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.
Hyper Light Drifter is a challenging 2D action-RPG experience just waiting for you to jump in and explore. It's not going to guide you by the hand, tone down its difficulty, or even tell you what's going on. That's all for you, as the player, to work out. However, underneath this obscurity and open-ended-ness is some of the most fast-paced and challenging action to come out this year.
Filled with secrets to be found, and strong foundation on core combat, Hyper Light Drifter is a deep experience. Fun for a seven hour journey of exploration, or many more hours for completion, it offers plenty of value and enjoyment for its price.
Heart Machine delivers a great masterpiece, an impressive mixture of style and gameplay. Hyper Light Drifter is one of the best action game we ever played, and showcases a complex and enchanting pixel art. It brings you in a silent and distant world, it tests your ability with a deep an fast paced gameplay; it's the rightful heir of '90s bidimensional adventures.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
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.
Despite Hyper Light Drifter being relatively light in narrative, The combat and exploration, more then make for a fun and rewarding experience.
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 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.
Gorgeous, but more frustrating than fun
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.
Its brilliance goes well beyond its brazen art style and extends to a challenging but highly rewarding combat system.
The trouble with Hyper Light Drifter is that it's frequently just too obscure and too difficult to truly enjoy
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.
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.
The majesty of Hyper Light Drifter's lonely pilgrimage is worth fighting for
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.