As a fan of roguelikes and roguelites, I slashed my way through the first half of the game without much interest in the lore, but once I reached the giant pulsating heart in the southern cave, something clicked. I realized this game probably had something beneath the surface that deserved to be looked at. As I went back into each area to collect secrets I missed, I started to notice how every single pixel seemed to have been placed there for a reason. It was then that I started reading theories on the internet about the lore, but none really satisfied me, until I found yours. At first, I thought the game was a metaphor of human history, from prehistoric brutality in the East, antique knowledge and rituals in the North, honour and martial prowess of the Middle Ages in the West, and finally technology and innovation in the South. Your essay is fantastic. This game has changed my perception of video games, and shown me that they, too, can be true art. This did not feel like 55 minutes.
It makes me so happy to hear that you got that feeling too! I knew that there was something more to this game, but I couldn’t find anybody else really talking about anything but the story itself. That’s why I knew I had to make this video! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
wow, that's symbolic that you have pfp from Rain World, which is another beautiful game with deep lore and meaning love your comment, also both of these games
@@jodiu13 Ah, very much so. Discovered Rain World in the peaks of the pandemic, and it's been special to me ever since. It bewilders me that it's actually a popular game now, it used to have less than a thousand steam reviews a year after its launch. The owner of this channel's video style would probably be really appropriate for Rain World...
Legiondude It was a catch I had while getting footage for the video, and I had to verify it on the wiki to be sure. Needless to say, it fit right into the themes already present, and made the analysis much more cohesive!
@@SHConsoli It's actually maybe not accurate, though, as has been revealed as of late with the revelation that the species called "Blu" that will appear in Hyper Light Breaker is the Drifter's species, a blue furred feline species, and they come from a different continent entirely, the Northern Realms which is to the northwest of the Land of Light (the country/continent in HLD. Doesn't mean the Blu weren't involved in some bad shit. But... since Dirks are shown to be made from the Blu in the vats in the Wastes to the south, it is possible that this is why they hate them truly. They are very much a natural and not artifical species, though! It is possible that the Blu specimen that we see were fighting, trapped in the crystals, or the ones in the vats to the south, were doing htis to themselves, were willing to be experimented on and used, or were forced somehow to do everything. Maybe the bodies in the vats becoming the Dirks were actually dead corpses though. But they were 100% not an artificially created people, and we finally know that for sure. It's canon that they weren't.
Ok what is some random with 10 subs doing making such high quality video essays. I wasn't expecting much when I clicked the video but you put my prejudgements down almost immediately. Amazing video.
@@SHConsoli hey i loved your analysis! small bit of information i just gathered. correct me if im wrong but the frogs are ninjas (japanese myth based. the raccoons could be tanukis. the birds could be tengu as they have a MASSIVE involvement in buddism and the "corruption" of buddist values and the loss of enlightenment/ascension halted. otters are also huge in japanese myth. the only ones i dont have much for is the lizards of the south. and goblins are a common misnomer for oni. oni are anti human/ningensei. and anubis and okami (literally wolves) are represented as messengers of gods or even gods of the mountain. titans reminded me of the colossal skeleton yokai gashadokuro which are from fallen soldiers tormented by their death.
As someone who has lived without fear of death for a while now, I do have one fear that persists: the fear of pain. This game truly reflected my views on death, but I have yet to make peace with my fear of pain. Perhaps that merely means that I am destined to find some expression of this fear. Some way of understanding it that will let me see the light. As I reflect on this, I remember that all people have their own fears, their own demons. Alex Preston and many others have the fear of death. Some have the fear of abandonment. Others have a fear of the unknown or nothingness. But my fear is merely the fear of the pain itself. To live beyond such a existential felling would be true bliss in my eyes. I just need to find the right path before death's clock counts down to nothing. I might be the one who needs to find that path myself. PS: I have now told all of my friends about this video essay. I hope this video and this game go mainstream someday.
One of my favorite things about the ending scene are the songs that play. Chimera, the boss theme, and Panacea, the credits. A chimera is a wish, a goal, a desire, that despite your best efforts, is impossible to achieve. Your fight with judgement is fighting your fear of death, coming to terms with the fact that you cannot live forever. Conversely, Panacea means a magical cure, the ultimate pill, an escape from mortality. And while the drifter never gets to live forever, he is cured of something. That which was causing him pain the whole time. Not death, which was always on the horizon. But the fear of it, that has haunted him in his journey.
Death makes people react in different ways, and your interpretation of these diverse responses in the game is really powerful. I thoroughly loved it. I never thought about the negative impact of living in a death ignorant society, represented by the town, because I either didn't approach that npc or didn't think much of their story. Moderation is a powerful message, one that should be taken to heart no matter the response you feel comfortable with. Hope this video helps people see other sides of coping, and learning to manage these sides.
It’s overall a very powerful message, and a huge part of why I loved the game so much. It changed a large part of my outlook on life and death, and maybe even helped me come to terms with that eventuality. Hyper Light Drifter is just such a beautiful game.
I can’t express how much it means to me that you have recommended my video to others. I make content to express my thoughts and to make videos that I personally enjoy... the fact that others are able to share in my delight makes me very happy :)
god.. someone finally put this into words.. this is probably the best hyper light lore video I've ever watched, the way you've explained it and the way you presented it does so much justice to the wordless story here. But by god you're as right as anyone can be that this game is fucking beautiful. This showed me alot about a story I thought I had figured out!
And honestly it's odd in a really interesting way. I found out about and got into this game this year, and I think we all know how absolutely insane this year has been. But a game about accepting what can't be stopped, no matter how difficult.. I don't find that to be a coincidence. When I was first starting to hear about the state of the world and how... terrifying and chaotic it is and has been, it was incredibly frustrating and scary. It felt like and at times still feels like the apocalypse is coming closer and closer and that I wasn't doing anything to help it. But where I can do some things, I can't do everything. No one really can. Death can't be stopped, and neither can the wrath of this shit year. So why not make the most of it? Sorry for the long paragraph lol this video might've made me very emotional lmao.
