Hyper Light Drifter, in retrospect, seemed to hit the market at just the perfect moment. Back in 2016, indie games were starting to make a significant impact, and it was a year packed with standout titles like Firewatch, The Witness, Inside, Cuphead, Enter the Gungeon, Darkest Dungeon, and even the much-loved Stardew Valley. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to dub 2016 as the year of the indie game renaissance. If we look slightly farther back, we had gems like Her Story, Undertale, Downwell, Soma, Octodad, and Shovel Knight making their mark.
What stands out with these games is that they offered unique, mostly solo experiences, unlike many of today’s indie releases. Sure, Stardew Valley branches out with its co-op feature, but the rest are firmly single-player experiences. This contrasts sharply with the current trend of persistent, multiplayer-focused games, including live-service models and endless roguelikes designed for indefinite play sessions.
Reflecting on these games, and particularly Hyper Light Drifter as it approaches its decade milestone, reveals stark changes, highlighted by its follow-up, Hyper Light Breaker. Back when Drifter launched on Kickstarter, the draw was its modern pixel art, a hauntingly beautiful synth soundtrack, and a world shrouded in mystery. It delivered a game offering a narrative that required personal interpretation.
The hallmark of Drifter was its exceptional combat and world exploration, unburdened by the industry’s mania for constant connectivity. Today, browsing through Steam is like navigating a sea of titles vying to be the next sensation. Self-contained adventures seem rare in a space dominated by multiplayer giants and live-service titles, even though the latter often falters. With financial pressures mounting and players seeking value, the surge in replayable roguelikes isn’t surprising. The luxury to develop single-player, rich narrative experiences often lies only with larger indie teams, which may not be considered truly independent anymore.
Understanding this shift, it’s difficult to fault Heart Machine for evolving the universe of Drifter into a roguelike format, potentially featuring live-service elements to draw players back. Yet, it’s too early to tell if this direction will pay off. The current early access version is just laying the groundwork, with the essence of Drifter’s combat well translated into 3D, awaiting more polish with future updates.
Interestingly, parallels can be drawn with the upcoming FromSoftware game, Elden Ring: Nightreign, a roguelike set in procedurally generated realms where defeating daunting bosses is key. This association doesn’t go unnoticed and further illustrates how much the industry has diverged from where it was ten years ago.
Admittedly, it does bring a touch of melancholy. Developers still craft games akin to Drifter and those other beloved indie titles, possibly more than before. However, they often struggle to find a spotlight amidst a myriad of games tailored for infinite gameplay, not to mention the escalating difficulty of standing out in today’s crowded market.
Seeing how transformative the last decade has been isn’t unexpected, though the release of Breaker accentuated just how dramatic the changes have been. I’m not casting judgment here, just reflecting. My hope is that Heart Machine’s efforts pay off, resolving early access hurdles to reveal something remarkable.
