The mobile version features a highly customizable touch-control scheme, mobile gamepad support, optimized performance, and all features from the PC version.
You can buy the Premium version or try out the free, but limited Lite version. The Premium version is the full game, and the Lite version is a free demo that lets you play until wave 60 and limits unlocks.
Neither have any ads or IAP. There's even itch.io build for Android if you don't use the Play store.
Premium & Lite versions:
🔹iOS Premium: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nova-drift/id6744329971
🔹iOS Lite: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nova-drift-lite/id6746450915
🔹Android Premium: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chimeric.novadrift
🔹Android Lite: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chimeric.novadriftdemo
🔹Android (Itch) https://pixeljam.itch.io/nova-drift-android
Transferring Your Save Data from PC to Mobile
In case you need to do this, here's how:
There's a feature in the mobile version's settings that lets you PASTE your save data from your phone's clipboard. The Nova Drift save file is just plain text. So to get it on your clipboard you could do one of two things-
1) Email the contents of save.ini to yourself and then copy it on your mobile. Here is where the save file is located:
PC: C:\Users\USER\AppData\Local\NovaDrift\
MAC: ~/Library/Application Support/com.pixeljam.stardriftmac
For the PC path, just change "USER" to your username.
2) Alternatively, you could use a USB / charging cable to connect your phone to your computer and transfer the file that way, then copy the contents of the file.
Finally, go to Settings -> Account -> Paste Settings From Clipboard.
What's Coming Up For Nova Drift?
Save & Quit Feature
Better late than never right??
We're already testing this feature on the Steam beta, and it works great. You can freely leave your game and pick it up whenever. The enemy wave you're facing will restart, but almost everything about the state of the player will be retained, including conveniences like unclaimed experience orbs.
The only limitation is– since restarting the wave is naturally going to be exploitable– games where you've used this feature won't submit your score to online leaderboards. So if you're competing, you should still finish your run in one sitting, but otherwise, you can freely put games on hold.
We'll deploy this as soon as possible for both PC and mobile.
Consoles!
Polycrunch Games (just one awesome guy, btw) has made us an amazing mobile port, and has been very forward-thinking while engineering it. We're ready to hit the ground running with all major console ports, targeting a 2026 release. Of course, you never know with these things. Working with huge corporations is never fast, each platform has their own highly specific requirements, and actual game development is only one part of the process. I expect piles of digital paperwork, waiting on submission approvals, and unexpected troubles. But that is the job and we are equal to it. We will get it done!
Optimization
With consoles on the way, I've continued working on projectile optimization. Projectile calculations are by far the most demanding aspect of Nova Drift. I'm currently testing a new settings feature that lets you tell the game how aggressively you want the game to optimize projectiles by squarshing them together. If that setting is on, it does this by combining excessive player projectiles into fewer projectiles that have the combined damage and effectiveness. This optimization happens when a lot of projectiles are created at once, or when new projectiles are created when a whole lot already exist. This is designed to have as little impact on performance as possible. For example, powers like "Corrosion" that care about how many times your projectiles hit won't be adversely affected... if two projectiles were clumped together, it will simply deal twice the damage and apply twice the stacks of corrosion.
Downloadable Content?
I'm not ready to talk about this or to promise anything (I've learned I work best under these conditions) but I would like you to know that I have been working on, and experimenting with, many fun things!
Also, in case you haven't been keeping up on the Discord, we've been bug fixing and adding QoL regularly, since the game released. We've just been quiet about it.
That's all for now, enjoy the mobile version, and I'll keep you posted. Thanks for reading, Drifters.
-Jeffrey
Don't want to miss my next project? Follow me!
On BlueSky (My preferred platform), or Twitter
We've got quite an active discord with a very chill and inclusive community. The dev team is also pretty active there. There are channels for #ask-the-devs and #feedback. I also enjoy the #game-dev-help channel, which is a space for current and aspiring developers to learn and collaborate. So... come chat with us!
Want to help Nova Drift grow?
Steam Reviews really help! As a tiny operation, Nova Drift relies on its quality and reputation to sell, and fantastic reviews help people choose games with less exposure. Please do take a moment to fill out a short review, even if it's only a few words. It just might make a difference.