StuartisUnoriginal Remember that you still have the right to your own interpretation, and that just because I have found mine, it doesn’t necessarily make yours wrong. It’s what makes HLD’s storytelling so incredible!
I've also just finished writing my own article about the use of the tarots inside this game. We have written so much things in common. I love how people still thinks about this game in search of meanings and interpretations. I tried to give interpretation to every single tarot card given (plus the Hermit, the name of the toad-like boss in the eastern region. I assume his name is "the Hermit" because the fighting theme track is named "the Hermit". -The Magician (The Drifter): the tarot of "beginning" which refers to something that is about to begin a journey. The Magician is related to someone who is in search of something but is far from achieving it (in this case, the cure) -The Hierophant represents the need to dominate both spirit and matter which leads to some sort of inner strenght (both physical and mental) to keep fighting against the disease -The Hermit an old man who knows the life adversities which might represent the need to face an incoming crysis in order to achieve wisdom from it -The Hanged Man the stasis and the fear of suffering which leads to inability. maybe this tarot refers to the crystal containing warriors in the western area and both the fact the boss is a warrior which keeps fighting as the war never ended, enhancing the meaning of stasis and stillness to a sort of "inner block" -The Tower both represents the ruin and the existance of multiple solutions or, to be more precise, multiple aspects of the same issue. It could be connected to the illness of the protagonist and both the true meaning of the story: the problem is not about dying but the fear of death -Judgement the end of a perilous and sorrowful journey leads to rebirth and enlightenment. The end of the story, the nucleus of narration: defeat the fear of death and you will achieve what you need to know all along. Judgement means also the right to fight for existence because (i'll quote what Jorodowski written in his book about the tarots): "this tarots expresses how everyone who is born is desired by divinity, who allowed everyone to be created" and by that we are allowed to struggle and keep fighting. I hope this is not too much, because sometimes i feel i may have put too much of my own interpretation into the game. I hope also this could be useful to someone as a reading of this beautiful game we love i also love how much effort you put in this. You've done an amazing job
this video has genuinely helped me understand why i've had an emotional connection with this title for the last few years. the idea of death has always made me panic, even to this day I find a way to look past death, even if my life is not inherently in danger, it looms over me. the journey to acceptance of ones fate and achieving catharsis has a peaceful end to it, but reaching that point is not a walk down the yellow brick road. Alex Preston really has made a masterpiece, and this video compliments the art piece that is Hyper Light Drifter, thank you.
This is the most beautiful analysis I've ever seen. Because game can be interpreted differently by everyone, it's always interesting to see others perspective. I myself never had put so much emphasis on Death in the game, even though the players first goal is to find a cure.
I love this. This is so, so well written and composed together. I missed out entirely on the whole "north/east/west/south approaches to cope with the threat of death" narrative. I mean, you said that the visuals can be interpreted in many ways, but I think with the writing on the monoliths saying what it says and the way four titans were defeated, it fits very well.
ニルディバエワジャミラ Thank you so much! I’m glad that you’re still making sure to apply your own thoughts and reasoning to this, I love seeing the analysis that Hyper Light Drifter inspires!
@@SHConsoli oh, I meant that I missed out on it in the _game_ . My phrasing was kinda confusing. Previously I didn't see the unique ways the titans were defeated as the symbolic manifestation of each region's fight against the fear of death. You provided some plausible new theory on that, and I'm totally buying it.
I love not only this analysis but the passion behind it. This game impacted you so much that you made a UA-cam account just to talk about it, and without knowing whether anyone would see it, you created an incredibly well crafted hour long essay. Bravo, sir. You just earned yourself a subscriber.
Hey Harrison I rarely comment on any video, but I felt like I should do here. I played this game when I was younger (2018 I believe) and this game didn't make much sense back then. Now that I've been diagnosticated with a chronic disease, not severe like how the game creator's disease is, but still shortens my lifespan, this analysis (or art) hit HARD. Thanks for making this video
I have something to add though. In the war with the titans, the "blues" were also on the titans side. The "blues" are the species the drifter is part of. And the racoon folk in the west (aswell as the central townfolk saw the dude that is now drinking in an alley) propably sees the drifter as an enemy out of the time . As the racoons are frozen, still with the mindset of war, they can only respond with aggression to the drifter, who is a "blue". The townsfolk doesn't react to the drifter as it did to the now drinking dude because the guardian (or pink drifter) brought him into the town. Propably. But I haven't seen the whole video yet. But still loving it. I will propably write more comments. There is also a Tarot-approach to this game and I couldn't do it because my knowlege of Tarot is... small. But a lot of characters in the game represent Tarot characters and there is a lot of meaning behind that to be found aswell! Please look into it! The Drifter, thus, is supposed to be "The Magician". I always thought that the drunkard might be "The fool" but... that's all my humble opinion.
Wow, you did a really good job with this video. It explains everything quite well, and brings up meanings behind things I never would have thought of. Also dude, "a long and hard fought battle"? You defeated Judgement in like 20 seconds.
As HLD easily being my all time favourite game, your video has helped me learn so so so much more about wtf was actually going on and brings a weird sense of closure and resolution to everything I felt, learnt and experienced while playing this game. While HLD was Alex Preston and Heart Machines' labour of love in its highest form, I feel that same sense of conviction and devotion to the game through this video. From the art style to Disasterpeace's sublime score (The Gauntlet being an absolute marvel and masterpiece (sic) of emotional expression) this game and its world mean more to me than any other form of art ever could. Many thanks to you for succinctly and thoughtfully giving us fans this video that helps us make sense of so much that we may have missed in the adrenaline rush of embodying the Drifter through our playthroughs. Long live such Indie phenomenons and as a die-hard fan of the medium of video games, one can only hope that the AAA games industry will one day bring as much 'HEART' (sic) to main stream gaming as this small, indie upstart of a studio (Heart Machine) crammed into what can only be described as one of the most sublime experience of gaming I have ever had. These platitudes to their work ring hollow without the context and knowledge that your video adds to everything HLD, at least to this hopeless, blinded fanboy. May the passion of you and such creators (like Heart Machine, Disasterpiece and you) forever be remembered as testament to what Video Games can actually mean to the Human Experience. From the deepest depths of my heart , thank you to Anyone who played a creative, explanatory (academic) and experiential (read played) role in the all things Hyper Light Drifter. HLD is the highest blessing and boon to us mere mortals.
