Hyper Light Drifter
Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action role-playing game developed by Heart Machine. The Microsoft Windows, Linux and OS X versions were released in March 2016, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions in July 2016. A Special Edition port of the game, featuring additional content, was released by Abylight Studios for the Nintendo Switch in September 2018 and for iOS devices in July 2019.
| Hyper Light Drifter | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Heart Machine Abylight Studios (Switch, iOS) |
| Publisher(s) | Heart Machine Abylight Studios (Switch, iOS) |
| Designer(s) | Alx Preston Beau Blyth Teddy Dief Casey Hunt |
| Programmer(s) | Beau Blyth Teddy Dief |
| Artist(s) | Alx Preston Sean Ward |
| Writer(s) | Casey Hunt |
| Composer(s) | Disasterpeace Akash Thakkar |
| Engine | GameMaker Studio |
| Platform(s) | Linux, Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
The game pays homage to 8-bit and 16-bit games, and is considered by its lead developer Alx Preston as a combination of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo. Preston originally launched Kickstarter funding for the title for approximately US$27,000 to develop the title for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux computers, but ended up with more than US$600,000, allowing him to hire more programmers and artists, and expanding the title for console and portable platforms through stretch goals. Though originally scoped for release in 2014, various improvements in the game and issues with Preston's health set the release back.
The game received generally positive reviews upon release. A successor, Hyper Light Breaker, is set to be released in 2024.