Hyper Light Breaker slash-dashes its way into early access in January

On Wednesday, Heart Machine revealed that Hyper Light Breaker, the studio’s upcoming roguelike adventure game set in the universe of 2016’s Hyper Light Drifter, will launch into early access on Steam on Jan. 14, 2025. The release date was announced in a new trailer that debuted during the annual Day of the Devs: The Game Awards Edition. The early access version of the game will cost $29.99 at launch.

Published by Arc Games, Hyper Light Breaker is a co-op open-world roguelike where players assume the role of a “Breaker,” a warrior charged with rebuilding civilization in the wake of cataclysmic war. Breakers will explore ruins in the procedurally generated world known as the Overgrowth, recovering secrets and battling against the Crowns, a mysterious order of enemies led by the Abyss King, an adversary of untold strength and malevolence.

Though it’s set in the universe of Hyper Light Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker takes place several decades before the events of that game and is intended to function as a stand-alone experience. The game features no spoken dialogue, with nonplayable characters instead communicating objectives through comic book panels, similarly to Hyper Light Drifter. As previously announced, Hyper Light Breaker is also the first 3D game set in the Hyper Light universe, which until now was best known for its 2D pixel art style.

Heart Machine promises that Hyper Light Breaker will retain the breakneck combat and difficulty of its predecessor, forcing players to strategize and work together to overcome enemies and obstacles. Every time you die, the Overgrowth is regenerated, so you’ll never explore the exact same game world twice. This feature is common for most roguelikes, but a first for a game set in the Hyper Light universe.

Hyper Light Breaker will continue to be supported beyond its initial early access launch, with Heart Machine adding new Breakers for players to choose from, as well as additional bosses, weapons, and other content over the course of the following year. Players will be actively involved in the course of the game’s development, with the developers regularly soliciting feedback and fielding questions via Hyper Light Breaker’s forums and Discord.