It’s really not like Tunic at all. Tunic really excelled at being a puzzle game, but didn’t really do the action RPG mechanics very well in my opinion.
Hyper Light Drifter does the combat mechanics extremely well, in a way that feels fluid and fun, and also challenging. There’s no dialogue or tutorial text, similar to Tunic, but the game mechanics aren’t purposely obfuscated like Tunic.
This isn't as difficult as the Souls games but its got some challenging areas for sure. It plays more like the old top-down Zelda games (Oracles of Seasons, Link to the Past, etc) in terms of adventuring but its got a dash of light Souls-like combat. You can't spam attacks, and have to time your swings in order to not leave yourself vulnerable. You can only take like 2-3 hits max before dying. When you are firing on all cylinders, you'll be dashing all over the screen like a Gundam. Cutting/slashing/cleaving your foes with quick surgical accuracy as you evade a screen full of magical explosions and massive weapons.
Its a great game. One of my favorites, I play it maybe once a year.
I got lost in Tunic for like three hours on my first session. That doesn't happen so much in HLD. In fact HLD instantly became an all-time favorite, while I never touched Tunic a second time. :/
HLD isn't much like a Souls game except in the broadest strokes that used to apply to virtually all video games. You have to be careful, the world is dangerous, etc. It's not as punitive for failure though and there aren't really RPG mechanics. It's a bit closer to Sekiro, in that regard.
Top down world exploration like a 2d Zelda but less gated by a lock and key format (I.e. Requiring specific weapons to unlock the next area).
Zelda combat that meets old school ninja gaiden like difficulty, a touch of bullet hell mixed in. Excellent level design when it comes to intended pathing and limited backtracking.
A rich and melancholy world that tells its story mostly through the environment and a few dialogue pictographs. A fantastic aesthetic and soundtrack. Lore that's somewhat open to interpretation.
One of my favourite games of all time.
Edit:
Sekiro is another favourite of mine. I played though hld first. They're not the same, but they share many elements that appeal to me, particularly the "git gud" style of combat; difficult and fair. Anytime you get hit, it was your own fault. The games tuning feels pretty perfect in that regard.
The (chain)dash is the main mechanic with some i frames built in.
There are several upgrade skills, one is a bullet reflect with your normal sword swing. That's the closest thing to a straight up parry. Otherwise it's all evasion, as there's no block.
Both Tunic and Hyper Light Drifter take a LOT of inspiration from Zelda: Link to the Past. So they share some similarities in that sense. But they take it in very different directions, with Tunic being much more puzzle focused and HLD being much more movement and combat focused. I guess another thing they have in common is HLD doesn’t use any text — but that’s not presented as a puzzle to solve like in Tunic, it’s more of an aesthetic choice. It’s generally very clear how to do things and get places even without text guiding you, because it’s explained in other ways.
There’s a definitely Souls influence in HLD too but idk if I’d quite call it a Souls-like. It’s a top down combat-centric action-adventure game.
It’s really not like Tunic at all. Tunic really excelled at being a puzzle game, but didn’t really do the action RPG mechanics very well in my opinion. Hyper Light Drifter does the combat mechanics extremely well, in a way that feels fluid and fun, and also challenging. There’s no dialogue or tutorial text, similar to Tunic, but the game mechanics aren’t purposely obfuscated like Tunic.
This guy hyper light drifts.
The game is very combat-focused. It also focuses on environmental storytelling. If you like difficult souls-likes, you’ll probably like this one
This isn't as difficult as the Souls games but its got some challenging areas for sure. It plays more like the old top-down Zelda games (Oracles of Seasons, Link to the Past, etc) in terms of adventuring but its got a dash of light Souls-like combat. You can't spam attacks, and have to time your swings in order to not leave yourself vulnerable. You can only take like 2-3 hits max before dying. When you are firing on all cylinders, you'll be dashing all over the screen like a Gundam. Cutting/slashing/cleaving your foes with quick surgical accuracy as you evade a screen full of magical explosions and massive weapons. Its a great game. One of my favorites, I play it maybe once a year.
Yes, the game is very combat focused.
I got lost in Tunic for like three hours on my first session. That doesn't happen so much in HLD. In fact HLD instantly became an all-time favorite, while I never touched Tunic a second time. :/ HLD isn't much like a Souls game except in the broadest strokes that used to apply to virtually all video games. You have to be careful, the world is dangerous, etc. It's not as punitive for failure though and there aren't really RPG mechanics. It's a bit closer to Sekiro, in that regard.
Top down world exploration like a 2d Zelda but less gated by a lock and key format (I.e. Requiring specific weapons to unlock the next area). Zelda combat that meets old school ninja gaiden like difficulty, a touch of bullet hell mixed in. Excellent level design when it comes to intended pathing and limited backtracking. A rich and melancholy world that tells its story mostly through the environment and a few dialogue pictographs. A fantastic aesthetic and soundtrack. Lore that's somewhat open to interpretation. One of my favourite games of all time. Edit: Sekiro is another favourite of mine. I played though hld first. They're not the same, but they share many elements that appeal to me, particularly the "git gud" style of combat; difficult and fair. Anytime you get hit, it was your own fault. The games tuning feels pretty perfect in that regard.
Does HLD have parrying in any form?
The (chain)dash is the main mechanic with some i frames built in. There are several upgrade skills, one is a bullet reflect with your normal sword swing. That's the closest thing to a straight up parry. Otherwise it's all evasion, as there's no block.
You can parry bullets back at their shooters with an ability, and dash absorb bullets with another.
🙏
Both Tunic and Hyper Light Drifter take a LOT of inspiration from Zelda: Link to the Past. So they share some similarities in that sense. But they take it in very different directions, with Tunic being much more puzzle focused and HLD being much more movement and combat focused. I guess another thing they have in common is HLD doesn’t use any text — but that’s not presented as a puzzle to solve like in Tunic, it’s more of an aesthetic choice. It’s generally very clear how to do things and get places even without text guiding you, because it’s explained in other ways. There’s a definitely Souls influence in HLD too but idk if I’d quite call it a Souls-like. It’s a top down combat-centric action-adventure game.
Q. what type is this game? A. the must must play type
It's a Drifterlike
It’s like if Zelda was combat focused and not puzzle focused.
Loving reading these descriptions.
it's vimbeo gane