#Hyper light drifter review series

Help the settlement flourish over the course of your journey.Learn more about the Overgrowth and the deep storylines hidden within with each death and subsequent attempt.Discover and unlock a wide arsenal of weapons and items to create the perfect build for every run.Face hordes of enemies and gigantic bosses in frenetic third-person combat.This game made me feel things, which is cool. Play single player or lead your team of Breakers through the Overgrowth in online co-operative play In this Hyper Light Drifter Review we talk about why Hyper Light Drifter is So Good.Use your wall-dashing, hoverboard, glider and more for incredible freedom across landscapes.A vast, ever-changing world awaits with massive, open biomes and deep labyrinths.A world in disarray, with mysteries to solve, vicious enemies to fight, and fully 3D environments to explore.Play alone or with friends to explore massive biomes, defeat brutal monsters, create new builds, survive the mysterious Crowns and overthrow the almighty Abyss King in this action rogue-lite adventure from the creators of Hyper Light Drifter. Paired together with the striking visuals, it all comes together to create an unforgettable experience.Enter the Overgrowth, a new land in the world of Hyper Light. It’s rare that a game so punishing can simultaneously feel so relaxing. The music is composed by Disasterpiece (whose work you may have previously heard in the hit game Fez) and the soothing ambient tracks lend a real ethereal tone to the game as a whole. Similarly, the sound design is really strong. I often found myself stopping mid stride to simply take in the visuals – it’s gorgeous. Bright pink trees stand out beautifully, and cyan coloured water cascading down the side of a cliff looks breathtaking. The pixellated characters and environments are nothing particularly special on their own, but the use of neon colours in every area brings the game to life. Graphically, Hyper Light Drifter is a real treat. These guys can easily overwhelm you if you let them! Everything in this game is designed to kill you, but you’ll have little trouble if you simply remember to exercise patience. Not only that, but the game will often throw other obstacles in your path at the same time, like sharp crystals that shoot out from the ground if you step foot on them.

#Hyper light drifter review series

At frequent intervals, you’ll come across a series of platforms hovering across deadly pits, and you’ll need to make use of your dash ability to cross them safely. Much like combat, the mere act of traversal is more difficult than you might expect in Hyper Light Drifter. Even the smaller creatures can prove difficult should they gang up on you. Your foes are no push-overs, though – very quickly you’ll be facing against fearsome ice giants, agile ninjas and many more who will undoubtedly kill you multiple times, particularly if you’re new to the game. The gun has a limited number of bullets, but you can easily replenish these by attacking enemies with your energy sword. The combat itself is refreshingly simple – you attack with the Y button, dash out of the way of incoming attacks with B and fire your gun with ZR. You play as the Drifter, a character wielding a sweet energy sword and, at a very early point in the game, a handgun.

Think of it as a cross between A Link to the Past and Breath of the Wild, if you like.ĭon’t let the gorgeous visuals distract you from the dangers within. But that’s actually part of its appeal – there’s a keen sense right from the start that you can go pretty much anywhere, so long as you’re skilled enough to take on the game’s many lethal inhabitants. Instead, you’re thrust into a dangerous (albeit mesmerising) world with barely any sense of what you’re supposed to do. Taking direct inspiration from the SNES era, Hyper Light Drifter is deliberately vague in its presentation, with no spoken dialogue to guide you along your path.

Beautiful visuals and engaging, difficult combat combine to create a wonderful experience that fans of retro games will relish. I know this game is good, and from my experience with it on Switch, I can safely say any disappointed Wii U owners who waited it out are in for a treat. Now, two years later, Hyper Light Drifter: Special Edition has skipped right over the Wii U and finally released on Nintendo’s hybrid console, the Nintendo Switch. I never experienced a frame rate drop or freeze in my time with the game, and loading. Much to the disappointment of Nintendo fans, however, the game was unceremoniously cancelled for the Wii U following technical issues and health concerns for director Alex Preston. Whether you’re playing the game docked or handheld, you’ll have a buttery smooth experience the entire time. Originally released back in 2016, Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter was met with critical acclaim.