I find myself coming back to this video time and time again. In my eyes, Hyper Light Drifter is revolutionary in game craft. It’s themes, music, and visual storytelling are all nailed perfectly. It also conveys the emotions it wants to, no matter the interpretation of its meaning. Your analysis is extremely well-spoken and insightful. Keep it up with the amazing content. You deserve every good opportunity that comes to you.
9 months ago, I had an ECG and was unofficially diagnosed with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. The disease itself is by no means terminal, and it's generally fairly harmless. I was told to come back for another ECG in 6 months to verify my diagnosis. At first I was okay, it wasn't a serious condition and I'm still young, so even if my chance of heartattack or stroke was higher than usual, I was still mostly safe. A few months in though, it started to stress me out. I began researching the condition on a whim, and it began to scare me. After maybe 4 months I developed a serious fear of death. I never wanted to go to sleep for fear that I would have a heartattack and never wake up. I never planned too far ahead because I thought I wouldn't live to grow older and see the future. Worst of all I didn't feel supported by my family, or most of my friends. After 6 months had passed, I was unable to book my next ECG because of COVID issues and whatnot, and I only just managed to get another one 2 weeks ago. My results came back and revealed that I am heart-condition free. I saw this video pop up in my recommended and thought I'd watch a little bit of it to see your interpretation as I've always been curious about the lore. The intro immediately hooked me as you described a metaphor that was almost woven 1-1 with my own experience. After watching it I can honestly say I wish I had seen it maybe 4 months ago, when I started to get really stressed. The main metaphor of the Drifter fits almost perfectly with my experience to the point that I was starting to tear up. I'm infinitely grateful that I'm healthy now but those 9 months of waiting and stress, while trying to cope with the possibility of death were so difficult that I'm very happy to learn that one of my favourite games very well could be a metaphor to that experience. Thank you for this incredible video 2 years ago, I'm very thankful to have watched it.
My god this video was so interesting that I didn't realize it was 55 min long. I'll watch the rest later but very good video, you put all the pieces together, I really hope you get more views because good essays like that always deserves it
DoublePounch I appreciate your support! It means a lot to me that people can enjoy my creations, especially when it’s about incredible games like this one.
I adore the game, but your video boosted that to a whole new level. Thank you so much for this insightful video essay. I was captivated for the duration, because your narration and the video edit was impeccable. I hope you continue to publish such essays in the future.
I'm a bit late to the party on this one, lol. I played this game about a year and a half ago, when I was going through a really rough spot in my life. I'm really not the best when it comes to figuring out lore, or the message or meaning behind abstract work, but by the end of the game It really struck me, it hit me somewhere so deep and personal that I didn't even know it existed until I played this game. Even still, my own interpretation was vague and lacking. But seeing this video all this time later, it brings back those feelings. I love this game so very much, and I love your perspective and interpretation of the events of it. Thank you for making this video on such a beautiful work of art.
It always breaks my heart when I stumble across a wonderful video essay and then come to learn the creator has gone silent. This was wonderful. Here's hoping we get to see more from this channel in the coming years. 😔
Really enjoyed listening to this while drawing some commissions!! You put a lot of things that I couldn't describe into words. And showed me some new concepts. Overall great essay! Definitely deserves more views.
this video is beautiful. thank you for such a clean and well narrated interpretation of the game. you are absolutely right, hyper light drifter is art.
The sound design / music is SO good in this game -- it's a perfect example of how to tell a story without words. After playing it, I couldn't tell you what it was REALLY about -- but I could tell you how it made me feel. The sense of awe, dread, and wonder is just.. palpable. Thanks in large part to the sound design.
Just came back to write a comment after listening to this master piece again. I listened to it while walking around a park when I wasn’t feeling too great, especially with my fears on the topics you covered in the video. But I genuinely feel a bit more at peace and feel a sense of closure somehow. So, thank you :)
Amazingly well made and beautifully written video. Every time I watch one of these video essays that dissect and interpret this game, I always find something new to appreciate. Thank you so much for making this!
thank you so much for this. hyper light drifter is my favorite game and your essay gave it even more meaning for me. the ending made me tear up. this game really is such an incredible work of art. :')
If you leave just one werewolf alive in a fight, sometimes, they'll start panicking and running away, not giving a fight. And the game, sometimes let's you leave them and other times keeps you enclosed with them until you end them, reminiding you how you're a symbol of death and you cannot escape your reality,
One of the most Beautiful games I've ever played, but I never really tried to piece together the allegory that much. This was beautiful. I needed that cry
This made me appreciate the game a lot more. My first impression was that there wasn't much story. Outstandingly high quality video especially for such a small channel.
It is criminal that this account only has 1.4k subs. This was one of the most beautiful analysis and retellings of a video game I've seen, I expect great things out of you
This essay was absolutely amazing, probably my favorite about this game yet! I do have to say it was pretty funny when you shred Judgement and called it a long fought battle. Though how easy he is to punish and kill feels thematically fitting in a way. Your will to overcome your fear is so powerful that his massive health bar is nothing but another intimidation tactic to scare you back into his submission. In the end Judgment is just as fragile as you are.
One of the best video essays of a video game I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot, they take up the majority of my YT time). I cried at the end. Thank you and I hope you are doing well.
Incredibly well researched and thought out video essay on one of my favorite visual games. Now, its one of my favorite stories in video games. Thank you for this video.
Probably the best documentary i've seen of a video game. And one of my personnal favorite game. You're a genius. Thanks for sharing. Even though I haven't played this in years. I think about that game almost daily. Pure poetry for a poetic game.
Thank you so much, for sharing such a beautiful point of view of a game that I already love. For showing with passion an allegory that talks about death itself. So thank you ❤
i realize its been a long time since you posted this one, but it made me real happy. Huge fan of this game. and as someone who deals with my own ailments, this video resonated deeply.
