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Hyper Light Drifter [Playthrough Guide]

Explore a beautiful, vast and ruined world riddled with dangers and lost technologies.

Jenny Windom

• 3 min read
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Hyper Light Drifter [Playthrough Guide]
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This is the playthrough guide for [GAME]! Have a response for a discussion or reflection question? Leave a 60 second voice message at https://sayhi.chat/geeksandgrounds and you’ll have the chance to be featured on a future podcast episode! If you you prefer writing, or have any questions or additional comments, please send them to jenny@geeksandgrounds.com. Thanks so much!

About [GAME]

basic info about the game and where to find it.

Steam Tags: Pixel Graphics, Great Soundtrack, Atmospheric, 2D
System: Steam, (PC, Mac, Linux), PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS
Developer | Publisher: Heart Machine
Age Rating: E
Price: US $9.99 (On sale for $4.99 until January 4, 2023)
Release Date: December 2016
Time to Play: 8-10 hours
Steam Description: Explore a beautiful, vast and ruined world riddled with dangers and lost technologies.

You may especially enjoy this if you like:

  • challenging combat that encourages patience
  • abstract, minimal storytelling
  • 8 and 16 bit pixel art homages
  • Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo — both games are cited as strong inspirations from the developer.

Why [GAME]

why it was selected for geeks & grounds.

  • This was a community-selected title! At the end of 2023, we did a ranked vote to determine six of the twelve games we cover this year, and Hyper Light Drifter was one of the six.
  • We aim to select shorter games that are generally able to be completed in about 6-8 hours, and while this one can prove to be challenging AND has lots of secrets, if you cruise through it (esp on the easier difficulty setting) you should be able to finish in around 8-10 hours, maybe even a little less.
  • It’s available on a wide variety of platforms (including iOS!)
  • The very minimal storytelling means that there’s lots of room for interpretation in what we each draw from the story!

Content Warnings & Notes

any potential themes or content that may warrant a heads up, we try to highlight here for you so you can make informed choices for yourself.

click here to show notes

pixel art blood at moments in the game and during combat

depictions and references to the end of the world and terminal and/or chronic illness

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As with any game, if you have a particular concern or would like more detailed clarification, please don’t hesitate investigate it further or reach out to me at jenny@geeksandgrounds.com for further explanation (spoiler full or spoiler free, however you prefer)!

Timeline & Important Dates

if you'd like to pace yourself with the same cadence as the podcast to help make sure you finish in time for the monthly hangout

DatesSection TitlePlay Until…Est Play Time
May 1-7NorthYou complete the Northern Area~1-2 hours
May 8-14 EastYou complete the Eastern Area~2 hours
May 15-21WestYou complete the Southern Area~2-3 hours
May 22 - 28SouthYou finish the game~3-4 hours
May 25G&G Hangout (in Discord)n/a1 hour

each published newsletter as it goes live, which includes a reflection question, supplementary links and activity suggestions, and more.

Dashing into Hyper Light Drifter [Geeks & Grounds #058]
When a game’s story is abstract, how do you make sense of what’s going on?
Geeks & GroundsJenny Windom