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Disasterpiece has managed to capture the exact feeling of this game, putting me in a trance like state with soothing synth that would melt over me and crescendo at just the right time leaving me with a weight that I needed to keep moving forward.

Disasterpiece produced the soundtrack for Fez, delivering once more on another great indie title. I actually heard a song from the game before I played, and thought “I wonder if that’s Disasterpiece”, sure enough I was right. Yes, this game was made in GameMaker but for those who don’t know what GameMaker is, it would be easy to think it might have been done by a bigger studio as a small project.Īs for the sound of this game, it is just another brilliant part of the aesthetic and narrative of Hyper Light Drifter. Never has such a classic look, looked so polished, Heart Machine even included a sit down button just so if you want to soak in the serenity that is the world, you can. For those who think 16-bit should remain in the past I say, go play Hyper Light Drifter. Never has 16-bit looked so good, Hyper Light Drifter takes on the best of the old and new. The color palate alone was enough to sell me, every pixel and sound has had so much love and care put in to it, it truly is a game of the heart, both literally and figuratively. Taking it back to 16-bit of games past, it is reminiscent of games like Zelda a Link to the Past, while being every bit present in the now. I cannot boast enough about this (seriously if you were to see how many screenshots I’ve taken). Visually Hyper Light Drifter is stunning, the stuff of drool and long stares. Everything about the Drifter’s world can become a reflection of one’s self. Allowing the player to interpret the story in their own way makes it much more personal. The game was taking on my demons while wiping the floor with me. I became increasingly frustrated that I was having trouble defeating said boss, quickly realizing after the umpteenth time my mind was with my own personal thoughts. This even became apparent in one of the boss battles. At first I was frustrated by this (I didn’t understand what was going on), but as I pressed on it became clear exactly how I felt about what I was encountering.The Drifter is a conduit for the players own thoughts (maybe that’s why he’s really sick, he takes on all negativity), he exists to take on fears that can be hard to face.

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Instead of dialog, the story is told through a series of short cut scenes and storyboarding. Every time the screen went fuzzy with black drops, The Drifter coughing up blood dropping to his knees, chills went down my spine, because I had no control over this, and it felt awful.īeing that the game has not a single line of dialog (aside from the text showing the basic controls), Hyper Light Drifter is truly left up to player interpretation. Hyper Light Drifter was an elegant interpretation of this. Most of the time we want to think we are in control, but life is unpredictable, no one has a say in how things will go when they wake up that day. The message of things being out of control, hit home for me more than any other. It’s a poignant reminder that all one can do in life is keep moving forward, face the challenges that come up, and remember that nothing is in your control. Hyper Light Drifter pulled up the things in me I have not wanted to face, yet reminded me of my responsibility to myself. Not only was I playing his story, but I began to think about my own demons as well. Preston has been dealing with a defective heart sense the day he was born, putting himself fully on display. In Alex Preston’s case, his heart condition. Knowing nothing about the role of The Drifter, the main protagonist (if you can even call him that), all I did know is he was obviously sick and the world was in a sorry state.Īs seems to be the theme with most indie games of 2016 Hyper Light Drifter comes from the creators very real struggles.

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It becomes hard to escape (a dream) from something so beautifully intriguing, yet full of danger. I didn’t become lost in the sense of the game itself, but the game put me in a trance. Hyper Light Drifter is a psychedelic techno pop trip that can be easy to get lost in. Never has a game packed such a punch, all the while having no narrative, but what about games like Journey you ask, well this is not Journey.

It seemed as if I was in a lucid dream and could not wake, an eternally beautiful nightmare that pierces the heart. Hyper Light Drifter developed by Heart Machine, their debut title, is one of the more surreal game experiences I’ve had in a long time.

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