So glad this was one of the top videos offered by UA-cam when I was searching for HLD sountrack. Knew this would be a good video, I just hope it gets recommended more.
This game has really gone deep into my soul. And now, about a year after I finished it, I'm crying again. Truly a masterpiece - I wish more people knew about it. Thank you for the essay - your interpretation is very interesting. That's one of those cases when you feel something on the unconscious level and then hear an explanation of your own emotions that fits them almost perfectly. Besides, I've never noticed some clues, like Drifter possibly being one of the southern creatures. Great work!
This video made me see the game very differently compared to what I did before, thank you this video was amazing. Also I noticed that the other statues held what seemed to be some sort of liquid that will never go away but your first and last resting place of you journey is near a statue with a fire that will one day stop burning and die out
I never thought of the game this way and only ever thought of it as a beautiful fun stabby stabby slashy slashy game but watching this i see it in a completely new way and have found a new appreciation for it.
Harrison, your analysis is stunning. This gave me chills. After beating the game again through the special edition, I knew it was time to dive deeper into other interpretations, and yours resonated with me a lot. I’ve always wanted to make video essays like this about my favorite games, so consider me inspired. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us. It felt very personal - just what I needed this evening.
I am blown away by this video. I am just seeing this today, but it is simply excellent. I absolutely love Hyper Light Drifter and have had a few ideas about the underlying plot, but this is magnificent. Well done.
This video is just perfect, you couldn't ask for anything better. The best around on the platform !!! In the future I would love to hear from you about games like FEZ or Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice
Great to see this game get the love it deserves with such thoughtful and high-quality content. And I especially appreciate that it's focused on abstract themes, rather than an inane string of meaningless speculations about the plot points themselves. You've nailed the main theme, that being the Fear of Death and everything around it - fall and decay, the misguided desire for immortality, hope and despair, etc. Anyway, beautifully produced essay.
This is beautiful, such a respectful piece on one of the most important games to me ever made. I'm glad you released this so I could see it, a reminder that even after so long the message of hyper light drifter holds true, even as death is the most constant thing in our lives.
For some reason the video got recommend to me God am I thankful it did, I just want to thank you for making such a beautiful essay for one of my favorite games.
THIS IS A MASTERPIECE. Both the game and this essay on the game are both masterpiece that everyone that loves videogames and storytelling in every level should play the game and watch this video
this is one of the best videos ive ever seen, thank you for it, i actually cried in the end. this game holds a special place in my heart as i too have a deep fear of death. again, thank you for making this, it was incredible
In school i had the chance to make a video essay and I jumped at the chance to talk about this since it's my favorite game. ill be taking notes not only on your editing, but how you portrayed the messages themselves.
One thing that I would like to mention about The Guardian is that, after he dies, you get his Cape, which makes you more powerful, which, to me, signifies how the impact we had on the people in our lives lingers on even after our death.
This is the best video on Hyper Light Drifter on the whole internet, I can't put into words just how much justice you have done to this incredible game. I'm a person with a brain tumour who has been living with a severe fear of death my whole life and your video has not just helped me understand Hyper Light Drifter on a deeper level, but also myself. I'm not afraid to admit that I cried multiple times while watching this, due to both your own insight and the beautiful way you show and narrate the strongest points of this game. This was very difficult for me to watch, but also very cathartic. Your messages relating to the North and West regions especially rung true for me and made me realise something about myself and death that I never knew before. Thank you Alex for this game, but also thank you Harrison for this essay that's truly worthy of it too.
Hyper Light Drifter was one of the first real games I got on my PC that wasn't just a sandbox or shooter online game with no meaning. I knew I didn't truly understand the meanings or implications behind the titans and the story of the Guarian but kid me also felt I wasn't supposed to yet. I think the only thing I did understand was that Judgement instilled fear in the Drifter and so it instilled fear in me too. I went through the game appreciating the beautiful scenes, trying to find all the secrets and beating the bosses and was really caught off guard at the Guardian's early death. It sort of snapped me into a more sombre feeling for the remainder of the game and having Judgement flicker around in the final section really emulated that jittery panic the Drifter must have felt. Now I've watched this beautiful video I can appreciate this beautiful game for even more than I ever knew thank you.
I am not sure if you will see this but this video has elevated this game from being a top five to being my favorite game of all time. The story of this game was always something in the back of my mind when playing it but I could not always figure things out. Having everything contextualized into what you have presented really makes me not only appreciate Hyper Light Drifter more, but it also makes me really appreciate games as not only a thing to have fun, but a true form of art.
My god, how well this video is made. So much effort and meaning. And it's beautiful just like this game. I went through it twice, the first time I enjoyed the design and gameplay, but the second and third time they allowed me to look at these strange monoliths for me, which all this time had hints of what kind of story I was missing. Truly, beautiful work. I wish you good luck in your work, you really know how to create something good among a bunch of content that popular youtubers stuff us with.
HLD is a tittle that allways make me cry from all the feelings it generates, it gained my heart when i feeled my self in the adventures of that little and lonely foe fighting against a fear that persued him... I'll follow ur channel from now on because you took my favourite game of all times and give it a great warm hug with the way you feel it. You vision is beawtyfull and is great to know and learn about something so delicated that is death itself. Im lookin soooo much foward in your upcoming videos, thanks for making me cry one more time with this increddible tittle. apreciated a lot. (srry for my broken english)
This... game, film, art, whatever you might call it was so cryptic, but after hearing this, and connecting the dots, i just wanna bawl man, this touches mu heart to tenderly and I DONT KNOW WHY!!! WHY IS THIS SO GOOOOOD 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I just ran into this video recently and I must say this video deserves so so SO much more attention. It's such a beautiful video with such an insightful take of the story and meaning of this game, and it solidifies it's point well and mirrors the Drifter's journey from where he started and dying back at the place where he started by returning back to it's original points in the first parts of the video.
hey, just wanted thank you for inspiring me to make my own video on Hyper Light Drifter. Your video still stands as one of my favorite video essays in general, just wanted you to know that your creativity spreads to others even after such a long time.
