DISCLAIMER
I don't write a lot of reviews so I know my review might be bad, but I had to for Hyper Light Drifter. It probably says I have 12 hours in this game, but at the time of writing this review, 7 of those hours are from the release build and the rest from the preview build.

Edit Reason: I forgot to talk about how it runs.. Sorry..
Edit Reason 2: Reworded a few things.
Edit Reason 3: 60 FPS patch and a new alternate character for another playthrough!

Kick Starter:
As a kick starter backer, this game has given more that I expected. The preview build of the game was amazing and hyped me up for the release. And I wasn't let down at all.

So What Is It?:
Many reviews already tell you what the game is like so, I'll keep it simple. Hyper Light Difter is a top down, action adventure, pixel art master piece. The mechanics (which involve sword play, dashing and ranged weapons) are rock solid and never fault you for unknown reasons. The atmoshpere and sound design are honestly one of the best experiences i've had in a long time, the story is super interesting and cryptic (this is a bonus or a flaw depending on how you like your stories) and lastly the game feels SO good to play.

Anything Else?:
The game's difficulty gives me a dark souls 1 vibe, PLEASE don't misunderstand what I mean by this.

What I mean is; the game is hard but fair, deaths that happen are your fault. Very very rarely will something kill you and leave you thinking "there is no way I could have saw that coming." Apart from experiencing a boss for the first time, which will leave you crushed into the ground after your first attempt.

Cool Opinions, What about the controls?:
The controls feel perfect on a gamepad, as I used a xbox360 type controller. Personally I find HLD is best played on a game pad but still controls well on keyboard(APART FROM DASHING, SEE FORUMS). The drifter (the character you play) moves very smoothly and is easy to control in pretty much any situation.

Still Some One Sided Opinions in there, what about length?:
Well here is where the game is slightly pulled down. SLIGHTLY. My first playthrough was about 5 hours and 30 mins. I didn't explore every single thing, although I did sit down and just look at the beautiful pixel art at times, so you could probably pull it out to 8 - 10 hours if you wanna find EVERYTHING. But if you are worried about the length, there is new game +. And trust me, this game has replay value.

What If I Don't Care About Secrets and Stuff?:
Well you should because there is countless secret areas in the game. And a lot of these areas you need to find to continue the story, at least I think you do... Either way just keep your eye out if you are interested in secrets. IF NOT, you could probably beat the game in like 4 hours. I'm not a speed runner so I couldn't tell you.

New Game +? (More info to come):
Yup, instead of 5 health, you have 2! Goodluck! :)
Enemy placement seems the same but ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ its difficult. You have to completely adapt to a new playstyle and have even quicker reactions.

vvv Update 3 below vvv
New Game + Continued: After completing NG+ I can say It was easily one of the hardest games I've played with the given mechanics. Bosses become 100+ deaths to just get to half hp but when you finally kill it you feel like a god.... NG+ Really was difficult as have 2 hp means almost everything kills you. Methods you used in standard version DO NOT WORK in NG+, you have to master the dash and know enemies attack patterns or you will be in for a rough time.

Any Other Reason to Start Again?:
Yes! There is now a new alternate drifter! She too is played differently. Both standard, alt drifter and NG+ will give you plenty of hours for the money and if you REALLY like exploring the world you will get even more hours.
^^^ Update 3 above ^^^

What about how the game RUNS?:
THE GAME IS NO LONGER 30 FPS, ENJOY THE 60 FPS MY FRIENDS! Below is the original part of the review.
"Well its locked to 30fps. The devs said it was due to the logic in Game Maker coded to work with 30 fps, but other people on the forum said that the devs could of easily created the game 60fps with no issues. So take that as you will. I also seem to get a fair bit of screen tear some times, but this only happens if the camera is moving constantly."

Bugs?:
Only one I've found so far. I dashed too fasted into a boss fight and my character was perma stuck in the "i'm standing still for the boss intro to look cool" phase. I couldn't move but couldn't take damage, so i just restared the game (it restarted me at the begining of the boss room) and it worked fine.

Soooo Do You Recommend it?:
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ yes. This game honestly blew my mind. Every sence is just too ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ beautiful. The enviromental story telling lets your mind go crazy, the combat feels too good... You can interact with NPCs by pressing Y (or your equivalent button) and they way the communicate back to you is very Journey style, where as your little robot guy pings a sound and the NPC responds with it's own sound. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ brilliant. HIGHLY RECOMMEND with a game pad.

SO LASTLY:
If you like games with combat that requires good reaction and a decent amount of thinking, a LOT of hidden secrets, a fun as ♥♥♥♥ dash ability, not much story hand holding (you gotta figure a lot of ♥♥♥♥ out), beautiful pixel art and lastly, engrossing atmosphere, then you should 100% get Hyper Light Difter.

