From March 18th to 22nd, the city of San Francisco will host GDC, the Game Developers Conference. On the sidelines of this event is Developer Day, where a handful of studios come together to share (good) news about their upcoming creations. Even though we didn’t make the trip, Heart Machine Studio still took the time to give us a sample of Hyper Light Breaker. Eight years after Hyper Light Drifter, the studio has evolved its formula and, although different, it has surprised us greatly. After Palworld and Enshrouded, do we have the next Master of Early Access ready? We’re telling you, it looks crazy!
The return of a universe like no other that has left its mark on players
Hyperlightbreaker. It’s very likely that this name evokes something very powerful for you, especially if you were interested in the independent video game scene in the early 2010s. Back in September 2013 to be precise, the members of Heart Machine Studio launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their first title, Hyper Light Drifter ! The game was released two and a half years later, on March 31, 2016, and enjoyed real critical success (94% positive reviews on Steam, a Metacritic score of 84). A heavy atmosphere, great immersion qualities, a lively, edgy and demanding gameplay and a lush pixel art aesthetic: in short, everything to conquer the hearts of gamers of the time. Today times have changed somewhat and the vision of Heart Machine Studio has grown and refined.
This development was particularly observed in the creation of Sun ashreleased on December 2, 2021. In addition, this new project represents an important step in the studio’s quest for further development. A step that is all the more difficult to take due to the pandemic, as in the final creative phases of Sun asha smaller team was already laying the foundation… for Hyperlightbreaker, while the health context juggles. Like the players, Heart Machine’s developers haven’t forgotten Hyperlight Drifter, and on the occasion of his sixth birthday, March 31, 2022, the surprise was revealed. And actually, it was (very) amazing! 3D exploration, a solo but also multiplayer experience, procedural generation, rogue-lite… Although the players were caught off guard, the enthusiasm was palpable and today they are approaching a new milestone. On the occasion of the event Developer Dayon the sidelines of the GDC (Game Developers Conference) in San Francisco, Hyperlightbreaker was addressed for a few minutes in order to understand the challenges of the title, its characteristics and, above all, to recognize its potential before the start of Early Access on Steam, planned for this summer.
Hyper Light breaks its own codes with Breaker
Even if there are now only eight years between them Hyperlight Drifter and its sequel – or rather its predecessor, we’ll come back to that – we are ultimately light years away from that first experience. Here Heart Machine has decided to offer an adventure that can be played alone, but also (and perhaps especially) with three people accompanied by two other players.. The other notable difference is that the studio seems to want to offer the most immersive experience possible, and what better way to achieve that than by taking advantage of Early Access? Lately it is a technique used for a number of titles such as: B. was a rescue Wrapped up or Palworld. After several layers The implementation of Early Access is getting closer and closer and, according to the developers, should be spread out over (at least) a whole year before appropriate marketing is considered.
In the preview: Alx Preston (studio founder and creative director of Hyperlightbreaker), along with two other executives (Chris Bullock, Lead Animator; Brad Crespo, PR Manager), offered us our ticket to overgrowtha world in distress that portends the doom we are witnessing Hyperlight Drifter because here we are transported fifteen years before the events of the 2016 game. After a few explanations, just to allow us to do it at the same time Tour the central hub (Cursed Outpost) that we can develop and where we can Prepare your missions, Buy and upgrade equipment, meet new characters As our exploits progress, we set off on our first run, which is tantamount to discovering the world of Hyperlightbreaker and third-person gameplay.
Just before entering one of the biomes that was pre-engineered for the occasion and not procedurally generated and embellished with handcrafted elements as promised breakerIn this demo we were asked to choose one of the three builds for the only available Breaker, in this case Vermillion. What varies each time is the character’s melee weapon, firearm, ultimate attacks and abilities, and the character’s assets and liabilities. That alone makes us understand Hyperlightbreaker wants to multiply the approaches in terms of gameplay while preventing the player from falling into a certain fatigue. Ultimately, it’s the gameplay a more advanced version of it Prowlersince we find certain characteristic elements such as the sprint, which allows you to dodge, or the parry, which this time is an independent ability that reduces the damage taken and even grants you a bonus if executed according to a perfect timing Coordination. The combat system Hyperlightbreaker is the perfect illustration of a gameplay that is easy to understand, yet complex, perfect to master and stunning thanks to its visual effects.
An early version that has great potential, especially in collaboration!
I have to admit that half an hour is rather short and it seems quite difficult to judge the more or less promising aspect of a title. Nevertheless, there are reactions that are unmistakable, and above all it is the will to persevere and continue the runs that made me realize this Hyperlightbreaker had potential. Obviously there is this aspect Rogue Lite et die and try again which of course sets off a loop of self-improvement – yes, the elite monsters that had to be defeated were making my life difficult and the boss (one of the Abyss King’s servants, called Crowns) didn’t give me a chance, but I She wanted to use my revenge (again and again) – proof that the developers of Heart Machine know what they’re doing and do it well! But more than that, the sensations – especially in the context of a pre-alpha demonstration – made me want to believe in the proposal Hyperlightbreaker.
Although she is a bit far removed from Drifter, her eldest, who I found exceptional in many ways, I have to say she managed to have my mouth watering in no time. Better yet, it made me want to believe in this project and follow it closely during its early access phase. The most surprising thing is that I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a multiplayer game Hyperlightbreaker. Even though I swear by single-player experiences most of the time, these few minutes I spent with the demo have changed my vision somewhat and I’m already thinking about which colleagues I could try to convince (or bribe) when it’s time to start exploring Early Access, during our lunch break or in our free time.
Obviously I haven’t seen everything yet Hyperlightbreaker, and perhaps my general impression will change after playing for several hours in Early Access, or fatigue will rear its ugly head. However, this choice will in turn allow the teams to collect feedback from the community and further develop the title in the right direction. Still, after my session, I was pleased to rediscover the atmosphere of Hyper Light Drifter and feel the promise of the combat system – The close combat sequences have their effect, the dynamics between direct and distance attacks are quite convincing even for a pre-alpha version -, by exploring travel options (Dash, Wall Running, Hoverboard), whose fluidity you can already feel, and by testing the Rogue Lite system, which is as simple as it is effective, in which we acquire and impose additional liabilities on ourselves or our equipment through plunder. Now we have to be patient Early access is set to begin this summer, with no further details. Likewise, console gamers are waiting for good news as nothing has been decided or announced about the release at the moment. Anyway, we’re (really) looking forward to spending more time there.
