Hank: Drowning on Dry Land is a unique adventure starring a time-bending vigilante

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In a conversation with me, Jakub Lisiński from My Next Games compared Hank, the main character in Hank: Drowning on Dry Land, to what it would be like if Batman had issues with alcohol addiction and possessed time-travel abilities. This intriguing comparison was made during a demonstration of the game at PAX East 2025. As I stepped into one of its levels for a hands-on experience, I found that the game stood out uniquely among all the indie games showcased at the convention.

Title “Hank: Drowning on Dry Land” symbolically implies that the main character, Hank, is metaphorically drowning even though he’s physically on dry ground. This occurs when he becomes severely intoxicated and incapacitated on a bar floor. The game narrative unfolds as Hank delves deep into his subconscious mind, embarking on a risky journey to rescue himself from this life-threatening situation.

At the beginning of the stage, I encountered a villain who set off a timer for an imminent explosion and sent his pet after me. The dog was swifter than me, bridging the gap in no time and ending my game. However, I managed to rewind using the left trigger, which granted me the opportunity to deviate onto another route and venture into a sewer network. There, I triggered a mechanism that released a boulder akin to Indiana Jones, eliminating the dog.

Despite having a ticking bomb on hand, I found myself racing across the stage, leaping over hurdles and scaling stairs to reach my goal before time ran out. However, I fell just shy of the deadline by a few seconds. I kept rewinding the scenario, meticulously planning my route to the objective, not wasting any precious seconds. In the end, with mere milliseconds to spare, I successfully reached it, and Jakub and I shared a triumphant celebration.

In “Hank: Drowning on Dry Land,” you can rewind (and even fast forward) through most interactions and cutscenes, providing you with numerous opportunities to refine your approach and execute actions swiftly. This gameplay design is likely to attract both speedrunners and individuals who strive for perfection, as it allows them to optimize their strategies in the shortest time frame possible.

After achieving the initial task, events seemed to repeat as I worked towards another goal. I found myself conversing with the villain, escaping the dog, and navigating through the stage. However, this time, a fresh challenge emerged – overcoming a challenging adversary: my own clone. The symbolism was evident, and the level’s unexpected twist at the end made for an enjoyable conclusion.

The ending segment took on a surreal quality, where I navigated a cart along a roller coaster track, swerving left and right to dodge obstacles and pressing A rapidly to escape threats. It resembled the animated action scenes you’d find on Cartoon Network around the 2000s.

The distinctive graphic novel aesthetic, intriguing time-manipulation mechanics, and captivating narrative concept of Hank: Drowning on Dry Land have placed it high on my list of indie games to keep an eye on. As of now, there’s no release date set, but its Steam page is active. It was one of the numerous games we encountered at PAX East 2025.

This preview is based on a demo played at PAX East 2025.

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2025-05-12 20:10