Hyper Light Drifter
Latest
First 'Hyper Light Breaker' gameplay trailer reveals fall early access release
Nearly a year after it was first announced, Hyper Light Breaker finally has a gameplay trailer, and a new release date.
The follow-up to 'Hyper Light Drifter' is a full 3D co-op slasher
The follow-up to 'Hyper Light Drifter' has been revealed — and it's not a sequel.
'Solar Ash' brings surreal 3D platforming to PC, PS4 and PS5 on October 26th
In which Alx Preston tries to clear up whether Solar Ash is a sequel to Hyper Light Drifter, once and for all.
2016 indie hit 'Hyper Light Drifter' is free in the Epic Games Store
The Epic Holiday Sale is still going, and today's daily free game is Hyper Light Drifter. The top-down action RPG was crowdfunded a few years ago before it was eventually released in 2016, and now you can try it out yourself for zero dollars. Hyper Light Drifter's 88 Metacritic score and list of awards won indicates it's at least worth your time among the slew of retro 2D games that fill digital store shelves. Plus, now is a great time to try it out before Heart Machine drops its next game, Solar Ash Kingdom, which features "wild high-speed traversal" and massive enemy encounters in a surreal world. Epic's free offer lasts through 11 AM ET on Saturday, although if you miss out or just prefer to fill your Steam library, it's available there for $10, 50 percent off the usual price, until January 2nd.
RPG ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ brings its pixelated dreamscapes to iOS
Hyper Light Drifter has arrived on iOS. The retro 2D RPG -- which is set to become an animated series -- has seen major acclaim since its release in 2016 thanks to its beautiful pixel art, dreamy soundscapes and fun combat. The release supports 120 fps on the iPad Pro (and 60 fps on other Apple devices), which is double the framerate of the Switch version, and it comes with the extra weapons, enemies and areas previously only available on the Switch special edition, so even more people get to enjoy this atmospheric adventure to its fullest. Get it from the App Store now, or on Linux, Mac, Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.
The Netflix business model is bad news for indie games
The Netflix model doesn't work for video games. Neither does the Spotify plan, the HBO Go ecosystem or the Amazon Prime Video marketplace. Sure, digital distribution is king and subscription-based streaming services will absolutely become a dominant market force in gaming. But, when it comes to paying content creators, current subscription models just don't make sense. Especially for indie games.
Indie game 'Hyper Light Drifter' is becoming an animated series
You'll be able to enjoy the indie action RPG Hyper Light Drifter without having to play through the notoriously difficult game once its animated adaptation arrives. And if you're already a fan, you don't have to worry about the game getting mangled by clueless showrunners: the project is headed by the game's creator, Alx Preston, and producer Adi Shankar. You might know Shankar as the person behind Netflix's adaption of Castlevania -- another 2D game like Hyper Light Drifter -- and Devil May Cry.
'Hyper Light Drifter' devs' next game goes rollerblading across clouds
The developers of Hyper Light Drifter have introduced their second game, and it's about as strange as you'd expect... if not more so. Heart Machine has offered a brief peek at Solar Ash Kingdom, a game that blends a "surreal" world, "massive enemy encounters" and, importantly, "wild high-speed traversal." From all indications, it's like rollerblading on acid -- we hope you like gliding effortlessly through the clouds on your way to attack giant eye creatures.
'Hyper Light Drifter' is another indie game coming to Switch
Nintendo wasn't done with the indie game announcements after its #Nindies live stream earlier today. At an event and on social media it revealed three more ports coming to the Switch soon: Hyper Light Drifter, Nidhogg 2 and Crashlands. All three are GameMaker Studio titles, so it's not surprising they're coming to Nintendo's convertible console now that the development tool has Switch support built-in. Hyper Light Drifter is confirmed due this summer in the eShop -- after missing out on a hoped-for Wii U release -- while the other two are scheduled to arrive later this year. Abylight Studios is in charge of the port and said it's working with GameMaker creator Yoyo Games since this title "pushed the technical envelope." If you'd like an early peek, the original developer tweeted a brief, blurry clip of the game running on Switch.
