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Aug 12, 2024·Chimeric·
96%Overwhelmingly Positive · 13k
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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.

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About Nova Drift

- 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.

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

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

Unlock an arsenal of over 200 MODULAR UPGRADES

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Transform your build, choosing from dozens of SUPER MODS

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

Enjoy varied GAME MODES

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Endless: Find out just how far you can push your build after victory.
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Draft: Jump deep into enemy territory with a pre-constructed build.
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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!

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EXAMPLE BUILD - Celestial Striker

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

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

Nova Drift screenshot 9

Steam data © 2026 Valve Corporation. Trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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