Hyper Light Drifter on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information
Explore a beautiful, vast and ruined world riddled with dangers and lost technologies.
Hyper Light Drifter is a pixel graphics, great soundtrack and atmospheric game
developed and published by Heart Machine.
Released on March 31st 2016 is available on Windows, MacOS and Linux
in 6 languages: English, French, Italian, German, Spanish - Spain and Japanese.
It has received 17,513 reviews of which 16,313 were positive and 1,200 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. đ
The game is currently priced at 4.49⏠on Steam and has a 70% discount.
The Steam community has classified Hyper Light Drifter into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Hyper Light Drifter through various videos and screenshots.
System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- OS *: Windows 7 and above
- Processor: 1.2 ghz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 512 mb video memory
- DirectX: Version 10
- Storage: 2 GB available space
MacOS
- OS: Mac OSX 10.7 and above
- Processor: 1.2 ghz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 512 mb video memory
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Linux
- OS: Ubuntu 12.04/Steam OS
- Processor: 1.2 ghz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 512 mb video memory
- Storage: 2 GB available space
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Oh man, I had put off playing this game for years despite it being part of my Steam library for a long time. I expected to like the opening act and get frustrated by difficulty or strange choices by the designers. I was ready for disappointment, but it never came. Instead, I think Hyper Light Drifter may be the best recent game, that is meant to resemble a classic game, that I have ever played. Of course there's the art-style, but this game is drawing from so many classics with its almost complete absence of dialog and subtle story telling as well as that feeling of almost being completely unsure of where it is you are supposed to go and do. Then there's the difficulty and the very Zelda-like system of upgrades and power-ups. It attempts what so many other games have but really gets it right. Most of the gameplay is top down (ish) with the player hacking, slashing, shooting, and dashing their way across various well-worn video game settings - ice, dessert, swamp, and mountain. Of course, you collect the equivalent of gems that unlock your path toward a final confrontation, and there are many non-essential secrets and hidden collectibles to find for the eager explorer. Some light Metroidvania elements also come into play as you'll backtrack a bit once you collect enough doodahs to open those previously inaccessible areas. Simply put - I loved it. I wanted my sessions to last longer, and I couldn't wait to jump back in. It is one of those that I (already) wish I could play again for the first time without knowing anything. Exceptional experience and an easy 5 out of 5.
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I'm surprised the reviews aren't 'Overwhelmingly positive' because this game is beyond incredible. The more you play this game the better it gets, it takes some time to get used to everything and understand what's going on, but once you get used to it you'll get the hang of it. The combat, exploration, bosses, story, lore, everything in this game is just amazing and I hope we get a lot more games like this in the future.
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Great game, one thing isn't explicitly said that I think you should know playing it so its extra fun. Its technically a spoiler, but I really think that looking for it is cooler than discovering it has meaning. On the floor you can occasionally find squares with a quarter of it filled in. They are kind of hard to see and are hidden in the environment, but if you find one they indicate a secret. This either means that there is a hole in the wall you can walk through to find a secret, that you can hold E to reveal an invisible walkway you can use, that a secret is in that direction, or that there is a pillar you can shoot with your gun in that direction to reveal a secret passageway. I figured this out on my own after beating the first boss, and decided to delete my save and try again from the beginning since I only spent an hour on my save. Knowing this, I was able to find basically every collectible in each area after backtracking only once, which I think is best since backtracking a 2nd time would make it tedious and boring. Its not necessary to know to have fun, I personally think it adds to the experience.
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Hyper Light Drifter PROS CONS Quick and responsive combat I Could never get ahold of the dashing The ambiguousness of the story works You have to commit to environmental storytelling to get the most of the story Enemy variety and bosses Only a few upgrades felt essential Combat is intentional I feel as though not all deaths were âMy Faultâ Bugs and Issues Specs [*]Crashed once on steam deck. But checkpointing is so frequent that it didnât hinder progress [*] PLAYED ON STEAM DECK [*]AMD Ryzen 9 3900X [*]ASUS TUF RTX 4070Ti [*]32 GB 3600MHz RAM [*]2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD [*]1440p Settings Content and Replay Value Hyper Light Drifter is a tight and creatively unique game. The game allows you to choose how you would like to play out your adventure after the tutorial controls and doesnât tell you much else. Outside of the main objects to collect to press the main story along, there are other collectibles to find if you pay attention to your environment. These collectibles offer access to equipment upgrade and lore in the form of puzzle deciphering. After the adventure is complete, the game offers tougher difficulties and a boss rush. None of which I felt like I needed. Should you get it? Hyper Light Drifter now has already established itself as an indie darling. This is because of its tight gameplay, self-interpretive story, and itsâ lean into taking inspiration from The Legend of Zelda formula. For these reasons I believe this game is worth a look. Not only for its reputation but homage to classic adventure games Overall Verdict 8/10. Hyper Light Drifter does a lot right. It takes you back to the old days of adventure games where you must decide how you want to go about completing the story. My knock against it is trying to extract and analyze what that story is. Personal problem, yes. The game is long enough that once you head into a new zone you ingrain yourself within that new area and are then taking in its story. If you take notes then you might be able to tell the story of each distinct zone. Even if you are, you must then put it together and understand how it fits with