Hank: Drowning On Dry Land: A Time-Bending Noir Adventure

Every now and then, a game comes along that feels less like a product and more like a proof of concept—a concentrated shot of creativity that leaves you desperate for more. Hank: Drowning On Dry Land is precisely that. Developed by My Next Games and released on January 13, 2026, this bite-sized adventure pitches itself as “Batman, but always drunk, and he can time-travel.”

It sounds absurd, and it is. But beneath the veneer of comic book noir and alcohol-fueled vigilantism lies a genuinely clever puzzle game about time loops, paradoxes, and cooperation with your past self.

The Setup: A Hero on the Rocks

The premise is simple yet striking. Hank, a time-traveling vigilante, walks into a bar for a drink, only to be poisoned by his nemesis, The Unraveler. Paralyzed and drowning in a puddle of spilled beer, Hank retreats into his own dying mind to find a way out.

The game takes place entirely within this subconscious construct. You have roughly two minutes to escape the trap. Obviously, you can’t do it on the first try. That’s where the time travel comes in.

Visually, the game is stunning. It adopts a high-contrast, comic book aesthetic reminiscent of Frank Miller’s Sin City or the Batman: Black and White comics. The world is a stark mix of deep blacks, bright whites, and splashes of color that highlight interactive elements. As one Steam reviewer noted, “HANK has the look and the hook.” It oozes style from every pore, accompanied by a jazzy, noir-inspired soundtrack that fits the mood perfectly.

The Mechanics: Co-Op With Yourself

The core gameplay loop revolves around time manipulation. When you hit a dead end or run out of time, you travel back to the start. However, your previous actions are preserved. You essentially play co-op with a “ghost” of your past self.

For example, you might need to stand on a pressure plate to open a door. In the first loop, you run to the plate and stand there. In the second loop, while your past self is standing on the plate, your current self can run through the now-open door. This layering of timelines allows for complex puzzle solutions that require forward thinking—or rather, backward thinking.

It feels like a mix of The Sexy Brutale and Braid, but with a grittier, more tactile edge. “Travel back, have them push a lever, while another, you might use the now-opened way to proceed,” explains a user review. But be careful: create a paradox, and you might face consequences (though the game playfully warns against getting caught with a “Time Pair of Socks”).

Short, Sweet, and Cheap

The elephant in the room is the game’s length. The developers are upfront about it: “The runtime is only around thirty minutes. Pretend it’s a feature.”

And honestly? It works. Priced at just $2.99 (currently $2.69 on sale), Hank doesn’t overstay its welcome. It respects your time and your wallet. It is a dense, high-quality experience that packs more innovation into half an hour than some AAA games do in twenty. It feels like an “amuse-bouche of an idea,” a tasty appetizer for a potential main course down the line.

While some players might wish for more levels, the replayability comes from optimizing your run. Can you escape faster? Can you do it in fewer loops? There are leaderboards and ranks for those who want to master the temporal mechanics.

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Hank: Drowning On Dry Land is a stylish, brain-bending puzzle game that punches well above its weight class. It combines a unique time-loop mechanic with a striking visual identity and a lovable, drunken anti-hero. While it is undeniably short, the low price point makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who appreciates innovative indie design.

We can only hope that My Next Games gets the funding to turn this prototype into the full-fledged adventure Hank deserves. Until then, this is a hangover worth having.

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The Good	The Bad
Time Mechanics: Playing co-op with your past loops is a clever and satisfying puzzle mechanic.	Visual Fatigue: Some users noted that the high-contrast graphics can be a bit straining on the eyes over time.
Visual Style: Gorgeous, high-contrast comic book art that looks like Sin City in motion.	One Puzzle: The entire game is essentially one large, multi-stage puzzle room.
Soundtrack: A fantastic, jazzy score that sets the noir mood perfectly.	Visual Fatigue: Some users noted the high-contrast graphics can be a bit straining on the eyes over time.
Price: At under $3, it offers immense value for the quality of the experience.
Voice Acting: Surprising production value with full voice acting that adds character to Hank.