Hyper Light Drifter follow-up revealed with stunning 3D visuals and co-op

Hyper Light Drifter studio Heart Machine has revealed Hyper Light Breaker, a follow-up to the cult-classic indie action-RPG with gorgeous 3D visuals and co-op gameplay. Check out the reveal trailer just above.

The first trailer for Hyper Light Breaker shows off those striking violent-soaked visuals and at the end, reveals a Spring 2023 launch into early access. While the trailer doesn't show off any actual gameplay, the game's Steam page shows off a brief snippet showing the protagonist running through a wooded area. It's not much, but it's the first gameplay footage shown off publicly.

Hyper Light Breaker

(Image credit: Heart Machine)

Hyper Light Breaker exists in the same world as Hyper Light Drifter, but Heart Machine insists that it isn't a sequel or prequel, but rather "a new game driven by new designs." As such, its official description describes it as a rogue-lite adventure game, whereas its predecessor is an action-adventure RPG in the vein of 16-bit classic like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. It even got what I consider the most beautiful collector's edition ever released with a faux SNES cartridge included.

Heart Machine launched Hyper Light Drifter back in 2016 and in 2021, launched Solar Ash, which we absolutely loved. But with Hyper Light Breaker, Heart Machine says it wants to "return to a more community-focused development process," which will apparently involve interacting with players via regular blog posts, content drops, streams, events, contests, and "perhaps" in-person events.

For more, here are 25 new indie games to keep on your radar in 2022.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.