Hyper Light Breaker Early Access Review

If you’re familiar with the independent gaming scene, you might have run across a small game titled Hyper Light Drifter – a remarkable top-down role-playing game that stands out as one of the best ever created in its genre.

It could be surprising for many to learn that another Hyper Light game is being developed, but this time, rather than continuing the previous series, it takes a new turn by transforming into a 3D action roguelike game.

It seems rather expected for independent developers to transition to a 3D sequel, but Hyper Light Breaker appears to be an exception, a radical shift away from almost all elements established by the original game, Drifter.

This game resembles a unique blend of Risk of Rain 2, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Dark Souls. Despite the diverse nature of these titles, they somehow manage to complement each other effectively.

This game appears incredibly challenging and potentially groundbreaking, either hiding a vast reservoir of possibility or steering clear due to valid concerns.

In this early-access review of Hyper Light Breaker on PC, we will evaluate the game’s strengths at its current developmental stage, determining if it is a good buy or if its flaws make it unsuitable to recommend.

Breath of Fresh Air

In essence, the primary playstyle of Hyper Light Breaker involves being plunged into an unpredictable, expansive landscape that’s been generated at random. Your mission is to traverse this world, search for weapons, defensive gear, and enhancements along the way.

Progress is made by locating indicators on the map, where resources and smaller objects are protected by a handful of adversaries. However, the main advancement is hindered by mini-bosses.

Engaging these adversaries is exhilarating since you have the freedom to perform your regular combos or opt for a powerful special move or weapon instead. These latter options may be sluggish, but they can deal an astonishing amount of damage.

In combat situations, it’s about strategically moving around, making smart decisions based on the situation, and maximizing gains before retreating – a thrilling experience, I must say!

As a dedicated gamer, I can’t help but admit that Elden Ring is an exceptional experience. However, there are some minor irritations that I simply can’t ignore. For instance, when I hit the pause button, the game doesn’t actually stop. It continues to run, even in single-player mode. Now, I don’t mind Elden Ring doing this, but it’s just plain awful! I wish there was a way to truly pause and take a breather without worrying about my character getting mobbed by enemies while I’m gone.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that deflecting attacks is quite restrictive, which isn’t necessarily problematic on its own. However, since many enemy attack indicators become irrelevant when you’re overwhelmed by multiple enemies, particularly during boss battles, this can make it challenging to respond effectively.

It seems the bosses are lively and captivating, akin to Soulslike battles, yet I find myself so occupied with taking down the continuously respawning minor enemies that I can’t fully immerse myself, which is quite aggravating.

From my gaming perspective, I find it’s way more thrilling to delve into new territories, battle opponents, and cling to survival by a thread, rather than just completing a playthrough. If the challenge were better balanced and less overwhelming, this game could be absolutely extraordinary.

To New Horizons

In Hyper Light Breaker, the game’s development of levels is nothing short of brilliant, making it one of the most captivating and re-experienceable titles I’ve encountered in the roguelike genre so far.

Instead of becoming monotonous after several plays as many roguelikes do, by making your character overpowered and ruining the enjoyment, Hyper Light Breaker manages to keep each playthrough exciting, difficult, and satisfying.

In each attempt, you have just four chances. Once these are used up, the game map restarts. However, any permanent advancements you’ve made, such as accumulated currency, acquired weapons, and upgraded abilities, will be kept.

Each enhancement and weapon eventually loses durability, yet the currency you earn allows you to purchase new stores, characters, enhancements, and weapons. However, accumulating this currency is necessary in order to progress to a different world.

Instead of growing monotonous after several rounds due to overpowering upgrades that make the game less enjoyable, Hyper Light Breaker maintains its excitement level by keeping each playthrough unique, difficult yet engaging, and consistently rewarding.

In some roguelike games, there are enduring stat upgrades and a skill system that I dislike when considering progression, yet they are insignificant enough and simple to advance that I can tolerate them.

As an enthusiast, I’m constantly drawn to discovering fresh stores, eagerly anticipating the unique items they might offer. However, I need to gather the virtual currency by scouring the world for momentary enhancements. Once these upgrades wear off, it’s back to the hunt again.

In multiplayer mode, every player has an equal opportunity to make a significant contribution, regardless of prior experience or power level, ensuring that it’s enjoyable for all, especially those just starting the game for the first time.

In essence, you are granted an advantage with a greater variety of choices right from the beginning of your journey, along with a slightly smoother experience throughout, and I believe that’s fantastic.

Ancient Scrolls

In Hyper Light Breaker, the narrative is exceptional as it doesn’t require reading at all. Instead, they creatively convey the story using visual elements and gameplay mechanics, which is a method I find incredibly appealing.

