GamesRoguelikeI finally got to play my most-anticipated open-world game, and Hyper Light Breaker is just the roguelike I was hoping forWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesRoguelikeI finally got to play my most-anticipated open-world game, and Hyper Light Breaker is just the roguelike I was hoping forWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
Summer Games PreviewWe’re diving into the hottest upcoming games out of Summer Game Fest. To find all of our hands-on reports, visitGamesRadar’s What’s Hot 2024 hub.
A whole new world, and then another
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
It’s equally obvious that Hyper Light Breaker is going to have a huge roster of playable characters. I went with the default girl, Lapis, both to get the most straightforward impression and because she’s my favorite so far. A glance at the full cast, which will grow throughout the game’s Early Access journey, gets my mind racing. Coupled with the three-player co-op, I’m getting more Risk of Rain 2 vibes than I expected, which is always exciting.
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
The kicker is the Danger Meter, which fills up as you defeat enemies – golems, bats, bestial warriors, wizards, swordmasters, snipers, and plenty more. Once it’s full, something, well,dangeroushappens, often in the form of enemies or mini-bosses sent to kill you. This puts another element on the scale of risk and reward. You need to set your own goals each time you enter the Overgrowth, and move without wasting too much time and making things harder for yourself. Heart Machine stresses that combat isn’t actually the focus of Hyper Light Breaker, though it is how you’ll spend a lot of time. The best players, it appears, will not only parry and combo their hearts out, but also intuit and navigate what the partly random, partly handcrafted worlds throw at you.
Tools of the trade
(Image credit: Heart Machine)
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Dash in with a heavily emphasized dodge attack, back out to launch an AoE ability, circle around to avoid ranged attacks and pick off stragglers, then prep a charged attack for your next opener. I sampled daggers, claws, swords, ammo-hungry guns mostly replenished with enemy drops, and abilities like Diablo-grade corpse explosions or AoE arrow rain. Ultimate abilities called Amps punch combat up further, and you’ll unlock more of everything as you play. It’s a good thing there’s a loadout system; builds are going to be all over the place in this game in the best way.
Frankly I’m relieved that the first boss, a boxer-like bruiser named Exus, beat the crap out of me. Weaker enemies spawned throughout the fight, Exus' gap-closing punches tore through my allotted healing items, and fiery ranged attacks slowly reduced me to cinders. I performed a little better on follow-up attempts, but between the brief demo and, in hindsight, my naively short rush to the boss arena, I wasn’t able to beat Exus. That’s item number one on the to-do list for Hyper Light Breaker’s Early Access launch later this summer, then.
Hyper Light Breaker is set to release for PC via Steam Early Access in late summer 2024. If you can’t wait, however, you can always check out our ranking ofthe best roguelikesto play right now.
TOPICSSummer Game Fest
TOPICS
CATEGORIESPC GamingPlatforms
CATEGORIES
PRODUCTSHyper Light BreakerSummer Game Fest 2024
PRODUCTS
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More about roguelike
I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tastyUnhinged outtakes from live-action Balatro trailer reveal we could have seen Final Fantasy 16’s Ben Starr gobble down a banana too many ways
I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty
I didn’t know how badly I wanted to grill and gobble up monsters until this upcoming survival roguelike made it look so tasty
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Latest26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time"See more latest►
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26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”
26 years later, Codemasters' Chris Southall talks Colin McRae Rally: “We wanted to do something that was an authentic rally experience for the hardware of the time”
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
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2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
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1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
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2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
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2
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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
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4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
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5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
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1
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2
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3Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3
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4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4
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5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”