Hyper Light Drifter

1. HSuke

   Aug 31, 2019

   10

   This game is incredibly precise and well-designed. It's a difficult game, but in like in Hollow Knight and Dark Souls, you'll practice and getThis game is incredibly precise and well-designed. It's a difficult game, but in like in Hollow Knight and Dark Souls, you'll practice and get gud. I didn't find it as punishing as those other 2 games, and it's much, much shorter. One thing I do really like about its design is that there are visual hints for the location of all hidden items, unlike in games where there is absolutely no clue that there's a breakable wall in a specific spot.… Expand

   • 0 of 1 users found this helpful
2. ThePian0Man

   Jul 26, 2016

   10

   Hyper Light Drifter is a true gem. It was a long time coming, (waiting for this game), but the years of anticipation have been beyond worthHyper Light Drifter is a true gem. It was a long time coming, (waiting for this game), but the years of anticipation have been beyond worth it! Here is my review, as succinct as it can be.
   
   HLD throws you, the drifter, head first into a vibrant, mysterious world. You wake up from some slumber to find a post-apocalyptic land flooded with gorgeous, neon-painted landscapes and scenery, made possible by some freaking fantastic pixel artistry. You begin to wander the land, still totally unaware of who you are or why you're here, until you stumble upon the contrasting elements to this world's eye-grabbing visuals. A vile, destructive disease has poisoned your heart, and innocent land dwellers have been slaughtered by dreadful barbaric wars. If that weren't enough, some dark, sinister force seems intent on either killing you, maliciously toying with your soul, or both.
   
   And so begins your journey. From here, you'll talk to villagers through pictographs (no words are ever spoken) and hear their tragic accounts. You'll stop by the local upgrade shops with their neat cryptic language to get a sneak peek at your later, stronger self. When you head out in one of four cardinal directions, you'll begin to master your sword, your pistol, and - of course - your dash/drift. You'll encounter numerous enemies of varying size, race, and attacks, and with every death, you'll understand how to outsmart them on the next life.
   
   This game is intriguing, and so terribly satisfying. Finding secrets, beating bosses, buying upgrades, you feel awesome. The combat is challenging, but incredibly rewarding. When you clear out a large room and just barely survive, there's a sense of accomplishment that says: "You earned this." And to top it all off, through the entire experience, a gorgeous soundtrack by one of gaming's best (Disasterpiece) immerses you in this universe of light, death, and hope.
   
   I cannot recommend this game enough. Major props to Heart Machine, you guys are brilliant.… Expand

   • 2 of 4 users found this helpful
4. senzog

   Mar 31, 2016

   10

   This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Hyper Review Firster.
   
   Worth every cent and then some. Soundtrack by the guy who did Fez's. Art from your pastel-filtered techno-nightmares. Animation smoother than energybutter.… Expand

   • 16 of 30 users found this helpful
5. dr34mf0x

   May 8, 2016

   9

   First off, it looks gorgeous, sounds great, and plays like a dream. This is coming form someone who played the game on a laptop with no mouseFirst off, it looks gorgeous, sounds great, and plays like a dream. This is coming form someone who played the game on a laptop with no mouse so when I say the controls are good, I really mean it.
   Everyone keeps saying this game is too hard, but I've beat maybe 6 games in my entire life (and lets not forget absolutely the worst possible gaming setup) and I got through it. I think it's difficulty adds to the flow by allowing you to go through the levels at your own pace, and I think it adds to the tone of the game. Also, it's short, so if it weren't as difficult as it is, it might risk being over too quickly. hat being said, it is true: Hyper Light Drifter is hard as balls.
   My other criticism starts out as praise. The story is told not through dialogue, but through the world, and that's cool, it's just from what I can tell, the story the world is telling doesn't entirely make sense. Not too much of a problem, though.
   Also, I feel like it may be a bit too short.
   Overall, could've used a bit more time in development, but a beautiful and lovely game which I would recommend to anyone looking for a challenge.… Expand

   • 2 of 5 users found this helpful
6. vegemonsta

   Nov 5, 2017

   8

   There's no doubt that HLD is a great game. Heart Machine knows how to make a great metroidvania. To make it easy to understand, I'm simplyThere's no doubt that HLD is a great game. Heart Machine knows how to make a great metroidvania. To make it easy to understand, I'm simply going to break down the major aspects of the game and score them individually based on its effectiveness.
   
