Just posted. One of the best indies available on PS4 is making its way to physical through IAm8bit. Only 9,000 copies are being printed so supplies are incredibly limited! I know I just ordered mine a few minutes ago. Anyone longing for a modern take on the 16-bit era of RPGs will fall in love with this games unique atmosphere and souls borne level of difficulty. Pick it up while you have a chance! The physical release includes
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Includes:
+ Reversible Cover w/ Gold Foil
+ Retro-Style Instruction Manual
+ Fold-Out World Map
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Region Free - Worldwide PS4 Compatibility
Blurb about the developer:
Hyper Light Drifter is primarily based on the vision of its key developer, Alex Preston. Preston had been born with congenital heart disease, and throughout his life has been hospitalized with digestive and immune-system issues relating to this condition.[6] While in college, Preston had used the mediums of painting and film to illustrate his experiences with frail health and near-death conditions.[6]
Preston envisioned Hyper Light Drifter as a video game as a means "to tell a story [he] can identify with, expressing something personal to a larger audience, so [he feels] more connected and have an outlet for the many emotions that crop up around life-altering issues".[6] Further, he had yearned to develop a game that combined the best elements of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Diablo for many years, which would feature world exploration and combat that required some strategy by the player depending on foes they faced. After several years of being an animator, he felt he could do so in 2013.[7] The theme and story for the game, featuring a protagonist suffering from a terminal disease, is meant as a metaphor for his own health.[6][8]
Preston originally set out to make the game for Windows, OS X, and Linux computers, and started a Kickstarter campaign in September 2013 to secure US$27,000 in funding to complete the title. Prior to starting the campaign, Preston had secured the help of programmer Beau Blyth who created titles like Samurai Gunn, and musician Disasterpeace, who worked on the music for Fez.[9] He opted to develop the game under the studio name Heart Machine as an allegory for the various medical devices he often needs to track his own health, and to use for future projects following Hyper Light Drifter.[6]
The project funding was exceeded in a day, and quickly grew over US$100,000 within a few days of its launch.[9] To encourage additional funding, Preston created new stretch goals, including additional game play modes, more bosses and characters, and expanding the release to include the PlayStation 4 and Vita, the Ouya, and the Wii U consoles. These goals were all met by the completion of the campaign, with more than US$640,000raised.[10] Preston stated that he had had these additional platforms in mind when first launching the Kickstarter, but did not want to overpromise what he felt he could deliver.[7] The additional funds have helped Preston hire additional developers to aid in porting the game to these additional consoles.[7]
