Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2019
Dry Drowning
Developer Studio V, VLG
Dry Drowning is a cyberpunk mystery visual novel developed by Studio V and published by VLG Publishing and WhisperGames for Microsoft Windows on August 2, 2019. It was released on the Nintendo Switch on February 22, 2021. From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
120 reactions from 1 source (Steam reviews) · newest Jul 19, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
77
LovedLoved
92 positive · 28 negative
95% range 68–83%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 92 | 28 | 0 |
Steam's own rating
Very Positive
419 of 518 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 120 · most liked first7/10 Small, but unique. Dry Drowning is one such unique investigative visual novel. Cyberpunk, futuristic, psychological analysis. Many elements of this game are very organically combined, and with the music and sound effects with a strong sense of atmosphere, it is rare to bring players a unique gaming experience. A game without full audio can be said to be both a disadvantage and an advantage. The way the game is played is a very traditional point-and-click survey style. I personally…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is not enjoyable. Let me explain: All choices you make, no matter how selfless or selfish they are portrayed as in the moment, will always have a negative that makes you regret the choice. Stop the bad guy? Someone dies! Do the right thing and save a life? Someone else dies! I suppose that its trying to be some kind of meta-commentary on current events and how our world is moving but...I play games to *escape* reality. Also, the script...oh excuse me, "screenplay" (ugh)...is…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So far with what I played, I'd say its a well mature VN expierence. + atmospheric with grim and cyberpunk setting + choices and consquences + twist and turns + interesting mystery plot - could use a few fixes and features (auto text, quick save) - not all choices have sever impact
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Review by [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/34633003-Gaming-Masterpieces/] Gaming Masterpieces - The greatest games of all time on Steam. Is this game a masterpiece? It's an Italian made visual novel, thankfully without anime characters, that follows the story of a chain-smoking detective and his girl on the trail of a serial killer. The detective can see if someone is lying him into the face, so he is quite successful at interrogations. Unfortunately, his hunt for the serial…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The interesting thing here is that the title of “Dry Drowning” itself is very paradox, I mean, how can one drown without any kind of liquid? The meaning is simple, as the protagonist doesn’t actually get drowned by water, but by the darkness of the twisted society here. That being said, Dry Drowning is a thriller dystopian tale full of mysteries that are only waiting to get solved by its reader. Before starting this visual novel, I already had the feeling that it is going to be one of a kind…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First, let me go on the record to say that Dry Drowning has one of the best intros for any narrative game! Music is perfect! The art style is mesmerizing as well as the subtle nuanced animations that help the art come to life. The world that the game has built is very interesting and cyber noire is definitely my jam. However, the major downfall for me is that the story is conveyed in a bit of a forced manner. I'll be honest, I'm not a visual novel aficionado, but I don't enjoy that a ton of…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Verbose. WINDY. Overall, too much, far too much. The art is neat, music very good. But there's just so much, just a crushing amount, of overwrought filler verbiage, that the overall experience is a trudge-and-a-half. The story is so convoluted as to be borderline gibberish, there's a zillion unremarkable characters most introduced willy-nilly, and the prose is so yellow it comes across as more parody of noir detective novels than a pastiche. There's pretense at game. There's really one big…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I'm usually not a big fan of visual novels, just keep reading textwalls of stuff with occasional interactions ain't just for me. But this is not your typical Visual Novel, there's just much more than that. Apart from the storytelling (which is really good and captivating), the interactions you can have in this game are countless and, more importantly, do matter... a lot! This is because the concequences of your action can dramatically alter the story and the way other characters percieve you.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More interesting reviews on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/33843777//] Fenol Baron Approves Curator Page Detective dystopia “Dry Drowning” plays on rather traditional motives, but nevertheless definitely brings something fresh and interesting to the genre. To begin with, the game is an extremely interesting mixture of a visual novel, a detective investigation (with all the attendant attributes - interrogations, building logical connections, etc.), an adventure puzzle, because in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hello, i have a [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30429032/] Curator Page on Steam where i review games. I'd be happy if you could follow the page. It helps me a lot. What is Dry Drowning? Dry Drowning is a mystery/ psychological thriller visual novel where your choices effect the game. Game sets in a futuristic place called Nova Polemos. You play as a detective called Mordred. Mordred doesn't have a positive history at his job so people dislike him. One day, a client calls him…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ah yes, the detective game where proving the truth is subtly treated as the wrong thing to do.