   Graphics: 8/10
   + Great world design. The four areas of the game look unique.
   + Varied enemy design. Each area has their own plethora of enemies which fit into the zone.
   - The map is practically useless. It's a small gripe, but the map is about as useful as the map in LoZ:aLttP. It shows the general location of the player character and important locations. It
   works somewhat, but It would've been more useful for the map to clearly show where the
   player is and where things are. The underground map is especially difficult to understand.
   - The perspective of the game lies somewhere between overhead and third-person. In certain areas of the game where platforming or timing is key, you can easily find yourself
   dying because you weren't looking at the game from the correct perspective. (Are those
   cubes moving up and down, or are they moving forward and backward?!?)
   
   Gameplay: 8/10
   + The combat is fast paced and easy to understand. You can swing your sword in quick
   succession 3 times. You can perform a dash move in quick succession 3 times (unless you
   get an upgrade).
   + The best aspect of the gameplay is the exploration. There are a lot of collectibles hidden in
   exceptionally clever locations throughout the game world. It's very rewarding when you do
   find something which almost seemed like you shouldn't have been able to find.
   - The game difficulty is unbalanced at times. In one area in particular, you have to fight
   dozens of enemies. The game doesn't work well in this situation. You can fight enemies in
   a fun, difficult and rewarding way in small groups or against singular bosses. However, it
   becomes a grind to push passed arenas filled with enemies which attack in random order.
   Imagine a bullet hell where the bullets just randomly flew around the screen. That's what
   this arena was like.
   
   Story: 6/10
   - It's hard to really pin down anything good with the overall plot. The game tries to keep
   things mysterious by not telling the player anything in words. All character dialogue is
   shown through images of past events. This does add some element of world building and
   lore, but it would've been much more effective if the dialogue was just normal dialogue text.
   This issue also leeches into the gameplay. You can unlock special outfits which effect your
   abilities, but you can't know what they do unless you Google a guide. The game has ZERO
   text to explain anything. It has similar visual story telling to the Souls games, which is a
   great thing. They just... should've taken a step back. They could've told a much better story
   with real dialogue.
   
   Sound: 9/10
   + The soundtrack is fantastic. It adds just the right amount of ambiance to every location in
   the game and fits perfectly with the aesthetic.
   
   Overall the game is very fun. It has just the right amount of content. The game is challenging, but USUALLY fair and rewarding. I have no idea what is going on in the world, but it is fun to explore it and try to figure out what happened. The sad thing is, it would've been so easy to make the world interesting. There are 16 monoliths in the game. Each one has some kind of language written on them. They easily could've gone the Metroid Prime route and added a library which added the lore from those monoliths into an easy to access menu. That alone could bring the story from a 6 to an 8 or 9 if done right.… Expand

   • 1 of 3 users found this helpful
7. Mandulum

   Nov 18, 2016

   7

   Five Word Review: Challenging throwback to Link's days
   Favorite Thing: Some nice and challenging boss fights.
   Least Favorite Thing: TheFive Word Review: Challenging throwback to Link's days
   Favorite Thing: Some nice and challenging boss fights.
   Least Favorite Thing: The unfun timings on dash and attack.
   
   Playtime: ~ 8h
   Enjoyment: 7/10
   Recommendation: Yeah, it's a solid game.… Expand

   • 4 of 4 users found this helpful
8. CoalFire_

   Mar 26, 2023

   0

   Unfortunately unplayable due to how motion sickness inducing the camera movement are. Really wish I could play, but there's no options thatUnfortunately unplayable due to how motion sickness inducing the camera movement are. Really wish I could play, but there's no options that fix this issue.… Expand

   • 0 of 0 users found this helpful

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