HANK: Drowning on Dry Land Review — Being Drunk is a lot Like Time Travel

HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is, without a doubt, the most unconventional game I’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing.

Playing as the titular Hank, a Batman-esque superhero with a debilitating drinking problem, you find yourself sucked into the twisted game of the Unraveler, a member of your personal rogues’ gallery who seeks to teach our hero some kind of twisted lesson through macabre puzzles and villainous monologuing. Using your unique ability to speed up and rewind time, you must navigate this puzzle and defeat your nemesis, with each failed attempt providing clues for your next rewind.

I have a lot to say about HANK: Drowning on Dry Land, and it’s hard to parse in my mind how to format my thoughts about the title, so I’ll just get right into it.

First of all, you may be wondering what I meant when I said that HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is the most unconventional game I’ve ever played. This isn’t hyperbole. This title breaks the defined mold that many developers use when making a game. The game’s pacing and presentation are unique, moving between a motion comic book, a cleverly designed puzzle, and a quick-time action sequence that doubles as a visually stunning mini music video. Even the game’s duration is unconventional, clocking in at just under thirty minutes of playtime or what feels like a single level of gameplay, depending on how long it takes you to complete it.

That’s right, I’m not exaggerating about how short HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is. However, for the game’s modest price of just under three dollars, I don’t think you can really complain that it doesn’t offer enough.

It’s not just the price tag that justifies the short experience, either, but also just how much is packed into those thirty minutes to enjoy.

If you’ve read my review of A Cat Named Mojave, you know that I consider some titles to be less like games and more like art installations; pieces designed to invoke a feeling in the viewer or entertain and impress in non-traditional ways for the gaming industry. HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is one of those titles that, despite its incredibly short runtime, manages to be more memorable than many of the games I’ve played recently.

Part of this is no doubt the game’s masterful use of its comic book theme. As a big fan of Batman, I can say that HANK: Drowning on Dry Land, a clear parody of the world, themes, and writing conventions present in many of the Caped Crusader’s dark graphic novels, really hit the nail on the head. Everything from the art to the character designs—of which there are about four, if you count the bartender and the dog—and the way they are written feels precisely like the Batman comics I grew up adoring. The title is as much a parody as it is a tribute, and I can totally see Hank having a comic run of his own. I was particularly drawn in by the Unraveler’s monologue at the end of the first puzzle, which felt precisely like something a Gotham villain would drone on and on about in the pages of a standalone graphic novel.

More than just a visual art piece with great characters, the gameplay of HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is actually pretty clever. The title consists of two short segments: the first being a puzzle built around Hank’s time travel abilities and the second, as I previously explained, being a series of quick-time events. The former is incredibly well designed, especially regarding the time travel mechanics. The answers to the puzzle are never clear, especially in the latter half, where the way forward is not so obvious. When you fail, however, the game hints at what directions you should have taken in a very immersive way—the way you might expect someone with the ability to rewind time to realize he made a mistake and go back to undo it. It never outright tells you the answers, though, and I found the actual way forward to be clever and not what you might expect. This is yet another unconventional approach for HANK: Drowning on Dry Land.

I also love that when rewinding, your past self still exists where he would have been moments ago, causing a paradox if you run into him.

The second segment has less going for it as far as gameplay, but I think it excuses itself by being more of a visual experience accompanied by some great music. It is essentially an interactive music video. It doesn’t last very long, and the visuals are pretty great, leading into the end of the game and a nice cutscene that wraps up Hank’s short adventure.

HANK: Drowning on Dry Land feels like an interactive comic book. It’s short, but packed with some really great visuals, a fun story, and incredible characters that I would be flat-out surprised don’t spin off into a greater series. Where gameplay is present, it’s very cleverly designed and provides an unconventional puzzle experience that fans of puzzle games are sure to love, if for no other reason than that it’s a unique challenge.

Frankly, there’s no excuse not to check out HANK: Drowning on Dry Land if you find yourself even remotely interested. It’s short, so it won’t take up too much of your time, and the price for entry is incredibly fair even with its limited playtime and replayability. Give the game a try. I have no doubt you’ll like what it has in store for you.

Try Hard Guides was provided a Steam code for this PC review of HANK: Drowning on Dry Land. Find more detailed looks at popular and upcoming titles on our Game Reviews page! HANK: Drowning on Dry Land is available on Steam.