DrainSim Presskit

Short Description

DrainSim is a tactical sim about saving a flooded city. Route water through blocked streets, clear storm drains, deploy portable pumps and generators, and help the cut-off town reconnect to the outside world—one neighborhood at a time.

Long Description

A landslide and torrential rain have isolated a small mountain town. Streets are rivers, basements are lakes, and the highway is gone. You play as the mysterious Plunger Guy—an unassuming local who shows up with a tool belt and a plan. Each level is a hand-crafted neighborhood with its own hydraulic puzzles: create spillways, protect homes, and restore critical routes while managing fuel, power, and time.

Use a growing toolkit—portable pumps, hoses, generators, a rake to unclog storm drains, a shovel to carve emergency channels, inflatable barriers, and improvised defenses. As you succeed, the town’s radio host reports your progress with wry, sympathetic updates. Your notoriety rises from unknown helper to local hero.

History

DrainSim started as a physics prototype about water routing during heavy storms. After regional floods and infrastructure failures cut a community off from aid, the idea shifted toward a grounded rescue sim—less disaster spectacle, more practical ingenuity. The project focuses on clear, readable systems and real-world-inspired tools that reward planning and improvisation.

Features

  • Route the flood: Shape flow with trenches, sandbag berms, and manhole clearing.
  • Deploy the toolkit: Portable pumps, generators, hoses, valves, rakes, shovels, and inflatable barriers.
  • Restore access: Reopen streets, reconnect power, and clear evacuation paths.
  • Story via radio: A sarcastic but warm radio host narrates town recovery between missions.
  • Resource & risk: Manage limited fuel and power, keep equipment dry, and protect residents’ homes.
  • Readable simulation: Clear overlays for water depth, flow direction, and terrain gradient.

Media (Screens & Video)

Level overview with flooded blocks
Flooded residential block – pre-mission state.
Deploying portable pumps
Deploying portable pumps and running hoses.
Clearing a storm drain
Clearing storm drains to restore flow.
Digging a relief channel
Digging an emergency relief channel.
Generator powering multiple pumps
One generator powering a multi-pump setup.
Radio update overlay
Radio host update after mission success.
Improvised sandbag barrier
Improvised sandbag barrier holding back water.
Inflatable barrier deployment
Deploying inflatable barriers in a tight street.
Overview of drained area
Overview of a drained area after mission success.
Fuel management UI
Managing generator fuel via the UI overlay.
Night mission lighting
Night mission with generator-powered lights.

Embed trailer(s) below. You can use YouTube nocookie embeds.

Quotes

“Plunger Guy is the hero you call when the water line is at your doorknob. Practical, weirdly cozy disaster response.” — Local Radio Host
“A satisfying loop of plan → deploy → watch the water actually move.” — Early Playtester