Hyper Light Drifter Reviews
Hyper Light Drifter is one of the most perfectly balanced, stylish and intriguing action RPGs of recent times.
Hyper Light Drifter transfers the player in a world made by dreams and nightmares, that are sustained by a superb art direction and a fresh gameplay. Heart Machine delivered an excellent and challenging adventure, and also an unmissable gem for the indie games' fans.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mood and atmosphere can carry me a long way, and I adored every second I spent in Hyper Light Drifter's world. The combat and movement often left me slack-jawed and giddy, a perfect homage to the '90s RPGs that obviously inspired Heart Machine, while still feeling completely fresh and constantly surprising.
The stunning Hyper Light Drifter is a masterful mix of exploration and combat.
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.
It's hard but it's worth it
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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 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.
The more I think about my time with Hyper Light Drifter, as well as my continued journey in New Game Plus, the more I realize how much I like this game. Every aspect of it contains a high bar of quality. The sound work, composed by Disasterpeace, is subtle, but will crescendo at just the right moments. The graphics are a throwback to a bygone era of gaming, but also effectively convey a real and lived in world rich in mythology and fantastical events. Combat has a solid foundation that it builds upon, and enemies are fun to fight or watch plummet to the abyss below thanks to a disappearing platform. Hyper Light Drifter is a game you should not miss out on.
Hyper Light Drifter sticks with you long after the final boss, thanks to its impressive wealth of secrets, amazing soundtrack, and mysterious world
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 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.
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.
Its brilliance goes well beyond its brazen art style and extends to a challenging but highly rewarding combat system.
The majesty of Hyper Light Drifter's lonely pilgrimage is worth fighting for
[T]here goes my time with Hyper Light Drifter, a completely gorgeous game I was utterly loving. It apparently doesn't want me to play it any more.
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.
Heart Machine's slash-'em-up is punishing and precise - and incredibly beautiful.
Even when I felt like giving up, I knew I was enjoying my time with Hyper Light Drifter.