Almost all information provided suggests that the Abyss King is assuming control, and this is evident in the appearance of bosses who seem worn out from battle and corrupted, their appearances tainted by their decay.

As the situation grows increasingly unsteady, the impact of events intensifies, and while I genuinely enjoy delving into tales of old, this subtle narrative weaving is simply exceptional.

Although the game is still ongoing, I must admit that it doesn’t quite reach perfection in its storytelling, yet. However, I am thoroughly enjoying where it seems to be going. Essentially, we’re on the edge of our seats, waiting for more.

Energetic Luminosity

Hyper Light Breaker adopts an aesthetic reminiscent of Breath of the Wild, but takes it up a notch with stunning visuals, exceptional lighting, and captivating dash effects.

As tranquility gives way to turmoil, both the scenery and the music gradually transform, echoing the growing dominance of the Abyss King over the realm.

As I immerse myself in this stunning game world, the tale it weaves without uttering a single word leaves me awestruck. However, the breathtaking visuals come with a hefty price tag on my gaming system.

In the past, I found the performance to be a significant issue, plummeting dramatically and overall leaving much to be desired across various devices. However, during the period in which I was writing this review, there seemed to have been some improvements made.

At present, it operates between 30-40 frames per second (FPS) on a Steam Deck, but generally maintains a steady 60 FPS on my powerful PC, with some occasional drops in frame rate, particularly when transitioning into the game world.

This game rarely drops below playable levels and typically exceeds 40 frames per second (FPS). However, if your system’s hardware specifications are not as robust as that of the Steam Deck, it may be challenging for the game to run smoothly without further updates or fixes.

Feel The Voices

As a gaming enthusiast, I can’t foresee the game soundtracks altering any time soon. Whether this is a good thing depends on personal preferences. Personally, I find the music suits the game perfectly well.

The atmosphere is often rich, blending pleasant or turbulent combinations of piano and synthesizers effectively to convey the feel, although it lacks catchy or instantly recognizable melodies.

I find it quite pleasant if the music changes to catchier, melodic tunes during boss battles or combat scenes in general. However, it often leans heavily towards minor key synths and maintains that mood.

As a gamer, I appreciate the dynamic backgrounds that adapt to different situations, they really set the mood. However, these tunes aren’t catchy enough to sing along to every time I start the game.

Regarding overall sound design, this game excels significantly, delivering satisfyingly robust and substantial sounds for every impact that effectively emphasizes the unique design of each weapon, particularly the heavier ones.

As a gamer, each action I take feels incredibly rewarding, and I believe a significant part of that satisfaction comes from the game’s sound effects. It’s only fair to acknowledge that they’ve truly nailed it with those sounds.

Bundled Up

As a dedicated gamer, my appreciation for Hyper Light Drifter hinges on three essential elements that significantly influence the gaming experience: the power of my PC, my knack for navigating challenging gameplay, and my ability to endure minor frustrations.

As a gamer, here’s my take on it: In this game, I find myself wrestling mainly with two issues – the boss battles and their overall difficulty level. It seems like these aspects are fine-tuned to perfection when there’s a full multiplayer lobby, but if you’re playing alone or with fewer players, things can get a bit challenging, to put it mildly.

It would be great if the game could intelligently scale the enemy’s health and damage based on the number of players, and tone down the excessive enemy spawning during boss fights, but surprisingly, I just can’t seem to quit this game.

I’ve accumulated quite a bit of time spent by diving into a realm, gathering resources, and collecting whatever bits are available before it seems overly risky to linger.

The way this game keeps me hooked is captivating, the atmosphere within it is flawless, and there’s an incredible sense of achievement when I defeat adversaries – even though I often encounter significant challenges with the game itself.

If your computer is powerful enough, I wholeheartedly recommend this game. The fact that it comes packaged with Hyper Light Drifter makes it even more appealing. If the creativity and quality displayed in this game is representative of what we can expect from games in 2025, then it promises to be an excellent year.

Final remarks: Although still in Early Access, Hyper Light Breaker has undeniably showcased its exceptional features. Its gameplay is meticulously designed and the combat is exceptionally rewarding. It successfully combines a fun multiplayer roguelite experience, a vibrant randomized open world, and well-balanced upgrades that never become overpowering. The game maintains a captivating aesthetic and engaging non-verbal storytelling. However, it suffers from high system requirements, unbalanced boss encounters, and excessive difficulty, which may be rectified before the final release. If these issues are resolved, this game would almost be perfect in my opinion, but even now, it’s definitely worth your attention.

2025-01-20 15:10