8.5/10

Before I praise HLD, I have to say that I'm a little disappointed. I still think it's worthy of an 8.5 but this was one of my more anticipated games of the year. The main reason for my disappointment is definitely preference, so others will not find this to be a flaw. I think it's lame how it's such a trend nowadays to shoehorn difficulty into a game, without a normal mode so to speak. This is not as hard as games like Salt and Sanctuary or you know, Dark Souls (since that's what everybody references), but the boss battles can be challenging. Why this is a problem is because I don't think the game calls for it. This just isn't one of those games that need this. There's so much other stuff to love that it actually distracts me from what the game does well, but keep in mind that I am a gamer who plays on normal, and very rarely amps it up. It doesn't appeal to me to get frustrated a lot, especially since I grew up in a time where most games were hard.

So with that out of the way, let's talk about how gorgeous the game in both an audio and visual sense. The music is brilliant, emotional stuff, and the pixel art is fantastic and inspired. The world isn't some generic fantasy/sci-fi land, it is rich in atmosphere and detail, in the same way a game like Xenoblade Chronicles was (don't know why I'm referencing that but then, why not?). There are moments where you're walking and the camera will pan out and you will get a glimpse of some incredible sight in the distance. It's insanely pretty, and even more so when you travel a bit and see the same area close up.

In terms of gameplay it keeps it simple but entertaining. You can dodge, shoot, slice, use some abilities... nothing real original, but it doesn't need it. I do appreciate the challenge of the normal enemies as they trap you into small areas most of the time and engage in something resembling a bullet hell game. The progression of your character is deep enough to be satisfactory but it's not the most ambitious title in that regard.

It tells a compelling story with no words; just images. I like the story but you have to really pay attention to it. I have no problems with the narrative, just like I have no problems with the audio, visuals and the way the mechanics work.

I think this was my 3rd or 4th time starting a replay I think. This game still really holds up and it truly has a special place in my heart. Knowing the lore of the development really adds so incredibly much to the suggestive narrative and the results are quite heartwrenching, but I love that. In this way, it's such a personal game.

What really strikes gold for me with this game is the vibes and the music, it adds incredibly much to it. The environments and designs are fun and inviting. The game combat feels challenging and fun, there's a lot of space for upgrades and it's a good incentive to collect stuff.

Where this game always falls for me is the confusion of the map. Sometimes it's really hard to understand what is interactable, what is ground, and what is not. The main thing is the requirement to find these artifacts that are sort of on the map but could be underground and hidden within passageways.

This makes it hard to play if you take some breaks in between and I often felt like I was redoing things and most of the time not even finding the thing I wanted but just going in a circle.

This is mainly why I've played it over 3 or 4 times, but only finished it once. A shame, but the rest of the game is on point and holds well today!

This game wears its influences on its sleeves. Hell, even the bushes you can cut look almost identical to the bushes from A Link to the Past.

The combat is fast, weighty and fatal. You get a dash ability, a ranged weapon and a sword. The early phases of the game are punishing as you are effectively dumped into a cruel and unforgiving world and forced to sink or swim. It's clunky, like the combat from A Link to the Past, while also being precise and unforgiving. As you get accustomed to the combat, you will start to zip in and out while swapping between shotgun blasts and sword slashes to obliterate your foes. I do think I-frames would have helped significantly and have been most welcomed given the locked frame rate (only 30 FPS) and clunky controls. If you have game play designed for precision, but not controls or graphics to support it the game play feels unfair rather than tough but fair. I'm on the fence where this game lands, leaning towards unfair.

Another issue with game play is the platforming sequences. Some of the segments are frustratingly terrible in design. There's a few segments that require you to dash multiple times in rapid succession to clear obstacles. I believe all of these were optional content, but a few may have been needed. What makes this terrible is the low frame rate, clunky controls and the fact that you need to dash more than the maximum upgraded dash ability allows for... You basically have to implement frame perfect dash comboing (with low frame rate) to survive crossing some of the platforming sequences. I basically just had to spam the dash button and pray I would survive. Throwing my body over and over again until I got lucky... Most platforming isn't that bad (still not good though), but this is indicative of the lack of polish this game received before release.

There isn't much of a plot, it takes a narrative ques from the Soulsborne series. I personally like this style and thought it worked. It was brilliant to replace all dialogue with a series of still frames to convey a narrative. It conveyed an alien language that we understand while not jumping through the hoops of inventing a new language. It's contextual and atmospheric storytelling aren't on the same level as a Hidetaka Miyazaki game, but still memorable and a welcomed addition. Each zone feels unique and gives off an apocalyptic atmosphere. The music mostly works, but the water temple zone has tonally terrible ambiance. The temple is riddled with flayed corpses and skeletons, yet the music feels mellow.

Finally, I loved the pixel art. I have a soft spot for it and it's implementation was superb. I particularly loved the cinematic with high pixel count. Hell, I would watch a feature length film in that style. My only issue with it was in the repetition of the same cinematic each time you cleared a temple. It felt like a budget thing. It may have been to costly to create four different cinematic that played sequentially after a new area was clear. Thus after each temple, we get some progression in the narrative rather than repetition.

