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Featuring a beautiful art-style and sound design, one of the hallmark aspects of Hyper Light Drifter is its harrowing atmosphere and the sense of isolation that develops as the player explores its brutal post-apocalyptic landscape. The developers have cited Legend of Zelda and Diablo as major inspirations, although one could certainly reference Metroid and Dark Souls as similar minimalist experiences. Hyper Light Drifter is a top-down, action-adventure game. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants to experience the best that the NES-style has to offer. The result is a game that some have referred to as a sort of “rose-tinted” retro game - a game that has all the trappings of the classics many remember so fondly while not being bogged down by the hardware limitations or poor design choices of yesteryear that our nostalgic memories tend to gloss over.įar more than being a simple rip-off or nostalgia cash-grab, Shovel Knight fuses the design elements of many of the greatest games of the NES-era into a truly unique and memorable experience. You play as the titular Shovel Knight in a side-scrolling action adventure game that draws inspiration from titles such as Mega Man, Zelda II, Castlevania, and Super Mario Bros.Īlthough not exactly constraining themselves to the hardware limitations of the NES, the developers of Shovel Knight were able to achieve a high level of retro-authenticity by approaching the game’s faux-NES design with textbook-like precision. Shovel Knight is an 8-bit action game fashioned in the style and gameplay of NES-era classics.
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