Getting the upgrade abilities added variety to the gameplay, but once I mastered them it actually made the other zones easier. Unfortunately, the game didn't deliver on this.
The first area I did was the East, and after going through it I thought the combat was amazing, and couldn't wait to see how I have to use the mechanics to overcome the game's future challenges. Three of the four main areas are accessible from the beginning, which sounds great, as its gives you more freedom to explore, but it also meant that these areas have to be of a similar difficulty.
This made me wonder, did the people who dismissed the game attempt to explore the game's depth and get better at it? Or did they just get surrounded and insta-killed a few times before giving up? It is easy to think that a game is too hard when you can die quickly, but that would only be unfair if it were incredibly difficult to avoid those situations as explained above, HLD gives you plenty of opportunities to kill enemies while avoiding danger.Īnother thing that likely affected the difficulty curve of the game is the way they world is laid out. For example, the attack + dash upgrade can go through multiple enemies if they are lined up, and the dash + attack upgrade does extra damage if it pins an enemy against the wall. I have to say, I really appreciate the upgrades, as instead of increasing the damage of your weapon, they actually add more depth to existing mechanics, and require skill to use. With a combination of grenades, the upgrade abilities and your gun, you can easily dispatch multiple enemies while keeping yourself safe. The difference is that in HLD you are much more mobile, making it easier to escape those situations. In that sense, it is somewhat like Dark Souls 2, where you are often ganged up on by mobs. Since HLD is mainly about fighting groups of enemies, you can die very quickly if you get surrounded. Meanwhile, HLD is very generous with health pickups, so in each encounter your only concern is to simply not die, as you know that if you take damage you will find a health pack after the battle. Because of this, you go through the level trying to get hit as little as possible, so you can reach the boss with enough estus to succeed. Also, in Dark Souls and Dark Souls 3, the main way to heal is with the estus flask, which is recharged at bonfires. Because of this, I think that the strength of Dark Souls is in it's one on one fighting, while HLD is at its best when you are outnumbered. In HLD, most enemies have have one, maybe two attacks, and there are a lot less variables to consider when fighting one enemy. You have to factor in the limitations of your character, and how long it takes them to punish an enemy or get out of danger. In a Souls game, most enemies have multiple attacks which have to be reacted to and dealt with in different ways. The comparisons to the Souls games are common, and I initially thought they are similar, but soon realised they are not. In comparison, the last boss of Hyper Light Drifter took me two tries. For example, the last boss of Bloodborne: The Old Hunters took me about seven hours of non-stop attempts to beat. I died quite a lot during my playthrough, but I never felt like I ever hit a wall as I have in some other games. Points are often knocked off from review scores thanks to the challenge, and I'm sure it has turned off some players from buying HLD. What concerns me is how people have reacted to the difficulty of the game. Most importantly, the game was fun blasting enemies at range with your gun, before running in to slash with your sword and recharge your ammo, all while using the dash to dodge and reposition feels fast paced and dynamic. I'm not sure what I think of the story, but I'm happy it wasn't told through boring exposition from unlikeable characters. I loved the music, the art style, and the ambience.
I just completed HLD, finding most of the secrets along the way.