Written by Anthony L. Cuaycong
Title: Hyper Light Drifter
Developer: Heart Machine
Publisher: Abylight S.L.
Genre: Action, RPG, Adventure
Price: $5.99
Kickstarter-funded Hyper Light Drifter has made its way to the iOS platform, and owners of Apple devices will be glad to know the two-dimensional action role-playing game manages to retain all the attributes that made it a critical and commercial hit, and then some. The mobile port of developers Heart Machine and Abylight Studios’ homage to the 16-bit era of gaming like use includes content hitherto touted as exclusive to the Nintendo Switch. Given the hybrid console’s on-the-go leanings, it’s no surprise, to be sure. Nonetheless, it adds no small measure of value to the already feature-packed offering.
Envisioned to be a cross between Diablo and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Hyper Light Drifter starts with a premise from which an overarching narrative evoking Studio Ghibli masterpieces is pieced together over time. Gamers get to control a technology-savvy journeyman compelled to traverse vast wastelands in search of a remedy for his illness. En route, he finds the driver of his exploration dovetailing with a higher purpose: survival is at stake, but not just his. Meanwhile, subsistence requires continual combat against increasingly powerful enemies; thusly, expansion of skills and equipment become as crucial as employment of proper tactics at the right times.
Gameplay is nothing short of outstanding. Hyper Light Drifter employs an interface that locates the floating stick on the left and action buttons around the remainder of the screen, and, for the most part, it works, enabling free range of motion and rapid reactions to stimuli. Even as customized mapping would have been a plus, the default set gets the job done. Once in a while, moving a hand across the screen to initiate an action is required — thus presenting a potential handicap during periods of frenetic combat.
Parenthetically, Hyper Light Drifter has Made-for-iOS controller support, which makes progress even easier. On the flipside, it’s better paired with an iPad Pro than with an iPhone; for obvious reasons, the latter’s mobility advantages, not to mention capacity to provide haptic feedback, are effectively curtailed in tabletop mode. That said, input lag is nonexistent either way. If there’s any technical stumble, it’s in the absence of cloud saves. Additionally, movement is less than smooth; stutters would be evident on occasion, and even when the screen doesn’t seem to be busy enough to tax the hardware.
Still and all, Hyper Light Drifter more than earns its $4.99 price tag. Armed with a story that’s like a gift needing to be unwrapped slowly to appreciate the contents, as well as with RPG elements that keep gamers immersed throughout, it engages in every sense of the word. Fewer 10 hours are better spent.
THE GOOD
- Moving love letter to the 16-bit era
- Evident Studio Ghibli influence
- Excellent blend of action and introspection
- Switch content included
THE BAD
- No button-mapping option
- No cloud saves
- Occasional stutters
RATING: 8.5/10
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