The sequel to beloved indie hit Hyper Light Drifter is on its way, and it looks incredibly cool. Hyper Light Breaker, a fully 3D and open-world game, has just been revealed in a flashy new animated trailer, and it’s set for a 2023 release date.
The trailer shows a slim, hooded figure approaching a group of guards on a bridge suspended in a strange, alternate dimension. The figure produces the grip of an energy staff, and dashes into combat. They slice, dice, dodge, and wall-run before finally unleashing a devastating slam manoeuvre that finishes off the remaining enemies.
It’s a action-packed and stylish sequence, and it establishes a continuity with Hyper Light Drifter, the 2D action RPG that came out in 2016. What’s most incredible, however, is that the final few seconds reveal what Hyper Light Breaker actually looks like: lush with colour, a sprawling alien world to explore, and a main character with blue hair and a long cat’s tail. If anything, it looks better than the hand-animated sequence that came before it.
Here’s the reveal trailer in full:
More information about Hyper Light Breaker is available on the Steam page, which is now up. It’s an open-world game set in a new world called ‘The Overgrowth.’ You’ll be able to play alone or in co-op with friends, and you’ll be exploring both open biomes and procedurally generated labyrinths as you take the fight to the almighty Abyss King.
In between runs, you’ll return to The Settlement, a town where you’ll meet new characters and unlock permanent upgrades. The settlers all have their own stories, and you’ll want to hear them to learn more about the nature of the Overgrowth and how to defeat the Abyss King and his powerful minions.
Hyper Light Breaker does not have a specific release date yet, but developer Heart Machine says it’ll be coming out sometime in 2023.