Hyper Light Drifter Reviews
Every element of Hyper Light Drifter blends together to form a near perfect action-adventure game that's worthy to stand with the impeccable games it borrows from.
It leaves the combat to speak for the story and trusts its murderer's row of cool ideas to, well, murder players.
Hyper Light Drifter shows a lot of potential thanks to its great combat and solid world building. Where it falls flat is its miserable starting area, boring exploration and inconsequential plot.
Hyper Light Drifter is a fantastic and unique experience that deserves to stand on its own merits, outside of Zelda's shadow.
Polished, engaging, and tough to beat, Hyper Light Drifter will stoke that part of your brain which can't resist a challenge.
Hyper Light Drifter is a breathtaking game that draws heavily from gaming's most prominent pioneers without relying too heavily on their influence. It is an eclectic masterpiece that feels more like an experience than a video game.
Despite Hyper Light Drifter being relatively light in narrative, The combat and exploration, more then make for a fun and rewarding experience.
A mysterious obtuse premise and frustrating-at-times combat both hinder and bolster the appeal of Hyper Light Drifter. It's not the successor of Zelda but it's still an incredibly well-designed, beautiful action adventure title.
Cameron Kunzelman tweets at @ckunzelman and writes about games at thiscageisworms.com. His latest game, Epanalepsis, was released on May 21. It's available on Steam.
In another triumph for the humble indie game, Hyper Light Drifter delivers the year’s best action-adventure hybrid so far. It’s best in class on all fronts that count, offering up razor sharp gameplay, an ultra-stylish coat of paint that, when served with a smashing synth, drips an unforgettable atmosphere.
Its brilliance goes well beyond its brazen art style and extends to a challenging but highly rewarding combat system.
A perfect example of learning by playing - Hyper Light Drifter offers a unique experience of exploration and discovery in a beautiful world with a well paced challenge, even if you still have no idea what's going on by the end.
Gorgeous, but more frustrating than fun
Hyper Light Drifter is an exceptional game. With a beautifully mature pixel art aesthetic, seamless sound design, highly refined, often punishing gameplay, and a unique world full of secrets, it's a fine example of what can be achieved by an indie studio - or any studio, period. The oblique presentation and certain aspects of the gameplay might well drive some gamers away, however.
There's some strong core gameplay to Hyper Light Drifter, but not much else. Unfortunately, no amount of nostalgia is going to make up for that.
Hyper Light Drifter is an impressive retro inspired 2D action RPG. It's difficult and equally rewarding and no adventure fan should miss out on it.
The trouble with Hyper Light Drifter is that it's frequently just too obscure and too difficult to truly enjoy
The majesty of Hyper Light Drifter's lonely pilgrimage is worth fighting for
Hyper Light Drifter is a great game, but it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It's polished to a mirror shine, it's tuned to mechanical harmony, it's gorgeous for the eyes and ears alike, but has a plot that doesn't even try (or even seemingly care) to make sense. It can also be really, really tedious to play through, as it leans heavily on classical, trial-and-error mechanics. It's a rare and beautiful gem that only certain people will find the full, true value in.
Hyper Light Drifter is unique, it highlights the issues of a real person in an abstract way. This game plays very smoothly, and offers stunning visuals and rigid difficulty. Hyper Light Drifter is a lot of fun, and it's beautiful too. It's a memorable experience, and can keep you interested the whole way through.