Overall, if you like Zelda games, Souls games and pixel heart you will probably have a good time despite how unpolished it can feel. I would be curious to play another game by this developer. Hopefully they learned a lot from this entry that they can build and improve on.

Several reviews on here that fill in nicely. So I'll just log a few thoughts of my own.

Hyperlight Drifter is a cool slick game. It's got good bits and bad bits but it's a true indie game with the kind of vision you have to hunt hard to find, and likely the kind of game you are hoping to find if you go on such a questing.

First, we see the wild aesthetic in pastel tones reminiscent with shapes and geometries of a 16 bit era discarded and hear a very aphex twiny selected ambient worksy type background from the same era mix itself together: audio cues and visual bits mix and match, flowing out of gameplay and into cutscenes at strategically choreographed intervals. The game woos one over with it's slick visuals and audio cues for hints and incoming cutscene like elements.

HLD is a bizarre form of subtle storytelling that I can only think of one game in it's likeness... I have a bad habit of comparing good games to Another World and this very much reminds me of it with it's look, palette and vision, and the way cutscenes play out. In short it's a great indie game and artsy game Made in Game Maker Studio, with a vision-like backstory that runs deep yet may come at a price: https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2013/11/07/how-a-lifetime-of-heart-disease-birthed-hyper-light-drifter/ </spoiler

The narrative and story is subtle, mysterious and abstract. At times feels like minecraft in the way you explore and slowly learn whats about you, but are left largely to form your own interpretation. Some have decoded it, quite nicely: [ WARNING: major spoiler zone below, spoiler tags not obfuscating youtube embed properly.]

Now the bad. First, this game is hard. it's a satisfying kind of hard to go through a room and whomp and slice through the enemies only to finally emerge victorious by the skin of your teeth, and every fight feels this way. The combat and controls are quite good. This is a great mouse and keyboard game that due to its look feel and playstyle one would typically just assume would get padgoblin'd without further notice. Slashing with a sword aiming by mouse, firing a shot and dodgeing with arrow is great in the game. Yet it's still hard. and I find it too hard despite being playable. However, to me difficulty and going over the same areas just gets old, a lot of the rooms are various kinds of timing puzzles with traps and spawns. You can grind through it, and it's not impossible, some of the boss battles, well I would argue that they ARE impossible. For this reason I cheated my way through it and i dont feel like i missed out. Second the story: I have no idea about the ending, despite reading some eyebrow raising lore interpretations and filler on reddit and steam i'm still wondering how this game ends. I actually unlcoked the ending in a death in the middle of combat and there was no boss fight or anything, however there arent multiple endings and completing this game yields apparently nothing. I realized after watching a lets play that I 'beat' this game somewhere in the middle of it, skipping at least four bosses. In a story this abstract I didnt know if i won or died. Absolutely crazy glitch to have in a game like this... i think it was a glitch. In a way that is kind of on point and a nice ending. In another way unlockng it in what almost seems like a bug isnt. It almost feels time based, but i didnt actually play it that long. You just have to collect a bit of everything i guess then basically you die. If it's not a bug then maybe there is maybe at least a way to win the game without winning the game and just dying. Not sure.

Ultimately great game. HLD has to be one of the best indie games i've played. Was worried it would be overhyped but it's satisfying and has a lot of great elements that made it worth it. Just a bit too hard for the sake of being hard, IMO. But that is really just me and I have a low tolerance for difficulty

This indie title is a striking action-adventure that blends fast-paced combat with a mysterious, wordless narrative. It draws heavy inspiration from classic 16-bit games while delivering a modern sense of fluidity and polish. The game’s world is drenched in stunning pixel art, each screen packed with vivid colors, intricate details, and a haunting atmosphere. Its moody, synth-driven soundtrack complements the visuals perfectly, amplifying both the quiet, reflective moments and the intense battles.

Gameplay is tight, responsive, and challenging, built around quick sword strikes, precise dashes, and ranged attacks that demand good timing. Combat feels punishing at first but rewards mastery, with encounters that push players to balance aggression and caution. Exploration is equally rewarding, offering hidden paths, secrets, and upgrades scattered throughout a cryptic, interconnected world. The lack of dialogue or traditional storytelling invites players to interpret events themselves, making the journey feel personal, similar to Soulslike titles, although this one don't really have much RPG elements, at least mechanically speaking.

Despite its relatively short playtime, Hyper Light Drifter leaves a lasting impression, it’s a beautifully crafted experience that combines challenging gameplay, gorgeous art, and an evocative atmosphere into one unforgettable package. If you enjoy games that challenge both skill and imagination, it stands out as one of the most memorable indie titles of its decade. It also introduces a high replay value since you can unlock new challenge modes, because the devs seem to think that the base game is not challenging enough haha. This one is a must-play if you like challenging games, or pixel-art style games in general, truly one of the best experiences in my opinion when it comes to these aspects.