Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Breaker, the studio’s upcoming follow-up to the beloved and acclaimed Hyper Light Drifter, is soon set for its Early Access launch. Building upon the strengths of the original while expanding to a completely new blend of genres, Hyper Light Breaker seeks to further the world and experience of the first game that captivated so many fans. Hyper Light Breaker will encompass a much grander scale, both in general terms and by introducing co-op gameplay into the mix.
Along with its poignant narrative and striking visuals, Hyper Light Drifter‘s soundtrack was equally acclaimed. As such, Hyper Light Breaker‘s soundscape needed to reflect the second title’s major changes and scope while retaining and evolving the core sensations that the previous audio presentation provided. Hyper Light Breaker‘s composer Troupe Gammage and audio lead Alex Johnson detailed to Game Rant how they approached iterating on and incorporating various techniques to deliver a stylishly organic and arresting audio experience.
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Hyper Light Breaker’s ‘Electronic Maximist’ Style and Sound Design
When asked about Disasterpeace’s iconic soundtrack for Hyper Light Drifter, and if Hyper Light Breaker would be taking a similar approach, Gammage responded by crediting its success due to how well the audiovisual elements complemented each other. In order to keep this element intact while also representing Hyper Light Breaker‘s new direction, Gammage noted that the process for its sound design was reimagined to align with its expanded vision and atmosphere:
“We hope to capture the same ephemeral combination of sights and sounds that made the original game so intoxicating, which means a brand-new aesthetic tailor-made for the 3D open world. I would describe the approach as more “electronic maximalist.'”
How Hyper Light Breaker’s Audio Design Mirrors Players’ Paths Through its World
Johnson explained how Hyper Light Drifter excelled at imparting sensations that made players truly feel its suspense and drama. To help make Hyper Light Breaker an engaging open world to explore, Johnson noted that the team worked to build dynamic sound systems that “emphasized the flow between exploration, combat, and resting” deliberately and organically:
It’s all about moments and mood shifts. As a player, changes in feeling are what stand out, whereas sustained emotion will feel fatiguing. Breaker is set in an open, procedural world, so we made it our goal to leverage that as an advantage.
Another goal for Hyper Light Breaker‘s soundtrack was to maintain the vivid yet grounded nature of the world. To ensure that the soundtrack remains engaging and relevant to the action, Johnson pointed to the team’s focus on several key moments. One example of where its music evokes strong emotions is when players ride up an elevator to enter a new section for the first time, with the soundtrack designed to match the experience.
Hyper Light Breaker’s Soundscape Strives For Believability
Johnson went on to state that many of the sounds in Hyper Light Breaker are meant to resemble those emanating from actual devices and produced by characters within the world. To achieve this, the team made use of modern techniques such as FM synthesis and frequency shifting to produce high-fidelity retro-style sound effects. These elements help bring “clarity and color to the world, and work particularly well in combination to add a feeling of real wear and use.” Expanding on this idea and the emotions that its soundtrack seeks to evoke, Gammage said:
During gameplay in the open world: awe and wonder. This is a game that surprises even the team with its vistas due to the procedural generation. During confined encounters, and in the game’s hub area, we wanted to dig deeply into the culture of the Hyper Light world. What instruments did they make with the technology they had? What voices of the past would still be echoing in the present day?
Through its blend of specific sound techniques tailored to Breaker‘s distinctive art style, Hyper Light Breaker‘s “electronic maximalist” soundtrack seeks to lend its world an accompanying aural authenticity, imparting sensations of joy, discovery, and more to fans as they journey through it.
- Franchise
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Hyper Light
- Developer(s)
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Heart Machine
- Publisher(s)
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Arc Games
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
- Early Access Release
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January 14, 2025