Echoes of a dark and violent past resonate throughout a savage land, steeped in treasure and blood. Hyper Light Drifter is an action adventure RPG in the vein of the best 16-bit classics, with modernized mechanics and designs on a much grander scale.
Released on
Genres
Reviews View More
This game game me an aneurysm. Very, very challenging. I'm glad I completed it. I loved the art direction, but wish there was text lore.
There is lots to love here like the artsytle and the crypitc storytelling. The whole game feels like a modern continuation of Zelda 1 in a bleak yet beautiful world.
But I want to talk about that soundtrack which in my opinion should be in discussion for the best videogame soundtrack ever. It is not great because you can hum along to a melody or because it feels grand and adventurous. No, this soundtrack is dry and dreary yet beautiful. It beats you down with droning and sharp synths but just like the world of Hyper Light Drifter it still finds little moments to break the sadness. Maybe a little melody floats along and leaves just as suddenly. Or out of the droning ambiance a real guitar sound emerges for just a moment. But then you enter a fight and the droning becomes sharp and rumbling again. It is not a soundtrack where a specific song will stay with you but the mood certainly will.
But I want to talk about that soundtrack which in my opinion should be in discussion for the best videogame soundtrack ever. It is not great because you can hum along to a melody or because it feels grand and adventurous. No, this soundtrack is dry and dreary yet beautiful. It beats you down with droning and sharp synths but just like the world of Hyper Light Drifter it still finds little moments to break the sadness. Maybe a little melody floats along and leaves just as suddenly. Or out of the droning ambiance a real guitar sound emerges for just a moment. But then you enter a fight and the droning becomes sharp and rumbling again. It is not a soundtrack where a specific song will stay with you but the mood certainly will.
Excellent game! A top-down action game that is challenging but fair.
Combat is quite simple but has a lot of options (after getting upgrades, that is).
Exploration is highly rewarding, with secrets and upgrades cleverly hidden at plain sight.
Graphics are not to my liking but they serve the game very well, to be honest.
An amazing game in almost every aspect.
Combat is quite simple but has a lot of options (after getting upgrades, that is).
Exploration is highly rewarding, with secrets and upgrades cleverly hidden at plain sight.
Graphics are not to my liking but they serve the game very well, to be honest.
An amazing game in almost every aspect.
I remember finding out about this game in an old video about "underrated games," picking it up and it changing the chemistry of my brain. Literally embodies the definition of "aura" in a video game. No dialogue, purely "Show don't Tell" and it does so masterfully.
Simply really great game. Combat is snappy, atmosphere is thick, art is beautiful pixel, story is mysterious and sad. It might be hard sometimes, but it never felt unfair. Had my skill issues with dashing challenges, but I won't blame the game for that.
A non worded storytelling with really satisfying exploration and fun combat. All of this created a really interesting world with a strong atmosphere and pleasant melancholic music, which was a kind of meditative experience to play.
9/10
9/10