Hyper Light Drifter

Hyper Light Drifter
Developer(s)	Heart Machine
Director(s)	Alex Preston
Designer(s)	Alex Preston Beau Blyth Teddy Dief Casey Hunt Lisa Brown
Programmer(s)	Beau Blyth Teddy Dief
Artist(s)	Alex Preston Sean Ward Cosimo Galluzzi
Composer(s)	Disasterpeace Akash Thakkar
Engine	Game Maker
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Ouya
Release date(s)	Windows, OS X, Linux PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Genre(s)	Action role-playing game
Mode(s)	Single-player Two-player co-op (Beta)

Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action role-playing game developed by Heart Machine. The game pays homage to 8-bit and 16-bit games of the late 20th century, and is considered by its lead developer Alex Preston as a combination of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo. Preston originally launched Kickstarter funding for the title for approximately US$27,000 to develop the title for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux computers, but ended up with more than US$600,000, allowing him to hire more programmers and artists, and expanding the title for console and portable platforms through stretch goals. Though originally scoped for release in 2014, various improvements in the game and issues with Preston's health set the release back. The Microsoft Windows and OS X versions were released on March 31, 2016, with PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions to follow in mid-2016, and to other platforms including the PlayStation Vita at a later date.

Gameplay and story

Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action role-playing game fashioned after The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, rendered in a pixelated style comparable to Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP. The player controls the Drifter, a character that has access to technology that has long been forgotten by the inhabitants of the game's world and is suffering from an unspecified illness. The story concept was inspired by lead developer Alex Preston's heart disease, and has been likened by others to Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky, while Preston cites the studio's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind as inspiration for the game's world.

The Drifter is equipped with an energy sword, but can gain access to other modules that expand his weapon and ability arsenal. These often require power from rare batteries scattered around the world. Weaponry includes traditional console role-playing game archetypes, including long-range guns and area attacks. The player faces increasingly difficult monsters, both in number and ability, requiring the player to hone their tactics to succeed in the game. Preston's goal was to replicate the experience of playing on the SNES, noting that the unit had "amazing, almost perfect games designed for limited environments" which he challenged himself to simulate in Hyper Light Drifter. One facet of SNES games that Preston has captured is that there will be no spoken dialog, placing more emphasis on the game's music and visuals to tell a story.

Development

Alex Preston had yearned to develop a game that combined the best elements of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo for many years, which would feature world exploration and combat that required some strategy by the player depending on foes they faced. After several years of being an animator, he felt he could do so in 2013. He originally set out to make the game for Windows, OS X, and Linux computers, and started a Kickstarter campaign in September 2013 to secure US$27,000 in funding to complete the title. Prior to starting the campaign, Preston had secured the help of programmer Beau Blyth who created titles like Samurai Gunn, and musician Disasterpeace, who worked on the music for Fez.

The project funding was exceeded in a day, and quickly grew over US$100,000 within a few days of its launch. To encourage additional funding, Preston created new stretch goals, including additional game play modes, more bosses and characters, and expanding the release to include the PlayStation 4 and Vita, the Ouya, and the Wii U consoles. These goals were all met by the completion of the campaign, with more than US$640,000 raised. Preston stated that he had had these additional platforms in mind when first launching the Kickstarter, but did not want to overpromise what he felt he could deliver. The additional funds have helped Preston hire additional developers to aid in porting the game to these additional consoles. The game will also be released for the Xbox One.

The game was originally set for release in mid-2014, but since has been delayed until the second quarter of 2016, due to the expanded scope of the game, the need to perfect the game before its first release, and developer's health issues. Preston had previously spoken on how his long-term health problems had influenced the direction of the game, and even inspired the name of his team, Heart Machine. With the most recent delay announced in August 2015, Heart Machine said that they will plan to release the Windows and OS X version first with the console versions shortly thereafter once they clear the console certification processes. In February 2016, Heart Machine revealed that there are currently contractual issues between Nintendo and YoYo Games, the developer of the Game Maker engine, beyond their control that may prevent the game from being ported to the Wii U, and while they hope they can offer this platform at the end, they have considered the Wii U version "in limbo."

Several patches have been applied to the game since its initial release. One of these patches made the game slightly easier, in response to feedback about the game's difficulty. This patch made a number of minor changes to the game, most notable of which was the addition of a brief period of invincibility when the player uses the Dash mechanic. The reduction in difficulty lead to debate amongst the game's fan community, split between those who liked the new patch, and those who preferred the old, more challenging version. Three days after this patch, the developers re-balanced the game to add back some of the difficulty.

A mode featuring two-player co-op gameplay was planned during the initial development of the game, and was intended to be a feature at launch, but it was cut due to time constraints. On April 27, a beta version of the co-op mode was released. An update that went live on May 5 fully implemented the co-op multiplayer feature in the game.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic (PC) 85/100 Review scores Publication Score Destructoid 9/10 Eurogamer Game Informer 9.5/10 GameSpot 9/10 IGN 7.6/10 PC Gamer (US) 78/100 Polygon 8.5/10

Hyper Light Drifter received generally favorable reviews, holding a score of 85/100 at the review aggregator Metacritic. Common praise has been given to the game's visuals, sound design, and combat mechanics. Kyle Hilliard of Game Informer awarded the game a 9.5/10, claiming that the game "has already positioned itself as one of the best experiences of the year." Brandin Tyrrel of IGN called the game a "gorgeous, trendy hunk of stylish old-school sensibilities mated with the iconic hues of pixelated indie charm." Christian Donian of Eurogamer praised the game's "intoxicating" atmosphere, as well as Disasterpeace's "typical delight" of a soundtrack. Kevin VanOrd of GameSpot cites the game's art direction as "rich and thoughtful," and comments on its "fluid, demanding, and fair" combat system.

Mixed criticism commonly falls upon the minimalism of the game's storytelling method. Tyrrel points out its "abstract storytelling" as a con, while Griffin McElroy of Polygon claims that the game's story is replaced with "moods," and "quiet moments with constant scenes of breakneck, pitch-perfect action."

The game was named as an honorable mention for the Excellence in Visual Art award for the 2015 Independent Games Festival.

The Drifter is a playable character in the Wii U-exclusive game Runbow, and will be featured as a playable character in Hex Heroes for the Wii U.

External links

• Official website