Hyper Light Drifter Reviews
Every now and again a game is more than the sum of its parts; Hyper Light Drifter is a game that is precisely the sum of its parts. Taking inspiration from the very best, Preston and his team at Heart Machine have delivered an experience that shines. Occasionally obscured by the lack of a coherent visual language, the game relies on your willingness to invest a little bit of your head, your heart, and your guts and bravado. Given how good Hyper Light Drifter is, I don't think you'll find that very hard.
Hyper Light Drifter fuses old-school combat and attentive world design with unique sensitivity. Its world owes almost entirely to the SNES era, but this game is a tale of individual intelligence - even though it's never really told.
I can see why some people like 'Hyper Light Drifter'. Its combination of nostalgia, pretty pixels, and cruel gameplay are an intoxicating drug to some. I'm not one of those people, unfortunately. As I played I felt like the annoying moviegoing companion, always asking for an explanation of events onscreen from fellow viewers also watching for the first time, equally mystified.
Hyper Light Drifter is a great homage to the generation of 8/16-bit games that came before, while respecting the sense of wonder they produced long ago. Parts can be taxing, but ultimately rewarding. Try not to break your controller.
Out of the void, Hyper Light Drifter meticulously crafts a post-apocalyptic samurai story, one that bends and folds the tenets of zen's vivid ambience alongside the warrior path of bushido, something familiar yet fresh, quiet yet resonant.
Hyper Light Drifter is a wonderful combination of good game design and enchanting aesthetic direction. With solid gameplay backed up by slick production values and a theme of heroism and self sacrifice that runs deep through the entire runtime, this is a game which enriches any player lucky enough to spend time with it. Enter with zero expectations, slowly feel yourself become a master, and rightfully applaud Heart Machine once you have finished.
It was difficult to play Hyper Light Drifter and not feel a deep empathy for the drifter, also alone, also dying from an invisible disease. It’s an easy connection, but when the world is on fire all you can see are embers. Hyper Light Drifter doesn’t prescribe specifics so it’s easy to imprint meaning onto it. But it also resists glorifying those readings.
In the end if you’ve been itching for a game that mixes top-down adventure with challenging combat and secrets to discover pretty well all around you Hyper Light Drifter is a very appealing package. The added Switch content is a terrific touch worth the trouble to try to take advantage of as it will make finding those critical elements that will help you on your way a little easier. There’s simply nothing quite like it on the platform and it’s well worth your time if you’re up to the challenge.
Heart Machine's debut game offers engaging combat, breathtaking visuals, and a sense of discovery. The game only leaves players wanting more.
Hyper Light Drifter's a tough game and for that, it won't be for everyone. But if it already has your interest, your admiration, or your love, then it has – all hyperbole aside – found a perfect home on the Nintendo Switch.
It's hard but it's worth it
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
[Hyper Light Drifter] imaginatively exudes...personal ruminations on loneliness, pain, and temporality across its story, visuals, and audio. However, silver linings of beauty and perseverance can be found between the dark lines of its thematic consistency. Further substance comes from its full world that will quicken your heart rate with its hyper combat or lower it with calming treks and views that captivate. This is an adventure that may feel too safe and even aimless for differing reasons, but you'll never want to lose sight of the light on the horizon that compels you to keep wandering…drifting onward.
While the story and graphics didn't strike me in the right way, the gameplay and challenge were fantastic. It's hard to make a comparison with this game, but that is due to its uniqueness and style.
Highly-recommended purchase for fans of the Action-RPG genre, people who gamed in the 90’s, and anyone wishing to study video games as art. And with such a low price tag, Hyper Light Drifter is a no-brainer.
Since the initial release of the game, two features have been added to Hyper Light Drifter. Shortly after release, a drop in, drop out local co-op mode was added, alleviating some of the difficulty issues for players with helpful friends. Even more helpful for players who found the game too tough is the more recently added Newcomer mode which disables some achievements but gives players more health and ammo at the start of the game.
Hyper Light Drifter is the Indie game that we needed this year after a good amount of just plain old disappointing entries in the Indie scene. It's not perfect, but you WILL remember it if you play it, and if you can get past the difficulty, it'll be one of the most enjoyable experiences you play all year.
Hyper Light Drifter is very much worth the time, effort, and aggravation it costs you (and inflicts upon you). Its blistering speed takes some getting used to if your experience with action RPGs leans towards the likes of Zelda and Secret of Mana, but once you warm up to the icy slickness of Hyper Light Drifter, it quickly commits itself to your muscle memory.
Hyper Light Drifter undoubtedly stands tall amongst its competition, as not only one of the best retro-inspired indie games to date, but simply one of the better overall indie games I've had the pleasure of playing.
As soon as I am given the reins I am instantly amazed by the beautiful pixel art and the character animations are gorgeous. The movement is fluid and combat move animations just flow so well.