Wow, watched the whole thing. And I can't be more impressed, realy great video essey. Great audio, amazing editing and narration. This totally deserves more views.
I know it’s been a while since you uploaded this video but I just want to say how much I love this video and how you have interpreted and deepened my understanding of this game I love so much hyper light drifter.I can’t put into words how amazed and astonished I am by this video.I can tell that a lot of effort went into it and I thank you for it,I thank you for making this video and talking about my favourite game hyper light drifter ❤
Dang he got all the work cited too. But seriously this video was amazing. It’s clear you put a lot of effort into it and it’s really well put together. HLD is one of my favorite games so I love to hear different peoples interpretations. You definitely got a knack for literary analysis too.
Thank you for this. I’ve been in an excruciatingly hard place and this game is such a wonderful centrepiece in my mind. I love it. I love your essay. Thank you Harrison.
I had this video in my watch later Playlist for quite a while and I'm happy I finally got around to it. The music and visuals of the game are beautiful and your analysis was very thoughtful. It all came together to make a video I think I'll be rewatching in the future. Thank you for the effort you put into making this video, it is wonderful 👍
I imagined Hyper Light Drifter had a deeper meaning, or paralleled the journey of the creator in his own life in some way I wasn't privy to... but I got swept up in the awe inspiring vistas of dead giants and beautiful art/animation/music and was unable to see past the surface-- because my GOD is it a distracting surface, this game is STUNNING To me, the ending, like all the other story beats, were moody and evocative, but not much more. They sort of just... happened. They felt too obtuse or flashy to be worth reading into. I finished the game and moved on with my life, and it didn't stick in my mind for long, even though I still thought the game was an extremely impressive package on the whole-- but seeing it all laid out in this way like you've done, the story suddenly seems so much more powerful, and I think one day I'll want to replay it again thanks to this video. You retroactively made me fall a little deeper in love with this little gem, and for that, I'm really grateful. Fantastic essay :D
I nearly drowned when I was 6 or so, then nearly died from illness when I was 11. After both of these experiences, I've come to feel that I don't really fear death or age that much, at least not for myself. I felt sort of detached from other people's experiences here, and in some other areas. Not because I have no trauma or because I have no struggles, but because I've always had tools to deal with them. This video helped me to think about the mechanisms by which I've found comfort, and how other people might not have access to them, or might pursue good means in an incorrect way. Thank you for sharing.
fuck, im half way through this video essay, and i havent thought to see hyper light drifter in such a rich and valuable manner. thank you for enlightening me to your perspective on this game. and allowing me to understand it better.
After watching this video, I think in the end, Finding a cure for death is exactly what The Drifter does. The cure is acceptance of death's inevitability, or rather no longer seeing death as a disease and thus something that no longer needs curing. By the way, this video is fantastic, best video on HLD I've ever seen, and truly made me appreciate a game I already deeply loved even more.
This video is something else you’ve shown what I love about this game in a way that I can’t even explain whatever you end up doing in the future I will be sure to watch it
![I'm LEARNING 🧠💡 - Horizon Zero Dawn [Remastered] - First Playthrough - part 3](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nsgWH4NWgz0/mqdefault.jpg)
As a fan of roguelikes and roguelites, I slashed my way through the first half of the game without much interest in the lore, but once I reached the giant pulsating heart in the southern cave, something clicked. I realized this game probably had something beneath the surface that deserved to be looked at. As I went back into each area to collect secrets I missed, I started to notice how every single pixel seemed to have been placed there for a reason. It was then that I started reading theories on the internet about the lore, but none really satisfied me, until I found yours.
At first, I thought the game was a metaphor of human history, from prehistoric brutality in the East, antique knowledge and rituals in the North, honour and martial prowess of the Middle Ages in the West, and finally technology and innovation in the South.
Your essay is fantastic. This game has changed my perception of video games, and shown me that they, too, can be true art.
This did not feel like 55 minutes.
It makes me so happy to hear that you got that feeling too! I knew that there was something more to this game, but I couldn’t find anybody else really talking about anything but the story itself. That’s why I knew I had to make this video! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Halfway through and in the southern region?
wow, that's symbolic that you have pfp from Rain World, which is another beautiful game with deep lore and meaning
love your comment, also both of these games
@@jodiu13 Ah, very much so. Discovered Rain World in the peaks of the pandemic, and it's been special to me ever since. It bewilders me that it's actually a popular game now, it used to have less than a thousand steam reviews a year after its launch. The owner of this channel's video style would probably be really appropriate for Rain World...
what bro said this felt timeless
Never noticed the connection of the Drifter to the people of the south, very interesting
Legiondude It was a catch I had while getting footage for the video, and I had to verify it on the wiki to be sure. Needless to say, it fit right into the themes already present, and made the analysis much more cohesive!
I only noticed in this video that the Drunkard is the same as the Drifter, which to me explains another reason why the town attacked him
@@SHConsoli It's actually maybe not accurate, though, as has been revealed as of late with the revelation that the species called "Blu" that will appear in Hyper Light Breaker is the Drifter's species, a blue furred feline species, and they come from a different continent entirely, the Northern Realms which is to the northwest of the Land of Light (the country/continent in HLD. Doesn't mean the Blu weren't involved in some bad shit. But... since Dirks are shown to be made from the Blu in the vats in the Wastes to the south, it is possible that this is why they hate them truly. They are very much a natural and not artifical species, though! It is possible that the Blu specimen that we see were fighting, trapped in the crystals, or the ones in the vats to the south, were doing htis to themselves, were willing to be experimented on and used, or were forced somehow to do everything. Maybe the bodies in the vats becoming the Dirks were actually dead corpses though. But they were 100% not an artificially created people, and we finally know that for sure. It's canon that they weren't.
Ok what is some random with 10 subs doing making such high quality video essays. I wasn't expecting much when I clicked the video but you put my prejudgements down almost immediately. Amazing video.
Everybody has to start somewhere. Thank you so much for being so supportive!
