I highly, highly suggest you look at my article on this game for a complete overview of my thoughts:
https://checkpointgames.wordpress.com/2017/08/11/an-in-depth-analysis-of-hyper-light-drifter/#more-90

Like my reviews? Go follow my Curator page.


I said I'd review this game a year and a half ago. Well, hey, better late than never, right? As a big fan of the Zelda and Dark Souls games, I chose to pick this game up on the day it released. I found out about its existence only a few hours before it came out, but I'm glad I did, because in spite of its numerous shortcomings, this game is a shining example of what indie games should strive to be. Please note this review will probably be a lot more brief, and I highly suggest you look at the article instead, because my thoughts are summed up much better there.


Visually, Hyper Light Drifter is one of the most beautiful pixel games (if not the best looking) on Steam in my opinion. The 4 different areas you explore are all visually distinct from one another, and they're all breathtaking to look at in their own way. Enemy designs are also very different from one another aside from a few exceptions, and this helps keep the game feel consistently fresh and interesting. What holds it back a little, in my opinion, is in the lighting. There were definitely times where the game was too flashy and it interfered with gameplay, most notably during the final boss fight. Aside from that though, this game is total eye candy.


Hyper Light Drifter's exploration and combat are both very well done. In the case of the former, the game rewards people who explore its world. By looking for subtle visual/audio cues, you'll be able to find out where secrets are located, which could give you an extra medkit for an upcoming confrontation for example. These cues never felt blatantly obvious, and usually there was an extra step or two added so you couldn't just rely on those cues to find the secret. The combat starts off basic enough, but eventually gets more and more complex with things like chaining dashes and deflecting projectiles. Hyper Light Drifter is a tough game, and occasionally it does get a little unfair with things like instakill stunlocks and placing a bunch of enemies in a single room for the sake of it, but for the most part it doesn't get cheap. The bosses are definitely the highlight of this "tough but fair" aspect to the game, because all of them feel like tests of skill rather than relying on a cheap gimmick or something like that. They're incredibly gratifying to defeat, and the inclusion of a boss rush mode makes fighting them so much more enjoyable. Where the gameplay falls flat, however is in its tedious healing system and the lack of explanations for many of the game's important mechanics. I found myself backtracking quite a bit to find an extra medkit or two for an upcoming boss, only to use that medkit I worked so hard for on my trip back. This made the game drag out a lot more than it should've, in my opinion. And while I don't mind learning how things work for myself, this game explains too little to you. For example, you can find different cloaks to wear, and I didn't know until right before I finished the game that these cloaks actually significantly changed your playstyle rather than a basic change in appearance. With a few quality-of-life improvements, this game would've been significantly better.


To be honest, the story behind the game's development is far more interesting than the main story itself. I think the problem with the game's story is that it didn't focus on the right thing. There was a lot of potential to get very in-depth and personal with the game's message, but I think the external plot is far less interesting than the internal one. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to talk about this further, I would be jumping into spoiler territory. If you want to see my full thoughts on the story, check out the link at the top.


Hyper Light Drifter's strongest aspect is undoubtedly its music. It took some time, but it grew on me and made the game feel more like a surreal experience, and don't get me started on how beautiful the ending music is. I recommend buying the game just for the soundtrack alone, to be honest. The sound effects are also nice, so I can't find any reason to criticize the game's audio.


Thanks to the boss rush and NG+ modes, there's actually a decent amount of replay value found here. I can definitely see myself coming back to this game and replaying it soon in NG+ because the game isn't very long at all. Plus, with the amount of secrets, collectibles, and upgrades to master, you could easily put a good amount of time into the game.


Honestly, coming up with a verdict for this game is tough. It's hard for me to judge it this simply because there's a lot to this game for me to discuss. Overall though, there's a lot of flaws and nitpicks I have with the game. Is it the "best" indie game to come out in years? No, not really. Even if the main story wasn't that good, I still adored every second of Hyper Light Drifter. There was a lot of passion put into this game, and while it's very similar to games like Dark Souls, (as overused as that comparison may be) it's still able to have its own identity and is a very special indie game, special enough for me to consider it a personal pick. Hyper Light Drifter is a prime example of the originality in indie games, and is a breath of fresh air in an industry where open world action/RPG games are the norm. If you're willing to put aside the game's shortcomings, you're looking at a true diamond in the rough.

Graphics - 9.5/10
Gameplay - 8.5/10
Story - 6.5/10
Audio - 10/10
Replayability - 7.0/10

.:8.6/10:.
"Great"

**PERSONAL PICK**

+ Beautiful soundtrack
+ Encourages exploration
+ Gorgeous pixel graphics
+ Exciting and rewarding boss battles
+ Fun and surprisingly deep combat
+ Visually distinct environments
+ Inclusion of a boss rush mode

- Doesn't explain certain important mechanics
- Uninteresting main story
- Tedious healing system

