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The first thing to know is that the only way to digest the game’s story is through still images and small in-game moments, giving the game a somewhat mysterious and often melancholy feel. The creatures you’ll encounter along your journey are beaten down and for good reason, your encounters, especially early on, will tend to be tense and challenging as you try to get your bearings and a foothold on success.The fact that you’re given minimal guidance on which direction to attack in what order exacerbates this, but if you’re finding the path you’ve chosen to be too perilous you can always try another. Though you’re increasingly capable over the course of the adventure, working with a variety of dash and slash moves as well as a variety of guns for mobility and offense. Progress is hard-won and will require carefully exploring the landscape, being sure to find every enhancement opportunity and health pack. Of particular note is that opting to take on the Tower Climb challenge can unlock a piece of gear that will help you with finding these secrets along with some other enhancements that may help you on your journey if you persevere. Where you’ll need to really heavily apply your skills will be in the game’s seriously challenging bosses, who tend to be lethal and will require you to push yourself to knock them out. The flaws in the game’s armor will mostly come down to personal tastes. The unapologetic degree of difficulty and the lack of direction can certainly be frustrating and will require some fortitude as well as skill to work through. Success is very much possible, and gets easier as you develop better tactics for dealing with various enemy types, but you’ll make many mistakes and die quite a lot getting there. The way the story is revealed can also be hit or miss depending on whether you’re sucked in by the room left for your interpretation versus being given a more typical narrative. In the end if you’ve been itching for a game that mixes top-down adventure with challenging combat and secrets to discover pretty well all around you Hyper Light Drifter is a very appealing package. The added Switch content is a terrific touch worth the trouble to try to take advantage of as it will make finding those critical elements that will help you on your way a little easier. There’s simply nothing quite like it on the platform and it’s well worth your time if you’re up to the challenge.
Justin Nation, Score:Nindie Choice! [9.0]