Back in 2016, it seemed like Hyper Light Drifter hit the scene at exactly the right moment. Indie games were carving out their own niche in the gaming landscape, and that year was a blockbuster one for indie titles. We saw major hits like Firewatch, The Witness, Inside, Cuphead, Enter the Gungeon, Darkest Dungeon, and even Stardew Valley making waves. Thinking back, 2016 really could be dubbed the year of the indie game! Just a couple of years prior, we had memorable gems such as Her Story, Undertale, Downwell, Soma, Octodad, and Shovel Knight.
One of the key features you’d notice about these games, compared to many indie releases today, is their strong focus on offering a singular experience. Sure, Stardew Valley includes a co-op mode, but the underlying design of most of these games was for solo play. This is a stark contrast to the current trend of small-scale live-service titles, roguelikes, and other games crafted for endless play.
Thinking back on these titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter, all of which are about a decade old now, it’s fascinating how its sequel, Hyper Light Breaker, highlights the shift in the gaming world over that time. The original Kickstarter campaign for Drifter drew people in with its blend of modern pixel art, a captivating synth soundtrack, and an intriguing world to explore. The final product didn’t disappoint, immersing players in a narrative they had to piece together themselves.
Hyper Light Drifter centered on intense combat and immersive world-building, untouched by today’s game industry trends. Now, with Steam flooded by developers competing to be the next standout hit, few new releases offer that well-rounded, self-contained experience. Multiplayer games have exploded in popularity, live-service models have become commonplace (albeit with mixed success), and roguelikes are everywhere. With economic pressures, designing a game that players can enjoy endlessly makes sense to retain sales. The few indie teams with bigger names and resources can still dive into single-player adventures inspired by classics like JRPGs or Zelda.
Given this landscape, it’s understandable why Heart Machine is venturing into the roguelike terrain with their next project. They’ve expanded upon the universe of Drifter with a game likely to include live-service elements encouraging players to return for more. As of now, it’s hard to say if this gamble will pay off. The game is still in early access, with its core mechanics just beginning to take shape. While the 3D adaptation of Drifter’s challenging combat is impressive, there’s room for enhancement through future updates.
Heart Machine isn’t alone in this approach. Consider FromSoftware’s upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign, a roguelike featuring procedurally generated maps and epic boss battles. This similarity underscores how much the industry has evolved in ten years.
Does this shift make me nostalgic? Definitely, a bit. There are still developers out there releasing games with that old-school indie charm, and there’s arguably more of them than ever. Yet, they’re in a constant struggle for visibility in a market saturated with games offering endless replayability—those stand a better chance of staying afloat. Discoverability has become another hurdle developers now face.
It’s no shock that the gaming industry has undergone significant change over the past decade. Hyper Light Breaker has been a tangible reminder of just how much the landscape has shifted. I’m not here to pass judgment, but I sincerely hope Heart Machine’s vision finds success. Given time to refine through early access, they might just have something extraordinary on their hands.