@@SHConsoli hey i loved your analysis! small bit of information i just gathered. correct me if im wrong but the frogs are ninjas (japanese myth based. the raccoons could be tanukis. the birds could be tengu as they have a MASSIVE involvement in buddism and the "corruption" of buddist values and the loss of enlightenment/ascension halted. otters are also huge in japanese myth. the only ones i dont have much for is the lizards of the south. and goblins are a common misnomer for oni. oni are anti human/ningensei. and anubis and okami (literally wolves) are represented as messengers of gods or even gods of the mountain. titans reminded me of the colossal skeleton yokai gashadokuro which are from fallen soldiers tormented by their death.
i just realised it now, damn
@@SHConsoli hey you had a great start. We would love to see more!
hey look, it's that one guy on rain world comments
This video is so well-done. I wish more people knew about this game.
jayluun Thank you! It really is an incredible game!
The shotgun you get from the frog is the real representation for death.
More video essays from you would be a gift to this entire platform
StuartisUnoriginal Thank you! You’ll be happy to hear that the next project is already in development!
As someone who has lived without fear of death for a while now, I do have one fear that persists: the fear of pain. This game truly reflected my views on death, but I have yet to make peace with my fear of pain. Perhaps that merely means that I am destined to find some expression of this fear. Some way of understanding it that will let me see the light. As I reflect on this, I remember that all people have their own fears, their own demons. Alex Preston and many others have the fear of death. Some have the fear of abandonment. Others have a fear of the unknown or nothingness. But my fear is merely the fear of the pain itself. To live beyond such a existential felling would be true bliss in my eyes. I just need to find the right path before death's clock counts down to nothing.
I might be the one who needs to find that path myself.
PS: I have now told all of my friends about this video essay. I hope this video and this game go mainstream someday.
One of my favorite things about the ending scene are the songs that play. Chimera, the boss theme, and Panacea, the credits. A chimera is a wish, a goal, a desire, that despite your best efforts, is impossible to achieve. Your fight with judgement is fighting your fear of death, coming to terms with the fact that you cannot live forever.
Conversely, Panacea means a magical cure, the ultimate pill, an escape from mortality. And while the drifter never gets to live forever, he is cured of something. That which was causing him pain the whole time. Not death, which was always on the horizon. But the fear of it, that has haunted him in his journey.
Death makes people react in different ways, and your interpretation of these diverse responses in the game is really powerful. I thoroughly loved it. I never thought about the negative impact of living in a death ignorant society, represented by the town, because I either didn't approach that npc or didn't think much of their story. Moderation is a powerful message, one that should be taken to heart no matter the response you feel comfortable with. Hope this video helps people see other sides of coping, and learning to manage these sides.
It’s overall a very powerful message, and a huge part of why I loved the game so much. It changed a large part of my outlook on life and death, and maybe even helped me come to terms with that eventuality. Hyper Light Drifter is just such a beautiful game.
This is such an incredible, complete, masterpiece of an essay. I've never finished a video feeling so content and fascinated!
Thank you so much...
And thank you for the recommendation! Youve done a lot to grow this community and Im glad to so such love and care being shared by the fans :)
@@Alpha_beef 💙
I can’t express how much it means to me that you have recommended my video to others. I make content to express my thoughts and to make videos that I personally enjoy... the fact that others are able to share in my delight makes me very happy :)
god.. someone finally put this into words..
this is probably the best hyper light lore video I've ever watched, the way you've explained it and the way you presented it does so much justice to the wordless story here.
But by god you're as right as anyone can be that this game is fucking beautiful. This showed me alot about a story I thought I had figured out!
And honestly it's odd in a really interesting way. I found out about and got into this game this year, and I think we all know how absolutely insane this year has been. But a game about accepting what can't be stopped, no matter how difficult.. I don't find that to be a coincidence. When I was first starting to hear about the state of the world and how... terrifying and chaotic it is and has been, it was incredibly frustrating and scary. It felt like and at times still feels like the apocalypse is coming closer and closer and that I wasn't doing anything to help it. But where I can do some things, I can't do everything. No one really can. Death can't be stopped, and neither can the wrath of this shit year. So why not make the most of it?
Sorry for the long paragraph lol this video might've made me very emotional lmao.
This was such an eye opener for the game I thought I knew
StuartisUnoriginal Remember that you still have the right to your own interpretation, and that just because I have found mine, it doesn’t necessarily make yours wrong. It’s what makes HLD’s storytelling so incredible!
@@SHConsoli Totally agree! That was the main crux of my storyline part of my video essay on this game
* mumbles something incoherent about onions and layers *
I've also just finished writing my own article about the use of the tarots inside this game. We have written so much things in common. I love how people still thinks about this game in search of meanings and interpretations. I tried to give interpretation to every single tarot card given (plus the Hermit, the name of the toad-like boss in the eastern region. I assume his name is "the Hermit" because the fighting theme track is named "the Hermit".
-The Magician (The Drifter): the tarot of "beginning" which refers to something that is about to begin a journey. The Magician is related to someone who is in search of something but is far from achieving it (in this case, the cure)
-The Hierophant
represents the need to dominate both spirit and matter which leads to some sort of inner strenght (both physical and mental) to keep fighting against the disease
-The Hermit
an old man who knows the life adversities which might represent the need to face an incoming crysis in order to achieve wisdom from it
-The Hanged Man
the stasis and the fear of suffering which leads to inability. maybe this tarot refers to the crystal containing warriors in the western area and both the fact the boss is a warrior which keeps fighting as the war never ended, enhancing the meaning of stasis and stillness to a sort of "inner block"
-The Tower
both represents the ruin and the existance of multiple solutions or, to be more precise, multiple aspects of the same issue. It could be connected to the illness of the protagonist and both the true meaning of the story: the problem is not about dying but the fear of death
-Judgement
the end of a perilous and sorrowful journey leads to rebirth and enlightenment. The end of the story, the nucleus of narration: defeat the fear of death and you will achieve what you need to know all along. Judgement means also the right to fight for existence because (i'll quote what Jorodowski written in his book about the tarots): "this tarots expresses how everyone who is born is desired by divinity, who allowed everyone to be created" and by that we are allowed to struggle and keep fighting.
