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Is Hyper Light Drifter worth it?

F

Fulminator

Member
Hyper Light Drifter is a game that I've been following for a while, and I know Steam is selling it on sale right now, but I'm wondering if it's worth it to buy? I never really heard any impressions of the game other than that it looks cool af visually.

What do you say about the game GAF?
 
Worth it for the aesthetic and mood alone, made better for its gameplay (which can, for better or worse, be pretty punishing).
 
It can be a little bit tricky at times, but the game's not super-hard as long as you're observant. The action is fast and while the story itself lands somewhere between sparse and obtuse, the presentation of the game overall is aces.

If you want to try it, get it. Unless you've seen a trailer and just don't think it would interest you at all, it's worth playing.
 
Its nothing but ps+ tier indie trash. You're better off buying a random AAA with a metascore in the 60's with that money. Even knack or the order would be a better buy.

I bought it on steam yesterday, looks awesome and I cant wait to try it.
 
Do you want to play a self contained game that doesn't tell you anything directly but rewards you for exploration and mastery of its mechanics? Do you love Metroidvanias? Buy this game.

Do you prefer story-heavy games or have an aversion to games that are more difficult or that present initially obtuse puzzles? Do you hate Metroidvanias? Pass on this game.
 
yes yes absolutely yes. there's plenty of substance beyond the fantastic style. Flow of combat is superb, especially as you upgrade/expand your abilities . It teaches you well, sometimes harshly, but proper execution os oh so rewarding
 
Loved it!! Was my most anticipated game this year and I definitely didn't feel disappointed when I played it. I haven't even played it on 60 FPS yet
 
I thought it was beautiful but I found it really frustrating and reluctantly had to give it up. Getting stuck with a bad checkpoint really screws you. Really should start you with full health after a death at a the last checkpoint. Create a "not git gud" mode for people like me or something. Shooting was really hard to do right.

GHG said:
Its nothing but ps+ tier indie trash. You're better off buying a random AAA with a metascore in the 60's with that money. Even knack or the order would be a better buy.
Click to expand...

I avoid PS+ discussions because this debate is 90% of those threads. You really don't need to spread this stuff to other threads.
 
This is something that's been on my radar. On one hand I'd love to buy it, but on the other I'm trying to cut down on my spending on videogames after buying hundreds of dollars worth this year. I do have $25 in PlayStation credit after refunding some DLC but I think I'll just wait for the game to go on sale and put that towards my next major purchase instead.
 
I actually just completed the game today. It's pretty good. The combat is excellent, and the main mechanic--the dash--feels really good to execute. Exploration is good too, I liked how the game gives you almost zero direction so you have to figure out everything for yourself. The game can be pretty difficult at points too. Not super hard but challenging enough that I died every once in a while and almost every boss took me multiple attempts. Despite all that I didn't love it as much as I thought I would (still liked it overall), though I'm not quite sure why yet. Music didn't do much for me, so that might be it. The ending was also a bit underwhelming and vague, but that's a minor complaint.

Apparently people compare it to Zelda and Metroid but I didn't feel it was anything like either.
 
This game was a lot tougher than I thought it would be. Once you have become familiar with the control of the character it becomes a bit of a character action game.

Can't go without saying its absolutely beautiful pixel-art and music is worth seeing for the price alone.
 
I enjoyed it until I got to the west area. Couldn't figure out how to progress and quit. Map system didn't help me whatsoever, too. I liked the combat, wasn't as "unresponsive" as people make it out to be, felt deliberate.
 
I wasn't sure about it for awhile. Finally got it on sale a couple months ago.

It was really difficult at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's one of the most challenging, rewarding, fun games of the last several years, indie or not. As far as indie games go, it's up there with Shovel Knight for very tight sprite-based gameplay. Very interesting world to explore too, from secrets to beautiful art.
 
I think it's worth it at its sale price. There were some things about it I wasn't feeling, but I had an overall fun time.
 
It doesn't really have any semblance of a story and no one seems to actually talk and there isn't even text,so I gave up on it pretty quickly.

It looks pretty cool if you like sort of an older Zelda look with a sci-fi twist. Gameplay is ok.
 
It had a real rocky launch, but the patch fixed pretty much every complaint I had. It's worth buying now, yes.

ZOONAMI said:
It doesn't really have any semblance of a story and no one seems to actually talk and there isn't even text,so I gave up on it pretty quickly.

It looks pretty cool if you like sort of an older Zelda look with a sci-fi twist. Gameplay is ok.
Click to expand...


...There is absolutely a story.
 
The 60 fps version that exists now is, absolutely. The original release locked at 30 and with some balance problems was a bit disappointing for me, but they patched the hell out of it.

predalien27 said:
Isn't it on sale on PSN right now? If so, is it cross buy?
Click to expand...

It won't be released on vita, unfortunately. That port was canceled months ago.
 
I liked it, although I wish I had waited for 60 fps. The beginning of the game was also significantly harder than the rest, which I thought was interesting.

(But it does depend on what route you choose to take.)
 
This thread reminded me I've been meaning to play this, and I've now bought it.

Really excited to read the impressions so far.
 
Seemed like a lot of the 'tough' combat encounters were just spamming enemies at you, although the boss fights were fun. Also, pixel hunting for secret paths through trees isn't my idea of a good time. The game seems to want to trade on scratching a Zelda itch, and it just didn't do it for me. That being said, there are plenty of enjoyable aspects to it, and it certainly looks nice.
 
If you're just looking for a 2D action game, I'd recommend CrossCode over it. Gameplay feels a bit more fun than HLD to me.

But of course you should get HLD after anyway.
 
I'm waiting to play more on ps4 until after the 60fps patch

Combat seems great and I love the art style but it's pretty fucking obtuse
 
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