http://i.imgur.com/tMfEwJU.jpg

Adr1ft is a visually stunning game. It's also a remarkable experience. Whether the actual game underneath it all is fun for you will depend what you go into it expecting, and what sort of gameplay you enjoy. The plot of the game is that a disaster on orbit has devastated a massive space station, which you must then scavenge through the wreckage of in order to survive.

http://i.imgur.com/BHgtDxn.jpg

If at any point while reading that you said "Hey, that reminds me of Gravity" it's because this game basically is Gravity. Not point for point, but the premise and feeling are identical. You will have to constantly search for oxygen bottles, as your suit is leaking, until you can repair it sufficiently that you can go on longer spacewalks. This is one of the principle gameplay mechanisms that restricts where you can access at first.

http://i.imgur.com/VuD7Ak1.jpg

These periodic upgrades allow you to stray further and further from the familiar safety of the space station to reach other, nearby stations with items you'll need to advance the story. This is achieved somewhat artificially, as straying too far also causes your oxygen to deplete unusually fast. So you cannot just load up on oxygen, then patiently drift all the way across the game environment.

http://i.imgur.com/7SeXtWO.jpg

The wreckage makes for some striking views. At once awe inspiring and tragic, given what a monumental accomplishment for humanity such a space station would represent. None of it is just for show either, you can go inside every last section of it depending which areas you've got access to. 

http://i.imgur.com/krGuNZR.jpg

You'll see solar panels. You'll see hydroponics. You'll see escape pods, docking ports, even entire trees grown within geodesic bubble habitats. Every scifi trope is on parade here and it's a joy to be able to explore such an environment as if it were real. The technology is a little bit fantastical but also plausible enough that it doesn't feel disconnected from reality.

http://i.imgur.com/6kEpEon.jpg

Much like Windlands, the largest part of the challenge is simply how to get from point A to point B. At times the way ahead within the station will be blocked. You'll have to go outside through a busted window, find another busted window beyond the blockage and re-enter through it. That's just one example. It's a lot like a massive virtual obstacle course where the punishment for failure is death.

http://i.imgur.com/38CLL8Y.jpg

The controls are brilliant. I cannot imagine maneuvering in zero G being any more intuitive than this. You have full freedom of motion on every axis as well as the ability to quickly come to a stop if needed. Bumping into things causes cracks to accumulate in your faceplate. You can imagine what happens if you neglect to repair your suit. 

http://i.imgur.com/MFefH7y.jpg

Repairs are carried out at special repair stations. There are also oxygen refill stations, independent from the canisters you'll find. This constant exploration and upgrade process reminded me strongly of the Metroid games. In particular because of the feeling of being absolutely alone in an unfamiliar environment.

http://i.imgur.com/EqFs2cn.png

To unlock the hatch to the escape pod module, you'll need to repair a wide variety of station systems. A centrally accessible computer informs you of these tasks, unlocking the appropriate doors. A 3D printer fabricates the part you will need once you reach the designated module, so you can manually effect repairs. 

http://i.imgur.com/kD79c3d.jpg

If that sounds a bit tedious, it's because it is. If it weren't for the environmental variety, it would get old very quickly. But wow, that variety! You might have assumed, being a space station, that you'd be seeing the same sights over and over throughout. Not the case. The 4 main sections you'll visit in the course of effecting repairs are all responsible for different functions, and accordingly feature very different module design and equipment.

http://i.imgur.com/2O2NaTd.jpg

In the process, you'll find floating digital recorders. These play back crew logs, like in the Bioshock games. In this fashion the story is recounted to you in the form of personal stories told by victims of the disaster. A bittersweet but natural way to deliver plot information as the game progresses, and something to listen to as you drift through the otherwise deafening silence of space. 

http://i.imgur.com/0Od20UI.jpg

I would have expected this game to sell for $40. Or at least $30. It's a polished, fleshed out AAA game. If the gameplay feels like you're doing hard work, it's because that's what you're doing. It's meant to feel like you actually are repairing a space station, struggling to save your own life. Whether that's fun for you or not will depend on how much you can suspend your disbelief and imagine you're really in that situation.

http://i.imgur.com/xHTZabC.jpg

Unbelievably, Adr1ft is only $20. It's hard to argue with that. It appeals to niche interests and the devs seem to have realized that, pricing it at a point where even people normally uninterested in the genre may pick it up out of curiosity. I do encourage you to, it's a unique experience and one I keep coming back to just to float peacefully in the void. 

http://i.imgur.com/sqFbgGG.jpg

If I have any criticisms, they are really inherent to the type of game this is and weren't avoidable except by making it into something radically different than the developer's original vision. It is tedious and nerve wracking at times for instance, but it sets out to be. There is nothing else quite like it for VR at the moment. I'm giving it an 8/10.