I highly, highly suggest you look at my article on this game for a complete overview of my thoughts: https://checkpointgames.wordpress.com/2017/08/11/an-in-depth-analysis-of-hyper-light-drifter/#more-90 [u]Like my reviews? Go follow my [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/33012112-Gandhi-Talks-Games/]Curator page.[/url][/u] I said I'd review this game a year and a half ago. Well, hey, better late than never, right? As a big fan of the [i]Zelda[/i] and [i]Dark Souls[/i] games, I chose to pick this game up on the day it released. I found out about its existence only a few hours before it came out, but I'm glad I did, because in spite of its numerous shortcomings, this game is a shining example of what indie games should strive to be. Please note this review will probably be a lot more brief, and I highly suggest you look at the article instead, because my thoughts are summed up much better there. [h1]Graphics[/h1] Visually, Hyper Light Drifter is one of the most beautiful pixel games (if not the best looking) on Steam in my opinion. The 4 different areas you explore are all visually distinct from one another, and they're all breathtaking to look at in their own way. Enemy designs are also very different from one another aside from a few exceptions, and this helps keep the game feel consistently fresh and interesting. What holds it back a little, in my opinion, is in the lighting. There were definitely times where the game was too flashy and it interfered with gameplay, most notably during the final boss fight. Aside from that though, this game is total eye candy. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] [i]Hyper Light Drifter's[/i] exploration and combat are both very well done. In the case of the former, the game rewards people who explore its world. By looking for subtle visual/audio cues, you'll be able to find out where secrets are located, which could give you an extra medkit for an upcoming confrontation for example. These cues never felt blatantly obvious, and usually there was an extra step or two added so you couldn't just rely on those cues to find the secret. The combat starts off basic enough, but eventually gets more and more complex with things like chaining dashes and deflecting projectiles. Hyper Light Drifter is a tough game, and occasionally it does get a little unfair with things like instakill stunlocks and placing a bunch of enemies in a single room for the sake of it, but for the most part it doesn't get cheap. The bosses are definitely the highlight of this "tough but fair" aspect to the game, because all of them feel like tests of skill rather than relying on a cheap gimmick or something like that. They're incredibly gratifying to defeat, and the inclusion of a boss rush mode makes fighting them so much more enjoyable. Where the gameplay falls flat, however is in its tedious healing system and the lack of explanations for many of the game's important mechanics. I found myself backtracking quite a bit to find an extra medkit or two for an upcoming boss, only to use that medkit I worked so hard for on my trip back. This made the game drag out a lot more than it should've, in my opinion. And while I don't mind learning how things work for myself, this game explains too little to you. For example, you can find different cloaks to wear, and I didn't know until right before I finished the game that these cloaks actually significantly changed your playstyle rather than a basic change in appearance. With a few quality-of-life improvements, this game would've been significantly better. [h1]Story[/h1] To be honest, the story behind the game's development is far more interesting than the main story itself. I think the problem with the game's story is that it didn't focus on the right thing. There was a lot of potential to get very in-depth and personal with the game's message, but I think the external plot is far less interesting than the internal one. Unfortunately, as much as I'd love to talk about this further, I would be jumping into spoiler territory. [b]If you want to see my full thoughts on the story, check out the link at the top.[/b] [h1]Audio[/h1] [i]Hyper Light Drifter's[/i] strongest aspect is undoubtedly its music. It took some time, but it grew on me and made the game feel more like a surreal experience, and don't get me started on how [i]beautiful[/i] the ending music is. I recommend buying the game just for the soundtrack alone, to be honest. The sound effects are also nice, so I can't find any reason to criticize the game's audio. [h1]Replayability[/h1] Thanks to the boss rush and NG+ modes, there's actually a decent amount of replay value found here. I can definitely see myself coming back to this game and replaying it soon in NG+ because the game isn't very long at all. Plus, with the amount of secrets, collectibles, and upgrades to master, you could easily put a good amount of time into the game. [h1]Verdict[/h1] Honestly, coming up with a verdict for this game is tough. It's hard for me to judge it this simply because there's a lot to this game for me to discuss. Overall though, there's a lot of flaws and nitpicks I have with the game. Is it the "best" indie game to come out in years? No, not really. Even if the main story wasn't that good, I still adored every second of [i]Hyper Light Drifter.[/i] There was a lot of passion put into this game, and while it's very similar to games like [i]Dark Souls,[/i] (as overused as that comparison may be) it's still able to have its own identity and is a very special indie game, special enough for me to consider it a personal pick. [i]Hyper Light Drifter[/i] is a prime example of the originality in indie games, and is a breath of fresh air in an industry where open world action/RPG games are the norm. If you're willing to put aside the game's shortcomings, you're looking at a true diamond in the rough. [b]Graphics[/b] - 9.5/10 [b]Gameplay[/b] - 8.5/10 [b]Story[/b] - 6.5/10 [b]Audio[/b] - 10/10 [b]Replayability[/b] - 7.0/10 [b].:8.6/10:. "Great"[/b] [b]**PERSONAL PICK**[/b] + Beautiful soundtrack + Encourages exploration + Gorgeous pixel graphics + Exciting and rewarding boss battles + Fun and surprisingly deep combat + Visually distinct environments + Inclusion of a boss rush mode - Doesn't explain certain important mechanics - Uninteresting main story - Tedious healing system