Driftwood is a fictional bishoujo visual novel—in short, a text-based dating simulation game (dating sim)—that follows the life of adolescent protagonist Marcus Feick from Boston, Massachusetts. In Marcus’s junior year in high school, after asking the girl of his dreams out on a date, he finds himself caught in a catastrophic event that leaves him physically and emotionally wounded. Because of the incident, as well as complications with his newly formed relationship, his overprotective parents decide to transfer him to a boarding school south of Boston and nearly a hundred miles away on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. This act relegates his old life to nothing but sour memories and broken promises. At the new boarding school on Martha’s Vineyard, Marcus is introduced to a variety of cultures and personalities. The story and game focus primarily on five main female characters that can affect Marcus’s life positively or negatively based on the player’s choices. Each character is designed to teach Marcus a profound life lesson, helping him better understand the world and the difficult process of becoming an adult.
