Game Hyper Light Breaker
Developer Heart Machine
Publisher Gearbox Publishing
Format PC
Release 2023
The city seems quiet and tranquil from here. Stepping out onto the balcony, a slender masked figure with cerulean hair, a short red jacket and a long tail takes in the view of a part of this metropolis they’ll never visit, its houses, hotels and skyscrapers at once so close yet so far away. Peering through the aquamarine haze, the Blu – one of several humanoid species in this world – glances to the right where a vast waterfall emerges from a flourishing mass of greenery. Heading back inside, they trot around a plush lobby, itself not short of plant life. There are vendors and other NPCs here, but no one is demanding the Blu’s attention. A soothing ambient score, noticeable but not obtrusive, sustains the peaceful vibe as they head outside, toward a vast elevator, bathed in pink light.
Down below, it’s a very different story. This is the Overgrowth, a sprawling land fragmented into disparate biomes. Stepping off the platform onto the surface, the Blu – as piloted by Heart Machine’s Alx Preston – immediately breaks into a jog before dashing once, twice, three times, each sudden burst briefly producing a trail of brightly hued spectral clones. Pulling out a hoverboard, they skate and boost through a patch of lavender-coloured grass, before wall-dashing and double-jumping up to higher ground where a threat suddenly comes into view. Pulling out their sidearm, they pump five rounds into the first enemy; the second suddenly flips onto its side and rolls at high speed toward them, firing a spray of lurid pink projectiles of its own. Staggering back from the hit, the Blu advances, swinging a blade of light back and forth, refilling their gun’s chamber, which finishes the job. It takes a moment to identify the creatures they just defeated: yes, in the world of Hyper Light Breaker, even the snails are deadly.
be more stark, but then Heart Machine’s third release is a game of surprising contrasts. Its setting is a delicate balance of hand-crafted and procedural elements, fused together to form what Preston hopes will be a “seamless” open world. Yet it’s one that has been deliberately built on foundations that are anything but solid, because is also a Roguelike, onesequel most of us thought Heart Machine would make next.
