Hyper Light Drifter hit the scene at a pretty ideal time. Back in 2016, indie games were really starting to make their mark on the gaming industry. That year was packed with standout titles like Firewatch, The Witness, Inside, Cuphead, Enter the Gungeon, Darkest Dungeon, and even Stardew Valley. Reflecting on it now, it seems like 2016 could be dubbed the year of indie games. A couple of years prior, we had gems such as Her Story, Undertale, Downwell, Soma, Octodad, and Shovel Knight wooing gamers.
One thing that stands out about these games—and it’s something that really differentiates them from many modern indie titles—is that they’re experiences crafted mostly for solo play. Sure, Stardew Valley offers a cooperative mode, but the rest are primarily single-player adventures. This is quite different from the current trend of games designed for endless play, like live-service titles and roguelikes.
Looking back on all these releases, especially Hyper Light Drifter, which is closing in on a decade since its launch, it’s intriguing to see how its unexpected sequel, Hyper Light Breaker, reflects the shifts of the past ten years. Drifter captured gamers’ attention on Kickstarter with its striking pixel art, enchanting synth-driven soundtrack, and mysterious world. The finished product stayed true to these elements, offering a narrative that players had to unravel on their own.
The game’s essence was its combat and the meticulous world-building, largely unaffected by the industry’s present-day climate. Nowadays, a day browsing Steam reveals countless games trying to make their mark, yet few are those self-contained gems. Multiplayer and live-service games are dominating, although the latter rarely hits the mark, and roguelikes are everywhere. It’s understandable—when times are tough and wallets are tight, creating something endlessly replayable is smart business. The bigger indie names can afford to indulge in creating single-player experiences reminiscent of JRPGs or Zelda.
So, I can’t fault Heart Machine for evolving Drifter into a roguelike with potential live-service tweaks to keep players engaged post-release. We’re still in early access, which is genuinely early—with the core mechanics in place but room for development. Drifter’s challenging combat has made an impressive transition to 3D, promising more refinements with future updates.
Interestingly, there’s a parallel to be drawn with the much-anticipated Elden Ring: Nightreign from FromSoftware, another roguelike featuring procedurally generated maps and epic boss battles. Heart Machine is in good company here. Yet, Nightreign also underscores just how different the gaming landscape is from a decade ago.
Does this change sadden me? A bit, yes. Developers are certainly still crafting games like Drifter and the other indie standouts I’ve mentioned. It’s not that they’re fewer in number; it just feels like they’re getting overshadowed. In an ocean of games with a replayability factor, standing out is tough, and discoverability has become even more challenging.
The evolution of the industry over the past decade shouldn’t really be surprising, but Breaker has made me realize just how vast those changes are. This isn’t about passing judgment—more than anything, I truly hope Heart Machine achieves something extraordinary with Breaker once the early access phase smooths out its wrinkles.