'Hyper Light Drifter' is touching down on consoles this month
Hyper Light Drifter is finally making its way to consoles soon, after a few harrowing months of waiting for PS4 and Xbox One owners. Developer Heart Machine's neon wonderland, which originally launched on PC and Mac in early 2016, is touching down on both systems on July 26th. The information was outed early via Sony's summer sale announcement -- Heart Machine has now confirmed it.
Hyper Light Drifter preview build goes live on Sept. 26
Backers eager to get their hands on the sleek action-RPG Hyper Light Drifter won't have to wait long. A preview build for Windows and Mac is set to go live on Steam next week, developer Heart Machine announced today. The build is designed to give an early glimpse at Hyper Light Drifter's standout features resulting from its extended development period, though some key elements are being saved for the final release. "Some game features are locked, some have been hidden, others are being refined, and content is always being generated for the world," Heart Machine notes. "So, to help communicate a bit better we're calling it a Preview Build." Steam keys for Hyper Light Drifter's preview build will be sent to backers who pledged $25 or more to the team's Kickstarter project. The game will go live on September 26, and will be playable through September 28. [Image: Heart Machine]
Risk of Rain, Jazzpunk among IndieCade 2014 finalists
Juried game event IndieCade has announced its 2014 finalist picks, revealing a lineup of standout independent works that will be featured at this year's festival in Culver City. Featured picks include recent releases like Jazzpunk, Hack 'n' Slash, Risk of Rain, and Mountain, along with upcoming games such as Elegy for a Dead World, Classroom Aquatic, Hyper Light Drifter, and Never Alone. All finalists will compete for a spot in the Closing Awards ceremony on the event's final day for the Festival Audience, Developer, and Media Choice Awards. IndieCade kicks off this year on October 9, and runs through October 14. [Image: IndieCade]
Hyper Light Drifter's combat mode is beautifully punishing
Hyper Light Drifter's combat mode is a solo or co-op evil-beast explosion – it begins in a training room lined with dummy targets, and a seafoam platform that recharges your magic. A door etched in rune-like symbols waits at the end of the room. Behind it, when you're ready, lies an arena filled with creatures bent on your destruction. First, the training room allows you to play with mechanics: Plugged into a MacBook Air, playing with an Xbox 360 controller, press the right bumper to see a circle of weapons and map the ones you want to the Y or B buttons. These weapons include an enemy-seeking mine ball, a shotgun that shoots in a diamond formation, a boomerang, and a close-up attack that embeds a fucshia crystal in an enemy, which you then detonate into huge crystal splinters covering the surrounding area. These attacks drain magic. The A button is a (very useful) dash, and X is a sword slash. Left bumper displays magic and health bars, and your weapons. Unfortunately, there's no button to halt the flow of angry, violent creatures that swarm you once you open that door.
Hyper Light Drifter scales up development, closed beta set for June
Heart Machine's stylish action-RPG Hyper Light Drifter is gunning for a closed beta release in June, its developers announced via Kickstarter. While the full version of Hyper Light Drifter was originally set to launch in June, Heart Machine has since decided to scale up the game in response to an unexpected outpouring of backer support. Pitched as a modest project developed by a team of two with a funding goal of $27,000, Hyper Light Drifter ended up earning more than $645,000 over the course of its Kickstarter campaign. Developer Alex Preston explains that the project evolved as a result, demanding "polish and finesse that I was not originally afforded." Hyper Light Drifter is now set to launch for Windows via Steam in December. Ports for Linux, Mac OSX, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Wii U, and Ouya will be released in the months afterward. [Image: Heart Machine]
Crowdfund Bookie, October 2013: Two is greater than 58
The Crowdfund Bookie crunches data from select successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that ended during the week and produces pretty charts for you to look at. The month of October saw 172,360 people pledge $7,361,713 towards 42 successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo video game projects. To put that in perspective, that's 4,833 more project backers than the past three months combined. As discussed in our September quarterly report, some high-earning games serve as extreme samples in a month's data set. October was no different, as Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9 lured in $3,845,170 thanks to 67,226 backers. What's more, both Shantae: Half-Genie Hero and Hyper Light Drifter combined to account for 42,708 backers, which means these three projects had enough backers to match the number of funders in August and September combined, a two-month period that saw 58 successful projects. All three games fit into the action genre this month as well, which accounts for that category's high numbers. Without those three projects, the other four action games would have combined for only $113,876. October also saw some of the first Canada-based developers take advantage of Kickstarter's expansion to the country, which began in September. Eight projects came from Canadian developers, three of which were among the top six earning games for the month: RimWorld, The Long Dark and River City Ransom: Underground. The eight games accounted for 11.16 percent of the overall picture for the month ($821,411), so it'll be interesting to watch for the impact Kickstarter's expansion has on our crowdfunding trends. The funding platform will open up to Australia and New Zealand-based creators on November 13, as well. Head past the break for the month's breakdown by genre as well as the list of October's top five earners.
