Hyper Light Breaker Co-Op Hands-On Preview

Hyper Light Breaker is Heart Machine's ambitious follow-up to Hyper Light Drifterthe beloved isometric RPG that captivated players with its tight gameplay, captivating story, and unforgettable art style. Not keen on repeating themselves, Heart Machine decided to take a completely different route with it Hyper Light Breakermost noticeably moving to a vibrant 3D art style that is remarkably faithful to its predecessor. Beyond Makeover, Hyper Light Breaker expands on the original using a rogue-like setting within a procedurally generated world, completely changing its core gameplay loop. In another shift that stands in stark contrast to the lonely adventure that was Hyper Light Drifterup to three co-op buddies can take on this prequel together.

Game Rant got a hands-on look at how Hyper Light Breakers co-op game ends, party with two people from the Heart Machine camp and experience much of what the game has to offer in group play. Compared to our previous ones Hyper Light Breaker hands-on preview that was a limited, solo exploration of the battle system, playing with friends highlighted some of the game's best features. That said, it's not the kind of game where solo players will lack enjoyment, and the difficulty scales with the number of players.

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Interview: Hyper Light Breaker composer and sound director Discuss music, sound design

Game Rant chats with one of Hyper Light Breaker's composers and the game's Audio Lead about creating the upcoming game's unique soundscape.

Explore the Hyper Light Breakers Hub

Our preview began with an introduction to the game's hub area, The Cursed Outpost. This is where players will interact with various NPCs related to the game's meta-progression, and vendors here sell gear that players can use to evolve their builds for their current run. The most important NPCs are only steps away from each other, so it's a quick process to fine-tune our build before we head out into Overgrowth. Notably, there is an affinity system attached to NPCs where giving them gifts gives benefits such as discounts or a larger selection of items.

Here, the main NPC is Pherus Bit, who presents players with their choices of SyComs. SyComs are Breaker's robot companions, which serve as the foundation of character building by defining Breaker's base stats and unique passive abilities. While this choice leans a Breaker towards a class archetype, there is no rigid class system outside of this choice. Breakers can use and equip any gear they find regardless of their SyCom.

We can also use rare currency found during runs to buy EXE abilities here—Hyper Light Breakers meta-progression upgrades that persist between roguelike runs where weapons and equipment do not. These upgrades provide useful bonuses that increase the Breaker's stamina, allow them to carry additional medkits, and increase the hoverboard's duration, among other things. Over time, life in Overgrowth should become a little easier as these passives grow up.

After we finished exploring the hub, we went to the teleporter pad to form our party. Co-op in Hyper Light Breaker takes a friendly drop-in drop-out approach where loot is set for each player, and friends can jump into each other's games at any time to lend a hand with a tricky boss before easily returning to their playthrough.

Hyper Light Breaker has impressive build variety

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For our preview, we went with Goro and his Sniper SyCom. Goro is a little squishier than the other characters, but after seeing his bombastic cube-dropping ability that flattens enemies, he became an instant favorite. In addition to choosing a character and SyCom, we reviewed available gear options to refine our build. There is a surprising variety in the Hyper Light Breakers arsenal, with melee weapons ranging from claws to swords and massive hammers alongside ranged weapons including pistols, submachine guns and shotguns.

We also had a selection of boosters, often build-defining gear that provide powerful active abilities. One booster can give players grenades, another summons a temporary drone battle buddy, and we found one that generates a shield and lets us heal when we take damage.

Finally we were able to equip the Holobytes. These pieces of gear provide a powerful assortment of passive bonuses that are often core to creating a strong build. A memorable Holobyte, the Boost Shell, allowed us to reflect projectiles at attackers while dashing. Holobytes often features interactivity like this in combat and strongly emphasizes different play styles.

Hyper Light Breakers Roguelike Loop is great with friends

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The primary goal of every run-in Hyper Light Breaker is to defeat the three major crown bosses, but exploring Overgrowth thoroughly is important for meta-progression and preparing for the battles ahead. We quickly mapped out a rough route of landmarks to visit on our way to the first crown, hovering and sliding our way through the game's impressive vertical terrain.

Unlike many roguelikes that involve time pressure, Hyper Light Breaker's escalating difficulty is mostly based on player performance. This is a fairer approach that challenges players to do well, rather than punishing players who are already struggling. When things got too busy or we were ready to return to the hub, we could initiate an extraction on a phone. As in Witch fireplayers must fend off waves while the extraction timer counts down. It's a tense, high-stakes moment, as we may be trying to escape an already difficult situation.

Fight in Hyper Light Breaker is frantic and deadly; chopping and slicing don't cut it. Even in a group of three, we needed to play skillfully, parry and time our moves with precision to survive. There is also a stagger mechanic that ties into certain building interactions. After taking enough damage, enemies will be primed for a finisher that refills weapon ammo.

Hyper Light Breakers Crown Bosses emphasize group dynamics

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The Overgrowth is populated with a wide variety of enemies, from huge elite enemies that act as mini-bosses to airborne enemies that tested our aim with a gun, most encounters offered new challenges to test our kits. Of course, Hyper Light Breaker's Crown bosses were the strongest demonstration of the game's combat design. Despite varying themes and movesets, the Crown bosses seemingly had an answer for every playstyle. They could punish us from range, hit us up close, and overwhelm us with minions or environmental hazards. While overworld battles were more strategic, these bosses encouraged our party to coordinate our support and damage-boosting abilities.

Fighting the Crowns were certainly the highlight of our preview, and the versatility of their designs should keep them interesting through multiple runs as players encounter them with new builds. It took us a little under an hour to complete a successful run, which feels like a comfortable pace for a multiplayer roguelike.

Total, Hyper Light Breaker feels like a perfect game for groups of friends who have spent time with titles like Risk of rain 2. It's easy enough to get a group started, while the game's focus on exploration and its reduced time pressure reinforce the sense of adventure and discovery that Hyper Light Drifter did so well.