Hyperwired puts a powerful twist on the top-down action shooter, and with a release date just around the corner and a free demo available to play right now, it seems like an excellent modern twist on a classic arcade format.
Borrowing from the sci-fi shooter craze that gave birth to the likes of Gradius and Batsugun, Hyperwired's 2D pixel art is instantly reminiscent of generations of top-down shooters. But this time, there are a couple of pretty significant changes to that formula. The first is that Hyperwired is a roguelike, meaning that each time your ship can go no further, you'll be starting over almost from scratch, exploring procedurally-generated levels to ensure that no single run feels the same.
The good news on that front is that over time, you'll be able to unlock upgrades that make your ship more powerful. There are more than 250 bullet modifiers and over 40 upgrades that you can gather up, in addition to temporary upgrades unlocked during a run by defeating enemies. Sadly, that's not always as easy as you might hope, thanks to Hyperwired's other major twist.
Unfortunately for you, your ship doesn't have all that much juice to run on. Fly too long and you'll run out of power, making you a sitting duck in the face of Hyperwired's chaotic combat patterns and exhilarating boss fights. To help solve that problem, as you fly through the void you'll be towing a giant power cable behind you. Plug it into outlets and it'll let you recharge, adding a resource management system to every run that can have big ramifications for your tactics.
But watch out, because while you're plugged in you'll remain tethered to that socket until you're back at full power. It's a big test of risk vs reward; flying too long will almost ensure you're blown out of the sky, but powering back up will put all of your dogfighting skills to the test as you dodge around incoming enemy fire all with a lot less room to manoeuvre around your foes.
Thankfully, you'll have a few other tools at your disposal to help you clear each level. As you progress, you'll be able to unlock new ships with enhanced stats and new skins, or amass your own mini-armada of stranded ships, rescuing them so they fight by your side. If there are a few too many foes in front of you, a blast from your powerful Mega-Laser should help thin their numbers out. And if you're still in a pinch, the ability to focus up and temporarily slow down time can help you out of a tricky situation.
Hyperwired is launching on July 2 on Nintendo Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam, where there'll be a 10% discount on its $7.99 price tag until July 9. If you simply can't wait that long, or if you want to try before you buy, you can also check out a completely free Stem demo that will let you put your flying skills to the test. Just be careful that power cable doesn't trip you up…
