More than just a sequel

Hyper Light Breaker It may share a similar name to its 2016 predecessor, and is even set in the same universe (despite being set 15 years earlier), but it's a very different game. Atmosphere Zelda-Likes Which blew fans away eight years ago. “it's called Crusher For some reason, no Hyperlite Drifter 2,” creative director Alex Preston told me at a hands-on preview when I asked him what was the number one thing he wanted people to know. “This is its own game… it's standing on its own two feet.”

Unlike the isolated, top-down pixel artwork that put Heart Machine on the map, Hyper Light Breaker he Online cooperative hack and slash game With loot-based runs and extraction mechanics. He thinks yoke automata meet Returningbut with its neon color palette and peppy Heart Machine soundtrack (which was also released Solar ash In 2021 ) became known as. After its original reveal in March 2022 and two subsequent delays, the game is now heading to Steam Early Access this summer and I was recently able to experience the ambitious playground for myself.

Hyper Light Breaker Holding hands

What is immediately clear is that, although it is not an actual sequel, Hyper Light Breaker It still exudes the serious beauty and inviting sense of place I loved Hyperlite Drifter. Composer Joel Korelitz's soundtrack immediately sinks its hook into my imagination, while saturated pinks, teals, and lime greens invite me to explore deeper into the procedurally generated open world. I wipe the floor with some slime, face off against masked bandits, and get kicked by a giant werewolf named Drew, one of several bosses players will defeat on their way to facing the King of the Abyss at the end of each new round.

The hand glider allowed me to cross gaps, while the hoverboard allowed me to glide between enemies to cover distances more quickly. Across later rounds, I experimented with heavy and light weapons, as well as secondary pistols and rifles. There are also dribbles, perfectly timed blocks, and a progression mechanic to overcome enemy defenses and attack them. On paper, it all makes sense, but I didn't find myself immediately enjoying the pacing or feel of the combat. Although serviceable enough, the instantaneous action didn't immediately grab me Hyper Light BreakerDo the wider world and presentation.

“I would say direct third-person combat is probably the hardest thing you can do while building a game,” Preston said. “When it comes to live interactions, there's a reason a lot of developers don't try to go with great depth or detail and rely more on shooting, because third-person melee requires a lot of really specific attention to detail and tricks to make it work and feel good like you're in control,” he said. The skill gap was your fault, versus the game's fault for not telling you the information you needed in a timely manner.

Whatever the right balance ultimately turns out to be, it's certainly something that can be fine-tuned in Early Access, which Heart Machine said could take a year or more. When the game initially arrives, it will have “more than just a prologue,” according to Preston, who compared the initial early access release to the giant Hades progress When it first reached players' hands. Multiple biomes are available to explore in the open world, along with different characters and buildings. However, most of the bosses and story elements will arrive later.

It's easy to imagine what Hyper Light Breaker It's haunted by all these interwoven systems, from a world that becomes more hostile the longer you explore it before returning to the community hub area with your hard-earned loot, to the fact that up to three players can fight side by side at once. Likes Danger of rain 2 And other fraudsters who rely on spoils, Hyper Light Breaker It has the potential to be a certain type of game that the player will love forever, always teasing something new to discover or a new way to play. Dead Cells came out in 2018 and has just stopped receiving updates that significantly update the game every time Last month.

Preston He said last year He does not believe the original Hyperlite Drifter It could have the same kind of success released today as it did in 2016. Does this mean Heart Machine will never be made Hyperlite Drifter 2 Fans like me were dreaming about it? “Maybe, I don't know,” he mentioned in a side note when describing how Crusher It is the special thing. Personally, I hope Crusher It ends up being so good that I stop thinking about it Lost 2 We may never get it.