A few weeks ago, my friend recommended to me called Hyper Light Drifter and after I saw it went on sale I decided to buy it. It’s very different than most of the other games that I’ve played. The second I started playing it I fell in love. With the game as a whole.
Something I loved right off the bat was the art style, the entire game is pixelated. The whole game gives off a futuristic feel with the design of the world and how everything looks, but it’s presented in an older pixilated format. The way that the designers have fused these two ideas makes the game look phenomenal. Pictures of worn futuristic technology, overgrown areas, hidden bunkers, and scenic overviews. The game at times creates levels around the area to show the art of world for the players. Cliff sides and high peaks show large structures in the background, showing off some of their art.
The game introduces story in a totally different way than most games. Instead of dialogue between you and another character, the game shows pictures of what the character would be talking about. This creates a whole new feel for the game and how to ingest it opposed to any other kind of interactive story allowing you to really get an actual view of the games world. It leaves the story open ended for interpretation, leading you to figure out what’s happening in the story until you can finally piece it together in the end.
Another thing I loved was the sound of it all. The game had an amazing soundtrack that played on the whole futuristic theme. It reminded me of a soundtrack from an the older games that had soundtracks made from synthesizers. It really adds to the futuristic theme of the game, as well as playing on the old school game aesthetic. If you want to look it up you can find it online on youtube, or even buy it off steam.
The gameplay is fast paced and difficult. It’s set up from a top down view that lets you see all of the map at once, sometimes locking into place. You have little health and few health packs, and a lot of enemies. The game is full of fast enemies and tough bosses that sets the gameplay to a more intense difficulty. Finding the route you need to take to get to where you want to go can be a challenge because of the way the map is set up. The game is full of twists and turns that create a maze full of secrets for you to explore. It expands the game so much more by making you revisit areas and reface challenges again from a new angle.
If you like to play video games and like a challenge then I really recommend it. Even if you don’t like video games, I really recommend it for the art and the amazing soundtrack and artwork in the game. It really pulls you in, and it’s apparent that the people who made this game put a lot of time into it. If you have the time and you like a challenge or a game to relax I really recommend the game for anyone who might seem interested!
