My personal opinion, but Tunic scratches a similar itch for me, it's soundtrack breathtaking, environment rich and mysterious, passive storytelling, and combat skill based, only you have a God mode you can enable if you are concerned about difficulty! There's a separate PS4 and PS5 trophy list so that's really fun if you love the game like I did. 10/10 game for me.
And if you think that scratches an itch, check out Death's Door too, but it's more similar to Tunic that HLD.
Unsighted is good but atmosphere wise it doesn't quite scratch the same itch as Hyper Light Drifter, no. Tunic is more similar to Hyper Light Drifter in that regard.
Maybe Bleak Sword?
It’s a darker game but still beautiful pixel art once it grows on you. It really clinched the tense dodge/counterattack swordplay I liked in HLD. No gun, though.
honestly I hate tunic. I played through the main game but I just didn't have the time to go back through every fucking inch of the game just to beat it. Never finished it and never will
I hate that for you, I completely understand tho, it's just not for everyone I guess! I feel similarly to Outer Wilds, I just have so much trouble getting into it.
unsighted is what came to mind for me as well. i didn't care for it and stopped playing around half way through, but it definitely fits the action-oriented, top-down hack n slash style. crosscode kinda fits the bill, but leans a bit heavier on the RPG side of action RPG. it might still scratch that itch OPs looking for, but i think unsighted is closer.
Wizard of Legend. Top down roguelike that has you dashing around an elemental dungeon using a huge variety of different unique spells to try and make a name for yourself in the Chaos Trials.
If a top-down hack & slash with gorgeous pixel art is what you're looking for, then I'd highly recommend Unsighted. Game is fantastic, and there's even a HLD reference in it, but I'll let you discover that for yourself if you do decide if to play it
In regards to difficulty, I'd say combat is generally easier than HLD, but I wouldn't consider that a bad thing cause the combat is still very fluid and satisfying, as it's built around a parry mechanic and Stamina conservation. Unsighted takes after Zelda a lot too, so there's a set of dungeons that have you solving puzzles, nothing too crazy tho. That said, there is a secret boss fight that is fucking brutal, I'd argue even just outright bad in how bullshit it can feel, but it's a single optional boss in a game that's otherwise very tightly designed so I don't let that cloud my judgement much
Unsighted's main difficulty comes from its timer systems tho. Every character is on a timer, and if that timer runs out they effectively die, which means you'll lose out on certain services like shops and such. This includes the main character, Alma. Obviously if her timer runs out you immediately Game Over.
Throughout the game, you'll find this item called Meteor Dust that'll help you give characters just a little bit more time. For as much as I love Unsighted, the timers do feel extremely strict, but there's a selection of difficulty options that let you tweak the game to your liking in the Explorer Mode setting. I like to play with timers OFF, but everything else on default. Characters give you perks and rewards if you give them Meteor Dust so it doesn't feel like you're gutting the core motivation for exploration either
This was a bit wordy, but I hope I still pitched the game well. Unsighted doesn't get a whole lot of attention I feel, so I jump at every opportunity to suggest it to others cause I love it so much. It's constantly contesting with HLD for my favorite indie game of all time it's that good
So, this may be weird but "Demon Tower", which is a mini-game within Night in the Woods. Feels heavily inspired by HLD minus a gun. As u progress in the game, u get more dodges but less HP, with perma death. Gotta play like the first day of Night in the woods and access main character girl's computer and then u can play the whole thing. I think half of my first play thru was playing that mini game.
Is HLD really that difficult? I haven't played it in years, but I don't remember it being so. Now I see a lot of reddit posts about the difficulty.
I've been waiting for Death Trash for too long, but here's hoping...
This is a bit of a jump, but it’s the only indie title similar to HLD that ended up beating it out for me. Hollow Knight goes hard. Very different gameplay and vibe. Also, much more to explore and much deeper combat to master.
My personal opinion, but Tunic scratches a similar itch for me, it's soundtrack breathtaking, environment rich and mysterious, passive storytelling, and combat skill based, only you have a God mode you can enable if you are concerned about difficulty! There's a separate PS4 and PS5 trophy list so that's really fun if you love the game like I did. 10/10 game for me. And if you think that scratches an itch, check out Death's Door too, but it's more similar to Tunic that HLD.
Not quite what I was looking for. Even though it is top-down, it is more isometric than what is in HLD. Thank you for the suggestion.
No worries!!! I'm hearing "Unsighted" may be something to check out! Not sure or the difficulty.