our protagonist. All I got was that he seemed to be terminally ill and maybe hoping to seek a cure at the end of his journey. But I know thereâs more than that. Outside of narrative hang-ups, combat is fast, responsive, and intentional. There were times I felt as though I got cheated at certain deaths, but I chalked that up to a consecutive dash system I feel as though I was never utilizing correctly. When death befell me (and it will for you too) I was treated to some odd checkpointing that would pull me back further than expected. Hyper Light Drifter is a good game that outshines what I believe to be its hangups. As long as youâre willing to fully engross yourself within its world and environmental storytelling, you are rewarded with a tragic story about a worldâs greed and a heroes journey with death. Clocking in at ~17hrs (with help from a guide), this game respected my busy schedule, acted as a solid palette cleanser, and provided me with an enjoyable time. Setting & Writing: This is where I can go dreadfully wrong so bear with me here. Hyper Light Drifter follows the title character as he adventures to defeat a monster that has caused him to go through a slow death. Throughout the game you follow shortly behind another drifter and what seems to be visions of a dog. From what I gathered they seem to be hinting at an Anubis like figure. This would explain the moments when you often see the dog during small cutscenes where the drifter coughs up blood. To confront the monster, you must go to four distinct biomes and collect what looks to be concentrated forms of Hyperlight. Once gathered you are subjected to a boss fight and upon completion turn on a beacon which unlocks a seal where your final confrontation awaits. I believe this to be the main crux of the story. Iâd be remiss if I didnât mention the environmental storytelling that each zone tells. If you pay enough attention, you may be able to tell what befell this world prior to the Drifters story. From what I was able to tell there are five races of character. A cloister of birds to the snowy north. Snakes in the arid south. Otters to the ocean east. Raccoons(?) within the forest to the west. Lastly human looking blue people riddled throughout. Each contributing to the world in some way. Possibly having something to do with the corpses of giants laying about in each zone. Theres a story here and the pieces are there. What helps are the collectible stone monuments that you can optionally collect. Once deciphered they tell the history of each zone. What that is, I never deciphered. This thought-out world building definitely rewards those who take the time to understand the world lore. Gameplay system & Bosses: Hyper Light Drifter shines in this aspect of the game. Combat is intentional. You must go into each area, each combat room, and each boss encounters committing to your button presses. If not, you get hit. Hit enough times you die. There is no way to upgrade your HP, but you can get more potions if that makes you feel better. The drifter is outfitted with a sword and gun. Each tool should be utilized to its max potential to get the most out of combat. Dashing is also a huge staple within combat. I found this the hardest to master because itâs truly a skilled timing mechanic. Time your dashes correctly and you have near infinite dashes if your stamina meter isnât empty, and you donât fall off a ledge or crash into a wall. Enemies come in a variety of forms. This ranges from typical OHKO enemies to enemies that will require you to observe their attack patterns so that you may exploit their opening. Boss fights are challenging but far from impossible. It strikes a happy medium just being tough, but not âthrow your controller at the screen toughâ. Every time you die to a boss you are checkpointed outside of its arena to hurry in there and try again. Quest, Mini-games & Challenges: Throughout the journey you will run into various skill base challenges. Most of them revolve around the use of the dash mechanic. This dash mechanic is timing base. Getting quicker until your button presses fall into a trance like state. Most of the time I could achieve this trance like dashing when I wasnât thinking about it. When it mattered for these high skill challenge areas, I found myself getting frustrated that it took me as long as it did to complete the areas. I admit that this is possibly more of a personal skill problem but was still a hangup that hindered my enjoyment. Outside of these challenges, most of the secondary content is in observing the environment to find hidden paths that lead you to the various collectibles. Gearbits to upgrade your gear, keys to unlock special doors, and monuments that the player can decipher to learn the lore of the world. Other minigames include a boss rush mode once you beat the game and enemy arena challenges. Miscellaneous (art, music, etc.): Although this game leans heavy into the pixel art presentation, it looks crisp and the small cutscenes make me want more. The color scheme is vibrant and pleasing to the eye. This may have to do with how different each zone is. Your eyes arenât looking at the same thing before you move on to something else visually. The music takes a somber approach most of the time.
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I would absolutely recommend Hyper light drifter. It's worth the price for the great experience it provides. Its visuals are stunning and it has an ineffably immense ambience and music, which makes the experience very comforting and tranquil. Though I would be lying if I said there are no moments filled with hecticness. I love games with pixel graphics, and this game has some of the best pixel artwork I have ever witnessed. I really enjoyed exploring its world; the combat is super engaging, and I loved the boss fights. I admire the way the game tells its story and how it presents itself overall. It's cryptic, devoid of any spoon-feeding, with no textual dialogue but it's presented beautifully with stunning artistry throughout the game. It may not be for everyone, but I absolutely admire it. Games like these are the reason why I will always favour indie games over AAA titles.
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The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 29 March 2025 15:08 |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 25 March 2025 01:19 |
| Steam price | 02 April 2025 04:42 |
| Steam reviews | 01 April 2025 13:56 |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Hyper Light Drifter, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Hyper Light Drifter
- SteamCharts - Analysis of Hyper Light Drifter concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Hyper Light Drifter compatibility
Online players
143
Developer
Heart Machine
Publisher
Heart Machine
Release
31 Mar 2016
Platforms