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A detective game with mediocre puzzles, a convoluted story-line, and subtle political undertones. The visuals are pretty enough and the soundtrack keeps to the background, but with clumsy writing and translation -- you should stay away. Dry Drowning has you playing a Private Eye taking on a murder case. The game is not exactly cyberpunk and just has a tinge of futuristic atmosphere, with the story being delivered through static scenes and well-drawn character slides. There are multiple cases,…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →**This Review Contains Spoilers** (but don't worry, you aren't missing much) Another day, another style-over-substance cyberpunk property barely held together by tropes so tired you can hear them snoring in the background, Dry Drowning is a VN so poorly translated that at various points during one of the ending's epilogues it just gives up entirely and reverts back to whatever language it was originally written in (Italian? I'm not sure). Before that, it struggled to keep up the facade, being…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a great game. The art is excellent, the story is excellent, the writing is excellent, the music is amazing. It's really long - has a two hour demo and you can play the 6 hour game again for a reportedly completely different experience. I played it once and got ending B - I liked it a lot. I recommend making everything crazy and "causing trouble" because it is so exciting. Oh and it's such a long and complex game with well-developed characters even side characters and the story is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Simply one of the most intriguing and freshest noir graphic adventures you will find out there, mixed with strong themes that will shake you down in depth. The story is totally shaped after your choices, where every small detail counts, leading to different endings that will shatter your beliefs. Unforgettable characters will accompany you through a travel to discover a dystopian world ruled by the most degenerative pulses of human beings, in search of the truth. The wonderful and melancholic…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →First off, I never play VN's so I may miss something fans of the genre gets instantly. (in that I lack the form of immersion needed for the genre as I question "WHY?!" a lot of times in this game, maybe it's just not for me...) Let's get the negatives out of the way first; The english language lacks a bit, it's not horrible but very strange here and there, could do with a bit of proof reading. It's not obvious what your choice (when it matters) actually means, seing "I'll think about it" and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I found that I was forcing myself to continue so I finally called it and quit. I didn't like the characters, mechanics, story and graphics.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's a shame that Steam does not allow neutral reviews. The game is beautifully drawn, it's stylish, and it has a nice detective feel to it. It should also be said that the developers continue to improve the game and some crude mechanics are being repaired. Unfortunately (for me) the game aims at bringing a cinematic experience which I can't fully appreciate as I prefer either more sophisticated stories (as in more orthodox visual novels) or video games (as in classic point-and-click quests)…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the art is nice but the story is meh and is more interested in demonizing conservatives than telling a compelling narrative and the game proceeds to morally pander and chastise you for picking the quote on quote wrong choice by proving an innocent man not guilty because releasing the evidence would have the evil conservatives win the election and kill thousands of people so no i will not recommend this game as i doubt i will ever bother finishing it my self way to much political pandering for…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game was boring, the story didn't make any sense, the politic background could have been interesting if not spoilt by lazy story telling and long dul dialogues.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was text heavy but had a decent story. I am one that enjoys physically searching out rooms and areas, finding and using objects rather than clicking endless frequent text from the characters. No game crashes or hardware issues on win10 so that is a plus. Just not my favorite kind of mystery presentation. When I play a game and have to force myself to get through it rather than enjoy jumping in asap, I know it's just not for me. I am sure others will enjoy the format.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry Drowning has a decent story, good art and music, but is marred by issues with the writing - at least for the English version. The writing is very awkward in terms of sentence structure, grammar, and sentence transitions. Phrases that a native English speaker would never utter appear regularly throughout the script. In addition, the writer has a bad habit of using 3rd person pronouns to refer to multiple people in the same sentence and, combined with the lack of lines referring to characters…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Choices finally matter, deep story, immersive atmosphere. Grats for the devs, keep up the good work!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Novel cyber-noir adventure. Blend of conversation gameplay and streamlined investigation/evidence gameplay one might find in Ace Attorney-style games. Doesn't feel so much like a visual novel, but an interesting play all the same! Be warned, there's some pretty heavy "government is out to decimate minorities and immigrants" themes going on, which might be hard to deal with given how the world is.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Visit SaveOrQuit.com for detailed game reviews, posted daily! Dry Drowning is a detective thriller visual novel with choices and consequences. We take on the role of Mordred Foley, a cynical private investigator trying to get by and making a living together with his work partner Hera with whom he has a very close personal relationship. The year is 2066 and the future couldn’t look any bleaker. Mass brainwashing, police brutality, political propaganda, and xenophobia are all vastly prevalent.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Follow our curator for similar games https://store.steampowered.com/curator/35180752-3-point-play/ Great art and music + ♥♥♥♥ Tracy/Noir feel + investigative = One of the best vns out there and has a unique style that makes you feel immersed in the story. There are 3 endings + 20 hours of gameplay.