Hyper Light Drifter

 PC
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 47 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 47
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 47
  3. Negative: 0 out of 47
  1. Game World Navigator Magazine
    May 18, 2016
    70
    Developers compare HDL to Legend of Zelda, but their biggest similarity is that the world is split between surface and dungeon “halves”. In HDL, you don’t explore dungeons, you clean them out: enter a room, kill everyone, proceed to the next. [Issue#209, p.72]
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  2. Arcade Sushi
    Apr 5, 2016
    70
    Ultimately Hyper Light Drifter is a great adventure game that begs to presented in a better way. A more clearly defined story and more intuitive exploration would make this game the adventure that it wants to be, but without those things Hyper Light Drifter falls flat.
  3. games(TM)
    May 29, 2016
    60
    Gorgeous, but more frustrating than fun. [Issue#174, p.77]
  5. PLAY! Zine
    May 5, 2016
    60
    If you can get past its very obvious downsides and need to play a challenging, even a bit frustrating game, there's no dilemma that Hyper Light Drifter is for you. Yet, we remain sad that we didn't get to play the fantastic game which this one could have been had it spent more time in development. Maybe in the sequel.
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  1. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Apr 1, 2016
    I’m so furious. I’ve ranted about boss fights SO many times, and argh, it’s happened again. A game I was absolutely adoring is now a game I can’t play at all, because of a wildly difficult boss fight.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Apr 19, 2016
    There is an ominous inevitability, a sense of impending tragedy, about our hero’s lonely trek and stubborn refusal to go gentle into that good night that makes Hyper Light Drifter a rare experience and the battles of its otherwise inscrutable protagonist our own.
  3. USgamer
    Apr 7, 2016
    Hyper Light Drifter is very much worth the time, effort, and aggravation it costs you (and inflicts upon you). Its blistering speed takes some getting used to if your experience with action RPGs leans towards the likes of Zelda and Secret of Mana, but once you warm up to the icy slickness of Hyper Light Drifter, it quickly commits itself to your muscle memory. Within a few hours, you wonder how those punk werewolf enemies ever gave you such a hard time, especially since their attack cues are so slow and obvious.
  5. Wired
    Apr 7, 2016
    If you can master the foreign language of its combat, you’ll find Hyper Light Drifter screaming with life and unfamiliar menace, waiting for you to awaken its technological giants.

Awards & Rankings

34
#34 Best PC Game of 2016
51
#51 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016
16
#16 Most Shared PC Game of 2016

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 403 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 315 out of 403
  2. Mixed: 54 out of 403
  3. Negative: 34 out of 403
  1. Ophenix
    Apr 1, 2016
    1
    I was an early backer and very excited for this but I'm not happy with the end result.
    The game is stunning and the soundtrack is also really    I was an early backer and very excited for this but I'm not happy with the end result.
    The game is stunning and the soundtrack is also really good. Overall design and aesthetics are stellar, like, Bastion level of art and design.
    But the difficulty is made of **** You have health packs that don't really heal you since they lock you in place for around 2 seconds (which is forever in an action game) and every hit knocks you down, like a rubber doll, while not giving you invulnerability. So one hit can mean you get hit by 2-3 more projectiles that you would have otherwise evaded. This makes the bosses with their obvious adds a nightmare.
    Basically, come in expecting a challenge and a buttload of repetition or don't bother. The game is beautiful and mesmerizing, but what good is that if you can't get past the middle :|    … Full Review »
  2. senzog
    Mar 31, 2016
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Hyper Review Firster.

    Worth every cent and then some. Soundtrack by the guy who did Fez's. Art from your pastel-filtered techno-nightmares. Animation smoother than energybutter.    … Full Review »
  3. theponcho
    Apr 5, 2016
    10
    It is difficult but it's not frustrating at all, at least for me. Yeah, you might die a lot, but it has no cost at all, you re-spawn with allIt is difficult but it's not frustrating at all, at least for me. Yeah, you might die a lot, but it has no cost at all, you re-spawn with all you had, close by, to try again. Kind of like Hotline Miami, just not that fast, and easier. I found myself hoping some final bosses were harder, since you can make a lot of mistakes and yet kill them.

    What people doesn't seem to understand is you can postpone the bosses for later in the game, when you have all the upgrades. There is no need at all to fight the bosses early in the game, when you are weak.

    All and all, nearly perfect game, tight controls, awesome art and music. Totally recommended.    … Full Review »
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