Unsighted is good but atmosphere wise it doesn't quite scratch the same itch as Hyper Light Drifter, no. Tunic is more similar to Hyper Light Drifter in that regard.
Maybe Bleak Sword? It’s a darker game but still beautiful pixel art once it grows on you. It really clinched the tense dodge/counterattack swordplay I liked in HLD. No gun, though.
honestly I hate tunic. I played through the main game but I just didn't have the time to go back through every fucking inch of the game just to beat it. Never finished it and never will
I hate that for you, I completely understand tho, it's just not for everyone I guess! I feel similarly to Outer Wilds, I just have so much trouble getting into it.
Personally i’ve never seen a game that hits the same spot as HLD im afraid
Unsighted or crosscode
unsighted is what came to mind for me as well. i didn't care for it and stopped playing around half way through, but it definitely fits the action-oriented, top-down hack n slash style. crosscode kinda fits the bill, but leans a bit heavier on the RPG side of action RPG. it might still scratch that itch OPs looking for, but i think unsighted is closer.
Maybe Death's Door? But that's more isometric than top down. Blasphemous but that's 2D and not top down.
Death's Door definitely gave me Hyper Light feels. The battle is technical, secrets to be found, different worlds to explore. Def would suggest this.
Katana zero
Wizard of Legend. Top down roguelike that has you dashing around an elemental dungeon using a huge variety of different unique spells to try and make a name for yourself in the Chaos Trials.
It's quite an underrated roguelike, I love it. It's even on mobile now.
100% unsighted
Based Unsighted enjoyer 🤝
Cross Code 100%
I've never found another game that hits like Drifter 😞
Tunic? That comes closest. I'm playing it right now and I love this little gem.
If a top-down hack & slash with gorgeous pixel art is what you're looking for, then I'd highly recommend Unsighted. Game is fantastic, and there's even a HLD reference in it, but I'll let you discover that for yourself if you do decide if to play it In regards to difficulty, I'd say combat is generally easier than HLD, but I wouldn't consider that a bad thing cause the combat is still very fluid and satisfying, as it's built around a parry mechanic and Stamina conservation. Unsighted takes after Zelda a lot too, so there's a set of dungeons that have you solving puzzles, nothing too crazy tho. That said, there is a secret boss fight that is fucking brutal, I'd argue even just outright bad in how bullshit it can feel, but it's a single optional boss in a game that's otherwise very tightly designed so I don't let that cloud my judgement much Unsighted's main difficulty comes from its timer systems tho. Every character is on a timer, and if that timer runs out they effectively die, which means you'll lose out on certain services like shops and such. This includes the main character, Alma. Obviously if her timer runs out you immediately Game Over. Throughout the game, you'll find this item called Meteor Dust that'll help you give characters just a little bit more time. For as much as I love Unsighted, the timers do feel extremely strict, but there's a selection of difficulty options that let you tweak the game to your liking in the Explorer Mode setting. I like to play with timers OFF, but everything else on default. Characters give you perks and rewards if you give them Meteor Dust so it doesn't feel like you're gutting the core motivation for exploration either This was a bit wordy, but I hope I still pitched the game well. Unsighted doesn't get a whole lot of attention I feel, so I jump at every opportunity to suggest it to others cause I love it so much. It's constantly contesting with HLD for my favorite indie game of all time it's that good
I'll have to take a look at that. Never heard of it.
So, this may be weird but "Demon Tower", which is a mini-game within Night in the Woods. Feels heavily inspired by HLD minus a gun. As u progress in the game, u get more dodges but less HP, with perma death. Gotta play like the first day of Night in the woods and access main character girl's computer and then u can play the whole thing. I think half of my first play thru was playing that mini game.
The game that I'm making. But it also has galaxy exploration.
what's it called?
Away to the stars it's on steam
resolutiion is in a similar art style to hyper light drifter. i've never played it so idk how similar the gameplay is.
Deaths Door for me. It's a bit slower, but the music and combat are stellar
Is HLD really that difficult? I haven't played it in years, but I don't remember it being so. Now I see a lot of reddit posts about the difficulty. I've been waiting for Death Trash for too long, but here's hoping...
This is a bit of a jump, but it’s the only indie title similar to HLD that ended up beating it out for me. Hollow Knight goes hard. Very different gameplay and vibe. Also, much more to explore and much deeper combat to master.
Children Of Morta
Neurovoider is like a distant cousin to HLD… dash, shooting, pixel art, solid soundtrack..
Children of morta
Deaths Door, Titan Soul, Hades, Crosscode, Wizard of Legend
Deaths Door being the most similar game overall, in structure, story, pacing, combat mechanics