative puzzles act as the sinew between punchy narrative beats.
It scooped up multiple awards at the 2025 Australian Game Developer Awards: Game of the Year, Excellence in Narrative, Excellence in Visual Art, and Excellence in Sound Design. It also won the ANZ Indie Game Award at the Indie Game Awards – in addition to being featured in multiple publications’ ‘Best of 2025’ articles.
The Drifter – Key Features
A Pulp Adventure Thriller from the minds that brought you Peridium and Crawl.
An engrossing roller-coaster of a story – Drawing on King, Crichton and Carpenter, with a dash of 70s Aussie grindhouse.
Point ‘n Click or Controller – Unique twin-stick controls make The Drifter as comfy to play on the couch as at your PC.
Bursting with raw crunchy pixel art and high-impact animation.
Professionally voice acted, with a brooding dark-synth cinematic score.
The Drifter will launch for Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 on June 22. It is available now for Windows, macOS and Linux via Steam and GOG.com.
For more information on Powerhoof and The Drifter, please visit the official website, or follow Powerhoof on Bluesky: Dave Lloyd / Barney Cumming and X: Dave / Barney.
About Powerhoof
Powerhoof is a Melbourne indie gamedev duo – Dave Lloyd and Barney Cumming. Crawl, Regular Human Basketball, Acid Knife, Peridium, The Drifter. Burning pixels through your retinas. Deep into your soul. After a long history in the freeware adventure game scene- Dave brings his storytelling to life with Barney’s art direction and a team of pixel artists, musicians and voice actors. Combining the duo’s history of crunchy pixel indie action titles with the long beloved genre.
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Jonas “O.J” Ek
The Gaming Ground
Twitter: @TheGamingGround
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Tags: Indie games, Nintendo Switch, Point and click, Powerhoof, The Drifter, Thriller