<s>
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2D	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Heart	O
Machine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
pays	O
homage	O
to	O
8-bit	B-Application
and	O
16-bit	B-Application
games	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
considered	O
by	O
its	O
lead	O
developer	O
Alx	O
Preston	O
as	O
a	O
combination	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Preston	O
originally	O
launched	O
Kickstarter	O
funding	O
for	O
the	O
title	O
for	O
approximately	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
title	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
computers	O
,	O
but	O
ended	O
up	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
,	O
allowing	O
him	O
to	O
hire	O
more	O
programmers	O
and	O
artists	O
,	O
and	O
expanding	O
the	O
title	O
for	O
console	O
and	O
portable	O
platforms	O
through	O
stretch	O
goals	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
Linux	B-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
versions	O
were	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
2016	O
,	O
and	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
versions	O
in	O
July	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Special	O
Edition	O
port	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
featuring	O
additional	O
content	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
by	O
Abylight	O
Studios	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
in	O
September	O
2018	O
and	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
in	O
July	O
2019	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2D	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
fashioned	O
after	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
,	O
rendered	O
in	O
a	O
pixel	O
art	O
style	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Preston	O
's	O
goal	O
was	O
to	O
replicate	O
the	O
experience	O
of	O
playing	O
on	O
the	O
SNES	B-Application
,	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
unit	O
had	O
"	O
amazing	O
,	O
almost	O
perfect	O
games	O
designed	O
for	O
limited	O
environments	O
"	O
which	O
he	O
challenged	O
himself	O
to	O
simulate	O
in	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
feature	O
of	O
SNES	B-Application
games	O
that	O
Preston	O
captured	O
is	O
that	O
there	O
is	O
no	O
spoken	O
dialogue	O
,	O
placing	O
more	O
emphasis	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
music	O
and	O
visuals	O
to	O
tell	O
a	O
story	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
is	O
primarily	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
vision	O
of	O
its	O
key	O
developer	O
Alx	O
Preston	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Preston	O
envisioned	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
as	O
a	O
video	O
game	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
"	O
to	O
tell	O
a	O
story	O
 [ he ] 	O
can	O
identify	O
with	O
,	O
expressing	O
something	O
personal	O
to	O
a	O
larger	O
audience	O
,	O
so	O
[	O
he	O
feels ]	O
more	O
connected	O
and	O
have	O
an	O
outlet	O
for	O
the	O
many	O
emotions	O
that	O
crop	O
up	O
around	O
life-altering	O
issues	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
,	O
he	O
had	O
yearned	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
combined	O
the	O
best	O
elements	O
of	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
A	I-Application
Link	I-Application
to	I-Application
the	I-Application
Past	I-Application
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
for	O
many	O
years	O
,	O
which	O
would	O
feature	O
world	O
exploration	O
and	O
combat	O
that	O
required	O
some	O
strategy	O
by	O
the	O
player	O
,	O
depending	O
on	O
foes	O
they	O
faced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Preston	O
originally	O
set	O
out	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Windows	O
,	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
computers	O
and	O
started	O
a	O
Kickstarter	O
campaign	O
in	O
September	O
2013	O
to	O
secure	O
in	O
funding	O
to	O
complete	O
the	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prior	O
to	O
starting	O
the	O
campaign	O
,	O
Preston	O
had	O
secured	O
the	O
help	O
of	O
programmer	O
Beau	O
Blyth	O
who	O
created	O
titles	O
like	O
Samurai	B-Device
Gunn	I-Device
,	O
and	O
musician	O
Disasterpeace	O
,	O
who	O
worked	O
on	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Fez	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
opted	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
game	O
under	O
the	O
studio	O
name	O
Heart	O
Machine	O
as	O
an	O
allegory	O
for	O
the	O
various	O
medical	O
devices	O
he	O
often	O
needs	O
to	O
track	O
his	O
own	O
health	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
use	O
for	O
future	O
projects	O
following	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
encourage	O
additional	O
funding	O
,	O
Preston	O
created	O
new	O
stretch	O
goals	O
,	O
including	O
additional	O
gameplay	O
modes	O
,	O
more	O
bosses	O
and	O
characters	O
,	O
and	O
expanding	O
the	O
release	O
to	O
include	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Vita	O
,	O
the	O
Ouya	B-Application
,	O
and	O
the	O
Wii	O
U	O
consoles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Besides	O
his	O
own	O
team	O
,	O
Preston	O
got	O
frequent	O
help	O
from	O
developers	O
Ben	O
Esposito	O
(	O
Donut	B-Application
County	I-Application
)	O
,	O
Brandon	O
Chung	O
(	O
Blendo	O
Games	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
Ben	O
Vance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
letters	O
influenced	O
Preston	O
to	O
alter	O
the	O
story	O
in	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
as	O
to	O
not	O
make	O
it	O
about	O
a	O
problem	O
facing	O
a	O
single	O
character	O
but	O
something	O
shared	O
