Hyper Light Drifter Review: A Modern SNES Zelda-Like Done Right

Hyper Light Drifter is one of those titles you see popping up about once or twice a year that may sneak by. This indie title did in fact slip by me, that is until recently. Developed by the small indie team known as Heart Studio and released in 2016, Hyper Light Drifter hit the scene and has slowly garnered positive after positive review. On the wiki it is labeled as a mix between The Legend of Zelda: A Link To The Past and Diablo. I would say the mark isn't far from accurate in the sense of making a beautiful 2D Action RPG set in a ruined world with lost technology and this strange seeping black ooze covering the ground poisoning the living world.

What caught me by surprise was the detail that went into the story. Which for the most part if you didn't take the time to analyze, might fail to see; a cryptic weaving of hieroglyphic and non-verbal bubble-text drawings. But, beneath that, is a story of a civilization that once stood majestically at the top and crumbled beneath its own technological genius. A lot of this story also didn't open up until I replayed it a second time, taking the time to explore every inch I could of this world crafted by lead developer Alex Preston. Who I discovered created a lot of this modeled after some of his own trial and tribulations facing Heart Disease at a young age. The thing is, the hero is sick. Dying of some disease beset on by the black ooze pooling up from deep inside the dying planet. A Hyper Light Drifter(one of the last, I might add), he is befriended by a more progressed and dying Drifter and a strange Anubis-style black dog that helps guide him along his journey. A journey that will take him down a path where a malignant evil awaits him.

Hyper Light Drifter also offers fluid combat defined by melee, hyper-dash and ranged that can be unlocked by yellow gearbits found throughout the world. This is a form of currency used back at the last remaining city where there are several different shops available to choose from. These upgrades range from performing new dash techniques, ranged weapon attacks, health upgrades, grenades called roly poly and standard melee attacks. Also, to help aid our dying drifter are green health kits that can be picked up along the way. These restore the green health bar to full upon use. One good thing about this, is there seems to be an abundant amount of both gearbits and health kits as long as you break open boxes or look for special paths.

The world is divided into four parts with the city destination set in the middle. To the East, North and West are the initial stages where you must defeat an end boss and gather neon pink(hot red) modules. These are used to unlock door barriers and face down the bosses. Along with that, all pillars in each of the areas must be raised to finally unlock the last part of the map and eventually travel down into the darkest part of this ruined civilization where the black ooze seems to be coming from.

But that is dipping too much into spoiler territory and needless to say, is quite interesting....

In the end, Hyper Light Drifter delivers on all fronts and has quickly became one of my favorite games to come out of the indie scene in the last five years and without a doubt is worth a pickup. As always, I have a full review below. Showing support for my small channel is always welcome! Hope you guys have a great day gaming!