Dry Drowning

This review is specially made for those who like to get all the achievements in games (minor spoilers ahead).
Description:
Dry Drowning is an indie visual novel where you play the role of a detective fallen in disgrace after fabricating evidence and condemning two innocent people when he was investigating a serial killer that resurfaced to kill again later. You will investigate the new crime scenes, now involving a prominent politician, to clear your name.
The illustrations are beautiful and heavily inspired by the classic detective film noir movies: the main characters are represented in black and white like in the old movies and only the backgrounds are colored, but the drawings still have an artistic flair and IMO some anime inspiration in the character designs.
The OST is varied and combines a mix of sad, mysterious, emotional or stress inducing songs depending on the scene and it works very well with the illustrations, creating an involving ambience. Unfortunately, the game isn’t narrated and you have to read all the content.
The gameplay is mostly just clicking to advance the story but the interrogations or “unmaskings” require attention to the details and some logical thinking to reach the right conclusions. Still, the game offers you 2 extra chances in case you make a mistake and if needed you can also restart from the previous checkpoint if you fail. The diary will prevent you from getting lost and the game only lets you move forward if you get all the evidence needed. The game also has a few different logic tasks and minigames that you need to complete to get all the achievements but they aren’t hard to figure out.
Achievements:
How many: 20 Achievements.
How much time: Between 6 to 8 hours, depending on how fast you read and solve the interrogations and mini games.
Game difficulty: Easy.
Achievements’ Difficulty: Easy. You need to finish two runs, a normal one and another new game+. It helps to save often so you can go back and complete some of the achievements. The main endings depend on the choices you make at the end of chapter 1 and chapter 3: don’t save Freya for Ending B, save Freya and refuse the deal for Ending A and accept the deal for Ending C. For the secret ending finish the last chapter with 10 logic mini-games completed and start a new game+.
Overall opinion:
Dry Drowning is an interesting visual novel with a noir film inspired aesthetic and story, with shocking crime scenes and several different endings depending on your choices. The interrogations and detective work are well-written and logic and common sense are enough to make the connections.
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Dry Drowning stands out with its cyberpunk vibe, psychological themes, and atmospheric music, though the lack of full audio is divisive. Its classic point-and-click gameplay feels familiar, but the story is hit-or-miss depending on your taste. Great for visual novel and light mystery fans, but perfectionists might find its flaws frustrating.

This is an interesting game, I loved it but I do recommend it on a sale due to it's length.
Dry Drowning is a sobering tale that nails the audio and visual art department. This is a cyberpunk/noir story that is deeply engaging and will leave you ponder about the story and decisions long after playing it.
I will agree with one of the most helpful negative review on that there are no true "good" choices in this game, but I will disagree on how this makes the game bad, it's quite the opposite. Every choice you make in this game will have visible consequences. There are a few rippling decisions in this game that will completely change character arcs and thus fleshing them out like no other story based games when you've seen all the outcomes.
Once again this is a intense but short game, but it does go on sale quite often.

While the gameplay isn't groundbreaking, the art direction is really good and the story was really engaging, I give it props

The storytelling is top-notch and captivating, but what really stands out are the countless meaningful interactions. Your choices have a profound impact on the story and how other characters perceive you, making every decision feel significant. This level of consequence adds a ton of replay value.

The investigation mechanics are straightforward—not overly complex—but they do the job. However, where the game truly excels is in its presentation. The noir-inspired comic style perfectly complements the dark, moody narrative, while the original soundtrack elevates the atmosphere even further. The music shifts seamlessly between tension-building during pivotal moments and reflective during quieter investigation scenes, creating a deeply immersive experience.

A fun detective game, I like the overall story, and I love that your decisions have consequences.
The main character is a stereotypical 'I'm a detective who is tormented by a cold case and I love cigarettes' which i wasn't the biggest fan of, at times the writing feels a bit edgy cringe, but I enjoyed the game overall

A very good adventure game, where your choices truly matter, and they are not easy ones at all. The plot is full of layers and misteries, and at the same time very enjoyable, you will soon root for the protagonists.