I hope this is not too much, because sometimes i feel i may have put too much of my own interpretation into the game. I hope also this could be useful to someone as a reading of this beautiful game we love
i also love how much effort you put in this. You've done an amazing job
Damn man, that was the best hour of my life.
Adam Sherman Im happy to hear it!
this video has genuinely helped me understand why i've had an emotional connection with this title for the last few years. the idea of death has always made me panic, even to this day I find a way to look past death, even if my life is not inherently in danger, it looms over me. the journey to acceptance of ones fate and achieving catharsis has a peaceful end to it, but reaching that point is not a walk down the yellow brick road. Alex Preston really has made a masterpiece, and this video compliments the art piece that is Hyper Light Drifter, thank you.
This is the most beautiful analysis I've ever seen.
Because game can be interpreted differently by everyone, it's always interesting to see others perspective.
I myself never had put so much emphasis on Death in the game, even though the players first goal is to find a cure.
I guess the buffalo guy in the arena failed to overcome his fear of death. Didn’t understand what it was saying before.
To be fair, he IS still alive. He just had a closer encounter than he was ready for.
No matter how many times i watch this, it never lises its charm. Easily one of the best videos on YT. Amazing work on one of my favorite games.
I love this. This is so, so well written and composed together.
I missed out entirely on the whole "north/east/west/south approaches to cope with the threat of death" narrative. I mean, you said that the visuals can be interpreted in many ways, but I think with the writing on the monoliths saying what it says and the way four titans were defeated, it fits very well.
ニルディバエワジャミラ Thank you so much! I’m glad that you’re still making sure to apply your own thoughts and reasoning to this, I love seeing the analysis that Hyper Light Drifter inspires!
@@SHConsoli oh, I meant that I missed out on it in the _game_ . My phrasing was kinda confusing.
Previously I didn't see the unique ways the titans were defeated as the symbolic manifestation of each region's fight against the fear of death. You provided some plausible new theory on that, and I'm totally buying it.
ニルディバエワジャミラ Well I’m glad to hear it nonetheless!
I love not only this analysis but the passion behind it. This game impacted you so much that you made a UA-cam account just to talk about it, and without knowing whether anyone would see it, you created an incredibly well crafted hour long essay. Bravo, sir. You just earned yourself a subscriber.
Hey Harrison
I rarely comment on any video, but I felt like I should do here. I played this game when I was younger (2018 I believe) and this game didn't make much sense back then. Now that I've been diagnosticated with a chronic disease, not severe like how the game creator's disease is, but still shortens my lifespan, this analysis (or art) hit HARD. Thanks for making this video
I have something to add though. In the war with the titans, the "blues" were also on the titans side. The "blues" are the species the drifter is part of. And the racoon folk in the west (aswell as the central townfolk saw the dude that is now drinking in an alley) propably sees the drifter as an enemy out of the time . As the racoons are frozen, still with the mindset of war, they can only respond with aggression to the drifter, who is a "blue". The townsfolk doesn't react to the drifter as it did to the now drinking dude because the guardian (or pink drifter) brought him into the town. Propably.
But I haven't seen the whole video yet. But still loving it. I will propably write more comments.
There is also a Tarot-approach to this game and I couldn't do it because my knowlege of Tarot is... small.
But a lot of characters in the game represent Tarot characters and there is a lot of meaning behind that to be found aswell! Please look into it!
The Drifter, thus, is supposed to be "The Magician". I always thought that the drunkard might be "The fool" but... that's all my humble opinion.
Wow, you did a really good job with this video. It explains everything quite well, and brings up meanings behind things I never would have thought of. Also dude, "a long and hard fought battle"? You defeated Judgement in like 20 seconds.
Honestly this is one of the best videos on youtube
As HLD easily being my all time favourite game, your video has helped me learn so so so much more about wtf was actually going on and brings a weird sense of closure and resolution to everything I felt, learnt and experienced while playing this game. While HLD was Alex Preston and Heart Machines' labour of love in its highest form, I feel that same sense of conviction and devotion to the game through this video. From the art style to Disasterpeace's sublime score (The Gauntlet being an absolute marvel and masterpiece (sic) of emotional expression) this game and its world mean more to me than any other form of art ever could. Many thanks to you for succinctly and thoughtfully giving us fans this video that helps us make sense of so much that we may have missed in the adrenaline rush of embodying the Drifter through our playthroughs. Long live such Indie phenomenons and as a die-hard fan of the medium of video games, one can only hope that the AAA games industry will one day bring as much 'HEART' (sic) to main stream gaming as this small, indie upstart of a studio (Heart Machine) crammed into what can only be described as one of the most sublime experience of gaming I have ever had. These platitudes to their work ring hollow without the context and knowledge that your video adds to everything HLD, at least to this hopeless, blinded fanboy. May the passion of you and such creators (like Heart Machine, Disasterpiece and you) forever be remembered as testament to what Video Games can actually mean to the Human Experience. From the deepest depths of my heart , thank you to Anyone who played a creative, explanatory (academic) and experiential (read played) role in the all things Hyper Light Drifter. HLD is the highest blessing and boon to us mere mortals.
I find myself coming back to this video time and time again. In my eyes, Hyper Light Drifter is revolutionary in game craft. It’s themes, music, and visual storytelling are all nailed perfectly. It also conveys the emotions it wants to, no matter the interpretation of its meaning. Your analysis is extremely well-spoken and insightful. Keep it up with the amazing content. You deserve every good opportunity that comes to you.