by	O
many	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
most	O
recent	O
delay	O
announced	O
in	O
August	O
2015	O
,	O
Heart	O
Machine	O
said	O
that	O
they	O
will	O
plan	O
to	O
release	O
the	O
Windows	O
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
version	O
first	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
versions	O
shortly	O
thereafter	O
once	O
they	O
clear	O
the	O
console	O
certification	O
processes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	O
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
versions	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
March	O
31	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
versions	O
were	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
26	O
,	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2016	O
,	O
Heart	O
Machine	O
revealed	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
contractual	O
issues	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
between	O
Nintendo	O
and	O
YoYo	O
Games	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
the	O
GameMaker	B-Operating_System
:	I-Operating_System
Studio	I-Operating_System
engine	O
,	O
that	O
was	O
beyond	O
their	O
control	O
that	O
may	O
prevent	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
being	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
Wii	O
U	O
,	O
and	O
while	O
they	O
hoped	O
they	O
can	O
offer	O
for	O
this	O
platform	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
,	O
they	O
have	O
considered	O
the	O
Wii	O
U	O
version	O
"	O
in	O
limbo.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Preston	O
cited	O
issues	O
with	O
rebuilding	O
the	O
game	O
from	O
the	O
ground	O
up	O
on	O
these	O
systems	O
due	O
to	O
issues	O
with	O
GameMaker	B-Operating_System
Studio	I-Operating_System
on	O
these	O
platforms	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
it	O
took	O
six	O
months	O
to	O
get	O
the	O
game	O
ported	O
to	O
PlayStation	O
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
Preston	O
's	O
announcement	O
,	O
Abylight	O
Studios	O
got	O
in	O
contact	O
with	O
him	O
to	O
help	O
,	O
which	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
collaboration	O
between	O
Heart	O
Machine	O
and	O
Abylight	O
Studios	O
for	O
an	O
adaptation	O
and	O
publication	O
of	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Abylight	O
Studios	O
worked	O
closely	O
with	O
YoYo	O
Games	O
,	O
the	O
developer	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
development	O
software	O
GameMaker	B-Operating_System
Studio	I-Operating_System
,	O
which	O
was	O
used	O
to	O
create	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
September	O
6	O
,	O
2018	O
,	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
:	O
Special	O
Edition	O
was	O
launched	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
featuring	O
exclusive	O
content	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Tower	O
Climb	O
challenge	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Special	O
Edition	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
with	O
120	O
fps	O
gameplay	O
on	O
iPad	O
Pro	O
and	O
60	O
fps	O
on	O
both	O
iPhone	O
and	O
iPad	O
,	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
25	O
,	O
2019	O
.	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
:	O
Special	O
Edition	O
Collector	O
's	O
Set	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
,	O
which	O
includes	O
the	O
physical	O
copy	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
other	O
collectible	O
items	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
for	O
pre-order	O
by	O
Abylight	O
Studios	O
in	O
December	O
2020	O
and	O
started	O
shipment	O
in	O
January	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
received	O
critical	O
acclaim	O
,	O
holding	O
a	O
score	O
of	O
84/100	O
at	O
the	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Heart	O
Machine	O
's	O
next	O
game	O
,	O
Solar	B-Application
Ash	I-Application
(	O
originally	O
announced	O
as	O
Solar	B-Application
Ash	I-Application
Kingdom	I-Application
)	O
,	O
was	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
universe	O
as	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
though	O
not	O
as	O
a	O
direct	O
sequel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Annapurna	O
Interactive	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
5	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
PCs	I-Application
in	O
December	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
another	O
follow-up	O
game	O
that	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
universe	O
as	O
the	O
other	O
games	O
but	O
is	O
also	O
not	O
a	O
sequel	O
titled	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Breaker	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Drifter	O
is	O
a	O
playable	O
character	O
in	O
the	O
games	O
Runbow	B-Application
and	O
Brawlout	B-Application
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
in	O
the	O
upcoming	O
game	O
Hex	B-Operating_System
Heroes	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
is	O
also	O
featured	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
clothing	O
options	O
for	O
Travis	O
Touchdown	O
in	O
Travis	B-Application
Strikes	I-Application
Again	I-Application
:	I-Application
No	I-Application
More	I-Application
Heroes	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
limited	O
animated	O
television	O
series	O
based	O
on	O
Hyper	B-Application
Light	I-Application
Drifter	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
March	O
2019	O
by	O
Preston	O
and	O
Adi	O
Shankar	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
helped	O
led	O
adaptions	O
of	O
current	O
Castlevania	O
and	O
planned	O
Devil	B-Application
May	I-Application
Cry	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
