Yes, there are elements of other games in here, but it doesn’t feel derivative. This isn’t just a love letter to old-school gaming: it’s a real attempt to write a new chapter in the history of that gaming. Both the music and the graphics scream 1980s, with synth tunes that are vaguely reminiscent of other ’80s homages.Īppropriate for a game created by a development team called Heart Machine, one doesn’t have to look far to see the heart in this game. The game is a retro-style action RPG with old-school visuals meant to imitate elements of 8-bit and 16-bit style running on more powerful hardware (the game, in fact, boasts 60 frames per second). The Special Edition includes content currently exclusive to Switch, including a new challenge mode as well as a few new pieces of equipment. Hyper Light Drifter – Special Edition, available today through the eShop, runs $19.99 at the time of this review. In 2016, those platforms included PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

One of his promises in going over his initial budget was to bring the game to multiple platforms. Preston sought out funding from Kickstarter, which succeeded far beyond expectations: he was able to raise more than $600,000 (his original target was $27,000). Preston saw this project as more than just a hobby born with a congenital heart disease and beset with a lifetime of medical challenges, Preston aimed to craft a character facing a terminal disease. In 2013, a developer named Alex Preston set out to develop an old-school title in the vein of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo, with a post-apocalyptic style reminiscent of the 1984 anime classic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.

Hyper light drifter gameplay