Driftland: The Magic Revival Review

Having released on PC back in 2019, Driftland: The Magic Revival has finally made its way to consoles! Real-time strategy games can often be quite finicky when using a control, but is that the case here? Heck, is this seven-year-old title even worth checking out at this point?

The titular Driftland is an interesting planet and has had its fair share of catastrophes! Long ago, a war between two mages shattered the world and tore it to pieces. The few surviving spellcasters used their remaining powers to keep the chunks of Driftland in place, creating a planet of land… that drifts. Do you think it was always named Driftland, or did they change the name after the fact?

Anyway, centuries have passed, and new magic sources have appeared. You play as an Overlord in charge of a small section of the planet, tasked with reconnecting the land and growing your kingdom. It's a light-hearted fantasy story that has an interesting premise, but never goes into too much detail. That shouldn't be all too surprising; this is an RTS after all, but what is offered in the campaign is enough to keep players engaged.

Visually, Driftland: The Magic Revival really does a good job with the magical themes. Everything from the uniquely charming character designs to the vivid, colourful environments is a joy to look at. Now, this isn't pushing the boundaries of the PlayStation 5 graphically, but it's the style that I was drawn to. This is a real magical, whimsical land that is genuinely charming. Each of the four playable races offers its own unique look and feel of buildings and structures. The Wild Elves, in particular, were my personal favourite, where I ended up creating some Rivendell-esque cities that were truly a sight to behold.

Audio, especially the music, just adds to the fantasy feel of Driftland. The tunes are tranquil and perfectly fitting for when you're slowly exploring the various nearby islands or expanding your city. It ramps up to faster-paced beats when fighting opposing factions, although, just like the combat itself, it's never too tense or dramatic.

The user interface is, by default, quite small, with text that I found difficult to read. Luckily, the size can be increased, but it still felt rather awkward to navigate using a controller. This is a UI designed for mouse and keyboard, and whilst developer Star Drifters has done a good job translating the game to the DualSense, I still found it to be a little fiddly when trying to select certain menus.

The gameplay in Driftland: The Magic Revival isn't like your typical RTS title. Usually, you'd move your units from one position to the next, capturing areas or flanking the enemy. Instead, you place flags to direct your autonomous troops and villagers, with commands such as explore and attack. This more hands-off approach can be jarring at first, especially if you're familiar with the genre and like to have full control over every aspect of your units. Whilst it works great most of the time, there will be the odd occasion where the AI doesn't react to a situation quickly enough. For example, I had a settlement that needed defending, but the few warriors I had were off prioritising a different task instead.

Another unique mechanic is how you expand your territory. Since the world is broken up into small islands in the sky, you'll need to use your range of spells in order to grow. One such spell, Arcane Currents, allows you to move islands around, bringing them closer to your main base. Then, after connecting two islands with a bridge or portal, you're free to harvest any resources and build upon them. An interesting premise, and it works really well!

It forced me to think differently from how I usually would when playing an RTS. Which island would be a good defensive area? Which would provide the resources I needed most at that time? Not being able to freely explore from the get-go adds a layer of strategy that I've not seen in a game before, and though it felt a little overwhelming at first, once I got used to it, the more engaging it became to play.

Whilst the Free Play mode gives you the freedom to build up your islands as you see fit, the campaign takes a more structured, mission-based approach. Both game modes share the same mechanics, though: grow your population, gather resources, and fend off enemy factions. Everything you do revolves around gold, Driftland's currency. Erecting new buildings, connecting islands with bridges, exploring uncharted areas; the majority of tasks require gold. You'll need a steady stream of income, as well as food, to keep your citizens happy. These NPCs will then, in turn, go out and generate more gold and food in order to grow your kingdom. It's a simple gameplay loop, but can often be challenging, as I found myself in debt one too many times!

The campaign is split into each of the four factions, with five missions each. Most missions take upwards of an hour to finish, so there's plenty to get stuck into. Unfortunately, many of the goals required to finish these missions quickly become repetitive, with some of the scenarios lacking variety to keep them entertaining.

Overall, Driftland: The Magic Revival is a unique take on the RTS genre. Whilst it isn't entirely groundbreaking, I did enjoy manipulating islands in order to create an ever-expanding kingdom. Some players may be put off by the lack of micromanaging units, but for those who are looking for a simpler, slow-burning strategy title, then this is definitely one to take note of.