Nova Drift distills the mechanical depth and strategy of an ARPG into classic arcade space combat. Control an endlessly evolving bio-mechanical ship, face legions of strange and deadly foes, and ride the wake of a dying star across the void.
Recent Reviews:
Very Positive (166) - 93% of the 166 user reviews in the last 30 days are positive.
All Reviews:
Overwhelmingly Positive (10,307) - 96% of the 10,307 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Aug 12, 2024
Developer:
Publisher:
Tags

Sign in to add this item to your wishlist, follow it, or mark it as ignored

Check out the entire Pixeljam franchise on Steam

Buy Nova Drift

INTRODUCTORY OFFER! Offer ends August 26

-20%
$17.99
$14.39

Buy Nova Drift Game & Soundtrack

Includes 2 items: Nova Drift, Nova Drift OST

-20%
-39%
$27.98
$17.10
 

Reviews

“Its integration of rogue-lite unlocks and a ridiculous level of ship customization transforms the game into something magical.”
Game Informer

“Nova Drift is a big, endless, beautiful universe of arcade combat, fusing the modern indie gaming style with the deepest roots of gaming history.”
Hardcore Gamer

“It’s not only sleek and sexy looking, but it comes with smooth-as-can-be controls with enough personalization in the upgrade modules to make your head spin.”
Manablast

About This Game

- SURVIVE - EVOLVE - DOMINATE -


Nova Drift is a 'rogue-lite' space shooter that melds a classic arcade experience with modern action-RPG elements, emphasizing build-crafting and deep customization. Your ship rapidly evolves as you defeat enemies, allowing you to take a build from inception to execution in a single, captivating game session.

Build to play how you want, creating a unique build every game. Runs are quick, allowing for rapid experimentation and iteration.

DEFINE YOUR BUILD, combining dozens of choices of Weapon, Shield, and Body GEAR, including:




  • Weapon - Thermal Lance: Channel a focused lance of heat that makes targets vulnerable to further damage.
  • Weapon - Swords: Wield a pair of monomolecular double-edged swords that parry projectiles.
  • Shield - Warp: Teleport when your shield breaks, creating an entry and exit blast.
  • Shield - Halo: Burn targets within your shields radius.
  • Body - Carrier: Command a legion of Swarm Constructs.
  • Body - Leviathan: Become an ever-growing serpent that shreds with its body.
  • Body - Firefly: Sear targets with massive thrusters.

Unlock an arsenal of over 200 MODULAR UPGRADES:


Transform your build, choosing from dozens of SUPER MODS:





  • Charged Mines: Your mines charge, unleashing your weapon on detonation.
  • Dying Star: Take constant damage, but burn nearby targets based on proximity and how damaged you are.
  • Barrage: Transform any weapon into a bullet hose.
  • Singular Strike: Fuse all of your projectiles into one giant projectile.
  • Ataraxia: Gain powerful passive buffs for each unspent upgrade point.
  • Antimatter Rounds: Your weapon can punch through hostile projectiles.
  • Void Slice: Teleport, slicing through anything in your path.
  • Warp Strike: Your projectiles can screen-wrap.
  • Sanctuary: Convert your shield into a massive roving bubble and gain power while within it.

Enjoy varied GAME MODES:




  • Endless: Find out just how far you can push your build after victory.
  • Draft: Jump deep into enemy territory with a pre-constructed build.
  • Wild Metamorphosis: Enjoy a challenging "rogue-like" experience that offers powerful, transformative mods.

Unlock MODULAR CHALLENGE MODES as your skills grow. Greater risk means greater rewards!


EXAMPLE BUILD - Celestial Striker:


This unconventional build defeats enemies by slamming right through them, detonating its shields, and burning anything nearby.





  • Hullbreaker is the cornerstone of our build, fast, resilient, and able to deal massive crash damage based on its velocity.
  • Amp Shield increases our velocity and damage, which results in massive crash damage.
  • Volatile Shields ensures that when our Amp Shield breaks on impact, nearby enemies receive a devastating explosion.
  • Flash Shielding lets us get our shield back quickly.
  • Celestial Lance converts our speed into a burning aura, letting us crowd control as we soar.
  • Celestial Surge lets us convert our aura into a massive burning projectile on demand, igniting anything in its path.

Nova Drift is a decade-long labor of love developed by Jeffrey Nielson (Chimeric) in collaboration with its community, featuring music and audio by Miles Tilmann (Pixeljam).

System Requirements

Windows
macOS
    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 7 or higher
    • Processor: 2 Ghz CPU
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4000 or equivalent, Integrated cards also work
    • Storage: 800 MB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.
    Minimum:
    • OS: 10.10 or higher
    • Processor: 2 Ghz CPU
    • Memory: 4 GB RAM
    • Storage: 500 MB available space

More from Pixeljam

What Curators Say

152 Curators have reviewed this product. Click here to see them.

Customer reviews

Review Type


Purchase Type


Language


Date Range
To view reviews within a date range, please click and drag a selection on a graph above or click on a specific bar.

Show graph



Playtime
Filter reviews by the user's playtime when the review was written:



No minimum to No maximum
Display
Show reviews in selected display order




Show graph
 
Hide graph
 
Filters
Excluding Off-topic Review Activity
Playtime:
There are no more reviews that match the filters set above
Adjust the filters above to see other reviews
Loading reviews...