Early in my interview with Alx Preston, founder and creative director at Heart Machine, he corrects me on an important detail about Hyper Light Breaker. I’d spent the first few minutes referring to it as a sequel, but he clarifies, "It’s not Hyper Light Drifter 2. It’s a follow-up, meaning that it’s an installment in the franchise of Hyper Light. So it’s a different game, different protagonists, different gameplay." After getting the chance to learn more about the game and see it in action, this distinction makes a lot of sense. For me to call it a sequel was misleading, given how different the games look and play.
Breaker is a 3D rogue-lite with a strong emphasis on multiplayer. Players explore an area called the Overgrowth, collect weapons and gear, and fight off monsters. And though the first Hyper Light game had a fixed protagonist with a focused narrative, Breaker allows players to create and customize their own warrior, known in this world as Breakers. It’s a completely new direction – one the team is clearly excited about.