Hyper Light Breaker's early access is set to run for about a year.
So far, Hyper Light Breaker's early access has a lukewarm reception. Though much of the gameplay is fun, it has all the signs of an early-access game that is incomplete. To go along with this, there have been plenty of complaints about the graphical and technical performance of the game. These types of issues can be understood for an early access game, but are not the kind of thing that some will play through, especially given the $30 price tag.
Hyper Light Breaker Can Be Played Solo Or In Co-Op
Play The Way You Want
Luckily, Hyper Light Breaker can be played alone or with friends. In fact, the game is more suited to playing with others due to the natural difficulty of the game. However, the game does scale off the number of players, so a solo experience will be challenging but easier per enemy than a co-op game. This is a fair substitute for the extraction roguelike, replacing a time contrast with the goal of surviving an ever-growing threat.
How Co-Op Works In Hyper Light Breaker
Take On The Overgrowth Together
Co-op in Hyper Light Breaker is easy to access with friends or random players. From the main hub, speaking to a robot in the Main Hall will give the option to create a party or one. However, parties can only hold up to three people, which may seem small but is likely to balance the difficulty scaling. If parties could hold more, it may get to the point where enemies have to be so strong to compensate, that they could easily one-shot players.
Oddly enough, for being largely a multiplayer experience, the game currently has no voice or text chat. This could just be because of the early access state, and will likely be added at some point given the quality-of-life it would offer. The alternative to this would be communicating outside the game, which is popular nowadays, or with the game's Ping system. Luckily, the Ping system is easy to use with any controller D-pad or using the middle mouse button. This should only be a stop-gap in the long run, but works for what the game currently needs.
Is Solo Or Co-Op Better?
Two Levels Of A Fun Challenge
What mode is better in Hyper Light Breaker comes down to personal preference. The benefit of working for solo players is great for those without other friends who own the game and don't feel like playing with random teammates. It is also a nice way to challenge oneself and improve without the pressure of holding others back.
In contrast, co-op will be more fun for those with others to play with, and like the increased difficulty. Especially in co-op, bosses have more focus on team play, making sure every member does their part for success. Extractions will also be much more challenging, with longer waves and tougher units. Overall, co-op play will be more difficult, but could also have the type of chaotic fun a game like this needs to shine brightly.
Hyper Light Breaker's previews show that it still has a ways to go to be a success, but it has the foundations to be a great genre hybrid. The early access faults are obvious, but are expected and should be easily fixed by listening to community advice. The good thing is that co-op is largely functional and just needs some fine-tuning to be at its best. Hyper Light Breaker ing both solo and co-op play is the first bright side to the new title.
Hyper Light Breaker
- Released
- 2024
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Heart Machine
- Publisher(s)
- Arc Games
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 4
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Hyper Light
- Early Access Release
- January 14, 2025
Hyper Light Breaker is the follow-up to developer Heart Machine's 2016 isometric action-adventure game, Hyper Light Drifter. In this stand-alone sequel, players will embark on a journey through a land called the Overgrowth, where massive monsters roam the ruined cities reclaimed by time. Either alone or with friends, players will collect new gear and build their character to help them uncover the secrets of this forgotten land.
- Platform(s)
- PC
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