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is like Pheonix Wright meets LA Noire- as many have said. So accurate! It's got that nintendo DS with updated graphics feel. A few minor bugs or riddles that are a bit misleading, but nothing major. I found some of the stock sound effects (like the weird screams) a bit annoying and repetative. The plot and setting are super interesting, I could see them spawning games, books, and movies in the universe it's built. Each chapter adds a new facet to the game to keep it interesting,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry Drowning is a visual novel with an incredibile deep narrative system: the plot takes your eyes on murder cases but deceptively whispers in your ear all the society problems that not only affect Nova Polemos -the poliedric city theater of the narration- but also directly affect your set of choices, your morality and even your survivability throughout the game. This story is able to make you feel trapped in the various situations and to feel a realistic sense of pity and anxiety for the fate…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →There aren't a ton of deduction games out there so I value the chance to play a new one, but this game has such rough translation issues that I can't get through the first chapter.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry Drowning is a dystopic visual novel taking place in an authoritarian city somewhere unspecified in Northern Europe. It's inspired by Bladerunner and similar pop culture influences. I played through it once and probably got the worst of the three endings. I replayed the last chapter to get another ending, this time the best one I guess. I also started a NG+ to see the crazy secret ending which only takes about 10 minutes in NG+ and which I highly recommend to do if you ever play this game.…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I mean.. the interface is horrible made by someone who has no idea about UI/UX. The game advances extremely slow and to be honest with quite a boring mix of detective work - politics - future stuff - some occultism.. Boring long texts.. Just spare yourself from the pain and look for a different game than this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →More than 1 year in, and the game is still buggy that locks up the game with no way of bypassing with clunky UI and performance issues.. Pro-active developer manages to resolve some show stopping bugs that was reported a year later, allowing me to finally proceed with the game normally.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked this game very much! I bought it as a visual novel and expected to be just clicking along. But this being a detective mystery, we get to investigate crime scenes and analyze evidence to make deductions (with consequences for getting it wrong!). There is even an optional mini-game! :-) So there is a lot of interactivity to the game beyond clicking through dialogue. The music and art were very well done and really lets you slip into this dystopian world the devs have created. The…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I was a bit skeptical at the beginning but this is truly an immersive experience with beautiful although dark story that akes you care about the characters
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aside from the protagonist being too much of an ass in some situations, the game's definitely solid. Plus, to my mind, it does represent the cause and effect rather well, I missed that in a few other VNs. A part of me wishes there was a truly happy ending... but oh well, that's noir for you.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story of Mordred Foley is the story of each and every of us "My name is Mordred Foley, and what I'm about to tell is one of those stories that will keep you awake..." Despite the fact I've been a fan of videogames since young age, it's become increasingly rare for me to be impressed by single player titles up to a point my Steam library barely counts a half dozen titles. Such a result is the ultimate consequence of a personal war I wage against a saturated market that has in my opinion…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A near-future detective visual novel that starts off strong but gets so much worse as it goes on. The motivations of the antagonists are highly convoluted and unrealistic in the end. Also the game is tarnished by the author pandering his stereotypical political views which insults the audience's intelligence. It's like the writers were playing 'w0ke bingo': a transtrender character, a refugee character, several superficial rants about facism, racism and "fake news". Apart from that, the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this in offline mode so my playtime looks wrong, it was probably around 8-10 hours or so. This is a very interesting visual novel-ish with detective elements. The gameplay isn't as refined as Phoenix Wright, but it does have a few legitimate puzzles in the style of a point and click adventure game as well. The storyline is excellent, and the choices you make have actual ramifications to the storyline at large, even though the case structure looks relatively locked in place. It's…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Excellent game! I've enjoyed every aspect of it, starting from the characters (you'll end up loving some of them and completely hate some others), the soundtrack (capable of greatly rising up the anxiety levels in the tense scenes and then almost relax you during the less intense parts), the very beautiful artstyle and design, and of course the story itself. - The plot runs smoothly and it's engaging, you really want to get to the end to find out who the killer really is. - Puzzles are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →the story and atmosphere are amazing with a nice mix of noir and dystopian settings and consequences to ur choices makes it very interesting
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game for like 4 hours straight tonight, and I am so ready to be done with it, but I'm only halfway through. It's awful. There's like... bits and pieces of it that are interesting and fine, but overall, I'm bored out of my ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mind and I can't believe I'm only halfway done.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →What a beauty of a game, anyone else feel like we are already living in Nova? How people in care homes are almost imprisoned anyway and how unless we have societal value we are deemed worthless? This game echos our current system.. Viva la revolution...
