FIRST IMPRESSIONS.
This game according to me is the best example to prove that graphics do not matter for games”. As even with 16 bit graphics a game can be simply awesome. Here is the Hyper Light Drifter Review.
This game looks absolutely stunning and beautiful with its 16 – 8 bit graphics, even adding more to its beauty is the use of neon style color pallets. To be honest my favorite action RPG was The Witcher 3 till the point when I started playing Hyper Light Drifter. Now this is on the top of my action RPG games list, because this game is really awesome and at the same time really punishing too. Sometimes I felt that Hyper Light Drifter even surpasses Dark Souls II in case of difficulty. But, to cope with that difficulty the game is somewhat equally rewarding too.
This game I felt that the perfect blend between a game like Legend of Zelda and Dark Souls. Just like the games of the old era, Hyper Light Drifter conveys its story and talks to the player with the game music only without and dialogues, which is pretty cool.
The developers have definitely captured the essence of the old games and improved it by a thousand times with the help of advanced game engine and improved mechanics.
THE GAMEPLAY.
You play as the drifter a warrior with a red cloak troubled by some kind of sickness, along with him you have a little companion too. He wields a pretty cool sword, which is made of light (a light saber).
You roam around in a pretty big post-apocalyptic open world filled with broken statues, mystical creatures, temples, robots along with some kind of wolfs and crows. The intro sequence shows only glimpses of the apocalypse that is a city in the distance being engulfed in light. The post-apocalyptic world is not dead, there are people (or in this case something) still living, some are good and some are not so good (I mean they will kill you the moment they see you). And you keep on exploring the world. When you are exploring and you go to a new location a black dog like creature shows up and then you meet another drifter. And you occasionally cough up blood to where the screen gets glitch.
The game never tells you to do anything, about the location, or the drifter or where you have to go next, you just have to use your own intuition to make the next move. This might make you feel aimless at times and also there are some ‘ what the hell am I doing?’ moments, but trust me, it all goes away once you get the hang of it.
The game is the perfect mixture of exploration followed by fast paced action and make no mistake as the game is absolutely punishing. I got very frustrated at times of impossible seeming difficult fights and wanted to give up but, as I kept on trying a pattern starts showing up which makes you follow a particular path while fighting enemies. But, every time you face a bunch of enemies don’t follow the same strategy you followed in the last fight as it won’t work the 2nd time. You have to come up with a new strategy, which made the game pretty interesting for me. What kept me going even after the strenuous battles was the sense of satisfaction and the rewards.
You’ll sometimes accidentally go into areas that seem insanely difficult, then you make a mental note to return to this area when you have upgraded your skills. This random, non-linear structure is sometimes confusing, but gives you a satisfying amount of freedom.
The game is all about combat and strategy you follow to win in those combats. You will get into battles with a lot of enemies of different types in closed arenas where you have to give a lot of damage but can’t take much. These are the areas where timing with your sword along with dash and accuracy with your gun matter the most. You can also use bombs to deal a greater area of damage. As you play on you will know which enemies will atta
ck first and which will follow you, and also when to use your limited health refills.
Dungeons have more intriguing battles, as you don’t know how the surroundings will change and you have to change your tactics accordingly again.
This is a game where endurance to persistent failure is the only way to get good at the game. A lot of people won’t have the patience to get through some punishing battles—particularly the horrendously difficult boss fights. Regular enemies are tough, group of enemies are tougher, but when you’re fighting the boss, unleashing strong attacks along with groups of enemies, that’s when it becomes the real test of your endurance. At last how you respond to these challenges depends on your mindset. If you are a casual gamer who plays a game just for fun and not for the excitement then this game is not for you, and will give up within a few hours. But if you’re the type of gamer who has the patience to try things over and over again until you master them, Hyper Light Drifter is definitely the for you.
This game has a lot of secret paths and locations too, I should not spoil them by elaborating on it any longer.
THE VERDICT.
This game is to be fallen in addiction with. The elegant animation and music are stunning combined with beautiful effects and advanced game mechanics, the game is a pure joy to play. If you are up for the challenge then this game is worth the buy.
Link to the official site: http://www.heart-machine.com/