And if you don't like it, refund it? Sooo what are you worried about...

DISCLAIMER I don't write a lot of reviews so I know my review might be bad, but I had to for Hyper Light Drifter. It probably says I have 12 hours in this game, but at the time of writing this review, 7 of those hours are from the release build and the rest from the preview build. Edit Reason: I forgot to talk about how it runs.. Sorry.. Edit Reason 2: Reworded a few things. Edit Reason 3: 60 FPS patch and a new alternate character for another playthrough! Kick Starter: As a kick starter backer, this game has given more that I expected. The preview build of the game was amazing and hyped me up for the release. And I wasn't let down at all. So What Is It?: Many reviews already tell you what the game is like so, I'll keep it simple. Hyper Light Difter is a top down, action adventure, pixel art master piece. The mechanics (which involve sword play, dashing and ranged weapons) are rock solid and never fault you for unknown reasons. The atmoshpere and sound design are honestly one of the best experiences i've had in a long time, the story is super interesting and cryptic (this is a bonus or a flaw depending on how you like your stories) and lastly the game feels SO good to play. Anything Else?: The game's difficulty gives me a dark souls 1 vibe, PLEASE don't misunderstand what I mean by this. What I mean is; the game is hard but fair, deaths that happen are your fault. Very very rarely will something kill you and leave you thinking "there is no way I could have saw that coming." Apart from experiencing a boss for the first time, which will leave you crushed into the ground after your first attempt. Cool Opinions, What about the controls?: The controls feel perfect on a gamepad, as I used a xbox360 type controller. Personally I find HLD is best played on a game pad but still controls well on keyboard(APART FROM DASHING, SEE FORUMS). The drifter (the character you play) moves very smoothly and is easy to control in pretty much any situation. Still Some One Sided Opinions in there, what about length?: Well here is where the game is slightly pulled down. SLIGHTLY. My first playthrough was about 5 hours and 30 mins. I didn't explore every single thing, although I did sit down and just look at the beautiful pixel art at times, so you could probably pull it out to 8 - 10 hours if you wanna find EVERYTHING. But if you are worried about the length, there is new game +. And trust me, this game has replay value. What If I Don't Care About Secrets and Stuff?: Well you should because there is countless secret areas in the game. And a lot of these areas you need to find to continue the story, at least I think you do... Either way just keep your eye out if you are interested in secrets. IF NOT, you could probably beat the game in like 4 hours. I'm not a speed runner so I couldn't tell you. New Game +? (More info to come): Yup, instead of 5 health, you have 2! Goodluck! :) Enemy placement seems the same but holy shit its difficult. You have to completely adapt to a new playstyle and have even quicker reactions. vvv Update 3 below vvv New Game + Continued: After completing NG+ I can say It was easily one of the hardest games I've played with the given mechanics. Bosses become 100+ deaths to just get to half hp but when you finally kill it you feel like a god.... NG+ Really was difficult as have 2 hp means almost everything kills you. Methods you used in standard version DO NOT WORK in NG+, you have to master the dash and know enemies attack patterns or you will be in for a rough time. Any Other Reason to Start Again?: Yes! There is now a new alternate drifter! She too is played differently. Both standard, alt drifter and NG+ will give you plenty of hours for the money and if you REALLY like exploring the world you will get even more hours. ^^^ Update 3 above ^^^ What about how the game RUNS?: THE GAME IS NO LONGER 30 FPS, ENJOY THE 60 FPS MY FRIENDS! Below is the original part of the review. "Well its locked to 30fps. The devs said it was due to the logic in Game Maker coded to work with 30 fps, but other people on the forum said that the devs could of easily created the game 60fps with no issues. So take that as you will. I also seem to get a fair bit of screen tear some times, but this only happens if the camera is moving constantly." Bugs?: Only one I've found so far. I dashed too fasted into a boss fight and my character was perma stuck in the "i'm standing still for the boss intro to look cool" phase. I couldn't move but couldn't take damage, so i just restared the game (it restarted me at the begining of the boss room) and it worked fine. Soooo Do You Recommend it?: Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk yes. This game honestly blew my mind. Every sence is just too fucking beautiful. The enviromental story telling lets your mind go crazy, the combat feels too good... You can interact with NPCs by pressing Y (or your equivalent button) and they way the communicate back to you is very Journey style, where as your little robot guy pings a sound and the NPC responds with it's own sound. Fucking brilliant. HIGHLY RECOMMEND with a game pad. SO LASTLY: If you like games with combat that requires good reaction and a decent amount of thinking, a LOT of hidden secrets, a fun as fuck dash ability, not much story hand holding (you gotta figure a lot of shit out), beautiful pixel art and lastly, engrossing atmosphere, then you should 100% get Hyper Light Difter. And if you don't like it, refund it? Sooo what are you worried about...