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Incredible story. So many amazing moments with many unpredictable plot twists that will keep you engaged and thrilled throughout your journey in Nova Polemos!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry drowning overall is a very well designed graphic-novel/detective game, and if you are into this type of thing it's worth the price: Pros: -the art and design in this game is absolutely beautiful, it takes place on a dystopian planet with a political system that you would think was designed by Ayn Rand herself where egalitarianism has almost disappeared and each citizen is judged by their use value to society alone. -A great storyline involving a mythical serial killer! An addictive page…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →beautiful art & music , equally wonderful gameplay & storyline . i really enjoyed some of the concepts that were used in the game , especially the clever nod to mythology . edit : i just got 2/3 of the endings & i must emphasise how rewarding this game is & how every choice had me splitting - ends for the 'right solution ' . dry drowning is such a wonderful reinvention & exploration of common cyberpunk themes & topics . i thoroughly enjoyed playing this game & i cann't recommend it enough .
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry Drowning, from a narrative, sound and visual point of view, is truly perfect. The story is very pleasant, intriguing but above all rich in twists that will keep you glued to the screen; the player will recive a story hard to forget. The whole game background is very well solidly structured; the New Polemos environment with its destabilizing initial political situation, internal conflicts and social distinctions make the dystopian reality of the game very well thought out. Everything is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Anyone who’s not a fan of politics in video games should avoid this game, anyone else who stuck around you's in for a treat on this noir detective story with plenty of edginess, attractive characters (with a few exceptions of course), and a hint of the supernatural. Setting and mechanics: Dry Drowning is set in a nationalist futuristic city where we play a detective named, Mordred Foley who is solving a trend of people being murdered and stylizing their crime scene with a Greek mythology…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →– Andrew, what’s happening? – Bad news, my dear Gabriela. We are free.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sorry for giving this game a bad review...I would have written a detailed proper review after a full playthrough like I normally do after playing games from my library, but I can't play through this game at all! First try on my Windows 7 computer -> the game doesn't start, only shows a black screen (others have the same problem, see discussions!) Second try on my other PC with Windows 10 -> game starts but menu is a buggy mess... subtitles appear twice and overlap each other, when I have to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Dry Drowning has the most sophisticated choices-and-consequences system I've ever seen in a visual novel. Whatever we choose to do in as early as the first chapter will be reflected later on and may have a huge impact on how the storyline is gonna play out. We play as a detective in a dystopian future city which boasts its security surveillance resulting in almost non-existent crime levels. So when a crime is committed, it's a huge deal, and rest assured a crime will be committed. It's then up…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The Italian Ace Attorney. Kinda short, and even though it boasts about branching choices and multiple endings replaying it is a pain in the ass (no fast forwarding, can't skip final credit sequence) Art is gorgeous. Features politics which might be rather grating.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →6/10 Decent. An Italian visual novel (I think), translated to English, Dry Drowning is a dark, cyberpunk novel taking place in 2066, in an independent city-state that is run by a far-right political party. You take control of Mordred Foley, a private detective, who along with his ‘assistant’ Hera, get tumbled up into a murder mystery. The client? That very racist politician in charge of the country. The game has three distinct parts that work together; First is the visual novel element…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disgusting Visual novels can hardly called games - at least not that one. But that problem aside: How "entertaining" is it to see wathc bunch of disgusting people making the worst of their situation? Skip this jnovel and live a better life.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Deep quest scenario, a lot of different endings and choices. Thumbs up for StudioV and development team. Good work and recommend this game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is cool, somewhat underestimated game. I don't recommend people easly getting depressed to play it, though. Because it is noir, grim and full with unpleasant chioces. There is no black and white here, including main character. Interesting mechanic with interrogations, interesting story, absolutely amazing music and art style.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Solid point and click noir game.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very interesting choice based visual novel. I enjoyed the mature and serious story. Revealing lies and solving the crime case is done well as it forced me to think and there was also a thrill to it. The overall complexity of design was a bit too much for me, like an overkill of different mechanics and plot turns. Less would have been equally impressive and more professional.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great music, dark story, not to mention an interesting and refreshing look to visual novels. You owe it to yourself to at least try the FREE demo and take a look!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Reviewing (mostly) every game (or DLC) in my library, part 36: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/10 Dry Drowning is an Italian psychological visual novel and detective thriller developed by Studio V, set in a dark, dystopian future. It blends visual novel storytelling with investigation gameplay, moral choices, and a very noir-meets-cyberpunk aesthetic. You play as Mordred Foley, a disgraced private investigator haunted by his failures and morally gray choices. The story kicks off when a series of killings…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →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…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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