Drake Hollow, the latest game by developer The Molasses Flood, is unusually packed with content for an indie game. There are survival elements, base building components, RPG-lite progression systems and an exploration game's trappings all packed into one.
Given the game's relatively cheap price and availability on Xbox's Game Pass right out of the gate, it stands a great chance at becoming an indie multiplayer staple for Microsoft - but while these features are immaculately designed and work wonders on their own, combined together they form something of an overly difficult chore. It's not enough to detract from the fun or the superb gameplay, but it's definitely a case of just too much of a good thing potentially overloading would-be players.
Drake Hollow tells the story of a fully customizable protagonist as they travel to the Hollow, a land in a different dimension than our own. This world is populated by Drakes, adorable little creatures that need the protagonist's help in order to survive. Players will need to build shelters for these creatures and forms of entertainment so they don't die (no, really). Of course, it wouldn't be a video game without enemies, and Drake Hollow has plenty to spare. In opposition to the player and the Drakes are shadow creatures that attack bases and roam the Hollow.
Fighting against these creatures in Drake Hollow is no easy feat, even if the combat system in the game isn't exactly unique or complex. Players will start with a melee weapon and can perform fairly standard attacks against enemies. Eventually, archery will open up, which offers more variety and challenge. There's a level of precision required to master the bow, but it's one of the most enjoyable weapons in the entire game. Weapons do wear down with time, however, and will either need to be replaced or repaired using materials found within the game.
Also enjoyable is Drake Hollow's building mechanic. There's something satisfying about building up a community for the cute little Drakes to prance about in. Again, it's nothing unique and very similar to building mechanics found in other survival games like Minecraft but the visual aesthetic of Drake Hollow makes it all seem fresh. It also helps that the Drakes are around, which are some of the most aesthetically adorable little creatures in modern survival games. They occasionally provide resources and other items for the player to use throughout the game, so they add something other than simply being adorable and walking around.
If building communities in Drake Hollow is an enjoyable time, then defending them from the shadow creatures is the exact opposite of that. This especially becomes true the closer to the end of the game players get. More communities means more rushing to defend said communities from shadow creature raids. There comes a point where the frustration builds and it's easy to wonder if it's worth playing the game anymore and seeing things through until the end. Playing with friends can offset this somewhat, but for the solo player, late game can be downright brutal.
In fact, if it weren't for the final hours of Drake Hollow, it would be a masterpiece in survival RPG gaming. Not because it brings new mechanics to the table or rethinks the way those kinds of games should function. No, Drake Hollow works so much of the time because it's highly polished, beautiful to look at and the gameplay is phenomenal. It's also a tightly-refined cooperative game, especially with those players who can assemble three other teammates. And while that last, frustrating part of the game does exist and does bring the quality down a bit, it's not nearly enough to make this a game to ignore. Drake Hollow is, simply put, an otherworldly blast.
Drake Hollow is out now on Xbox One and PC. Screen Rant was provided a PC copy for the purposes of this review.