Hyper Light Drifter
What’s old is new again
$19.99 Developer Heart Machine, heart-machine.com Requirements OS X 10.7 or later, 1.2GHz processor, 4GB RAM, 512MB graphics card There is almost no human communication in this top-down action and exploration game, but a few things are clear: drifters inhabit a desolate world; ancient libraries and desecrated temples stand empty while a creeping black sickness spreads through what remains. There’s evidence of more recent conflict: a race of lagomorphs driven from their city by barbarous frogmen.
Hyper Light Drifter’s ruined majesty, delicate pixel art, and haunting score deftly establish its fantasy and melancholy, but the game depends on a player’s sense of wonder and curiosity.
There are four regions, each with four glowing “modules” to activate and capped by a manageably difficult boss fight. The structure is complicated by the labyrinthine dungeon design – full of looping routes, secret rooms, and hidden glyphs. There’s little guidance and only a marginally useful map. The hands-off approach to exploration often flirts with aimless, impotent wandering. Another impediment: the merciless enemies that stalk the corridors and laboratories. Combat requires tight command of a finicky dash mechanic. Thankfully, an arsenal of light-swords, firearms, and grenades is at your disposal. Weaving in and out of enemy fire, and finishing with a flurry of slashes and a point-blank shotgun blast is thrilling enough to offset most lingering frustration.
the bottom line. Serene and mysterious, Hyper Light Drifter is content to drop players in a hostile world and cut them loose. For some, the thrill of exploration and combat will be enough to propel them through; for others, Hyper Light Drifter will seem needlessly obtuse and unnecessarily punitive.