Hyper Light Drifter's combat encourages cunning and grace
Hyper Light Drifter, the Zelda-like 2D RPG from Heart Machine, offers up a pre-alpha demonstration of its combat mechanics. Not only do we get a taste of gun-and-swordplay, but we're also given a look at some special abilities and the dodge mechanic that appears to be so invaluable when dealing with crowds of enemies. Originally pitched as a blend between The Legend of Zelda and Diablo, Hyper Light Drifter made its debut on Kickstarter and secured over $645,000 in funds. The game is coming to PC, Mac and Linux, in addition to PS4 and PS Vita. There is also an ongoing Steam Greenlight campaign for Hyper Light Drifter, in case you feel like tossing a vote its way.
Crowdfund Bookie: Hyper Light Drifter is the post-apocalyptic Zelda
The Crowdfund Bookie crunches data from select successful Kickstarter and Indiegogo campaigns that ended during the week and produces pretty charts for you to look at. A post-apocalyptic, Zelda-like action game and a reboot of a beloved brawler were both funded this this week, as the Kickstarter projects for Hyper Light Drifter, River City Ransom: Underground, The Fall, Epic Space Online: Capital Ships, Luna's Wandering Stars and Soul Power ended. Hyper Light Drifter, a pitched as a blend of the Diablo and Zelda series, earned the most money ($645,158) and had the highest number of backers of the group (24,150). The "Capital Ships" expansion for the Epic Space Online infinite sandbox MMO had the highest pledge-per-backer rate for the week, as each of the project's 491 funders invested an average of $50.27 into the campaign. Head past the break for the week's results, accompanied by some fancy charts.
Hyper Light Drifter adds PS4 and PS Vita to its launch platforms
Hyper Light Drifter, the alluring RPG project pitched as a blend of The Legend of Zelda and Diablo, has added PS4 and PS Vita to its list of launch platforms, an update on the Kickstarter page reads. Anyone who pledged $15 or more can choose PS4 or PS Vita as their preferred platform; those who pledged $10 will have to choose between PC, Mac or Linux. Since its debut last week, the Hyper Light Drifter Kickstarter campaign has secured over $225,000 in support from backers. The Kickstarter pledge drive only sought $27,000 to create the game, but due to the excessive outpouring of cash the game will now be bolstered by a co-op campaign and competitive mode, two extra areas to explore and a full soundtrack from Disasterpiece. Developer Alex Preston has said he hopes to launch Hyper Light Drifter in mid-2014.
'Hyper Light Drifter' pitched as a blend of Zelda and Diablo
Alex Preston's Hyper Light Drifter is a beautifully pixelated 2D action RPG being made in collaboration with Samurai Gunn programmer Beau Blyth, with tunes by Fez composer Disasterpiece, aka Rich Vreeland. Hyper Light Drifter is set in a post-apocalyptic future in which players assume the role of a Drifter – a person who goes out and collects old technology and artifacts from the world-that-was. But in Hyper Light Drifter, the protagonist isn't an ordinary Drifter: He's suffering from an unknown illness and is on the hunt for a cure. The Kickstarter post describes gameplay as a hybrid between The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo, with "lightning fast combat, more mobility, an array of tactical options, more numerous and intelligent enemies, and a larger world with a twisted past to do it all in." $27,000 will fund the game, while $35,000 will help expand the game world with two new areas and a New Game+ mode. $42,000 will net two more boss battles and improved cutscenes, and $64,000 will allow Preston to hire another animator and expand the game even more. $75,000 will provide a "fully realized soundtrack" by Disasterpiece and, if the Kickstarter campaign reaches $100,000, then co-op campaign and competitive modes will be instituted. Right now the plan is to bring it to PC in mid-2014, but Preston "would love to expand to other platforms."