9 months ago, I had an ECG and was unofficially diagnosed with Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. The disease itself is by no means terminal, and it's generally fairly harmless. I was told to come back for another ECG in 6 months to verify my diagnosis. At first I was okay, it wasn't a serious condition and I'm still young, so even if my chance of heartattack or stroke was higher than usual, I was still mostly safe. A few months in though, it started to stress me out. I began researching the condition on a whim, and it began to scare me. After maybe 4 months I developed a serious fear of death. I never wanted to go to sleep for fear that I would have a heartattack and never wake up. I never planned too far ahead because I thought I wouldn't live to grow older and see the future. Worst of all I didn't feel supported by my family, or most of my friends. After 6 months had passed, I was unable to book my next ECG because of COVID issues and whatnot, and I only just managed to get another one 2 weeks ago. My results came back and revealed that I am heart-condition free. I saw this video pop up in my recommended and thought I'd watch a little bit of it to see your interpretation as I've always been curious about the lore. The intro immediately hooked me as you described a metaphor that was almost woven 1-1 with my own experience. After watching it I can honestly say I wish I had seen it maybe 4 months ago, when I started to get really stressed. The main metaphor of the Drifter fits almost perfectly with my experience to the point that I was starting to tear up. I'm infinitely grateful that I'm healthy now but those 9 months of waiting and stress, while trying to cope with the possibility of death were so difficult that I'm very happy to learn that one of my favourite games very well could be a metaphor to that experience. Thank you for this incredible video 2 years ago, I'm very thankful to have watched it.
My god this video was so interesting that I didn't realize it was 55 min long. I'll watch the rest later but very good video, you put all the pieces together, I really hope you get more views because good essays like that always deserves it
DoublePounch I appreciate your support! It means a lot to me that people can enjoy my creations, especially when it’s about incredible games like this one.
I adore the game, but your video boosted that to a whole new level. Thank you so much for this insightful video essay. I was captivated for the duration, because your narration and the video edit was impeccable. I hope you continue to publish such essays in the future.
Thank you so much! I fully plan on continuing, and have a new essay in development right now.
I'm a bit late to the party on this one, lol. I played this game about a year and a half ago, when I was going through a really rough spot in my life. I'm really not the best when it comes to figuring out lore, or the message or meaning behind abstract work, but by the end of the game It really struck me, it hit me somewhere so deep and personal that I didn't even know it existed until I played this game. Even still, my own interpretation was vague and lacking. But seeing this video all this time later, it brings back those feelings. I love this game so very much, and I love your perspective and interpretation of the events of it. Thank you for making this video on such a beautiful work of art.
Thank you for making this video. This is one my favourite games of all time and it deserves more love.
It always breaks my heart when I stumble across a wonderful video essay and then come to learn the creator has gone silent. This was wonderful. Here's hoping we get to see more from this channel in the coming years. 😔
Really enjoyed listening to this while drawing some commissions!! You put a lot of things that I couldn't describe into words. And showed me some new concepts. Overall great essay! Definitely deserves more views.
What commisions?
this video is beautiful. thank you for such a clean and well narrated interpretation of the game. you are absolutely right, hyper light drifter is art.
This is the best thing that I watched on UA-cam in a very long time
Im just so blown away
The sound design / music is SO good in this game -- it's a perfect example of how to tell a story without words. After playing it, I couldn't tell you what it was REALLY about -- but I could tell you how it made me feel. The sense of awe, dread, and wonder is just.. palpable. Thanks in large part to the sound design.
Just came back to write a comment after listening to this master piece again. I listened to it while walking around a park when I wasn’t feeling too great, especially with my fears on the topics you covered in the video. But I genuinely feel a bit more at peace and feel a sense of closure somehow. So, thank you :)
Hope your doing better
get this man a a golden play button
Thank you for the time and effort put into this.
It is greatly appreciated.
oh my god. this... this is beautiful. I don't have many words... gosh I'm so mad not many people know of this game, amazing work on the video
Amazingly well made and beautifully written video. Every time I watch one of these video essays that dissect and interpret this game, I always find something new to appreciate. Thank you so much for making this!
thank you so much for this. hyper light drifter is my favorite game and your essay gave it even more meaning for me. the ending made me tear up. this game really is such an incredible work of art. :')
If you leave just one werewolf alive in a fight, sometimes, they'll start panicking and running away, not giving a fight. And the game, sometimes let's you leave them and other times keeps you enclosed with them until you end them, reminiding you how you're a symbol of death and you cannot escape your reality,
One of the most Beautiful games I've ever played, but I never really tried to piece together the allegory that much. This was beautiful. I needed that cry
This made me appreciate the game a lot more. My first impression was that there wasn't much story. Outstandingly high quality video especially for such a small channel.
It is criminal that this account only has 1.4k subs. This was one of the most beautiful analysis and retellings of a video game I've seen, I expect great things out of you
hyper light drifter is art, and so is this video
I've just discovered this video and... wow. It's beautiful and emotional as the game it talks about.
This essay was absolutely amazing, probably my favorite about this game yet!
I do have to say it was pretty funny when you shred Judgement and called it a long fought battle. Though how easy he is to punish and kill feels thematically fitting in a way. Your will to overcome your fear is so powerful that his massive health bar is nothing but another intimidation tactic to scare you back into his submission. In the end Judgment is just as fragile as you are.
This is easily the most well structured video essay I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing
One of the best video essays of a video game I've ever seen (and I've seen a lot, they take up the majority of my YT time). I cried at the end. Thank you and I hope you are doing well.
Incredibly well researched and thought out video essay on one of my favorite visual games. Now, its one of my favorite stories in video games. Thank you for this video.
Probably the best documentary i've seen of a video game. And one of my personnal favorite game. You're a genius. Thanks for sharing. Even though I haven't played this in years. I think about that game almost daily.
Pure poetry for a poetic game.
Thank you so much, for sharing such a beautiful point of view of a game that I already love. For showing with passion an allegory that talks about death itself. So thank you ❤
i realize its been a long time since you posted this one, but it made me real happy. Huge fan of this game. and as someone who deals with my own ailments, this video resonated deeply.
So glad this was one of the top videos offered by UA-cam when I was searching for HLD sountrack. Knew this would be a good video, I just hope it gets recommended more.
This game has really gone deep into my soul. And now, about a year after I finished it, I'm crying again. Truly a masterpiece - I wish more people knew about it.
Thank you for the essay - your interpretation is very interesting. That's one of those cases when you feel something on the unconscious level and then hear an explanation of your own emotions that fits them almost perfectly. Besides, I've never noticed some clues, like Drifter possibly being one of the southern creatures.
Great work!
Just finished this game and decided to take to UA-cam for videos on it, I'm so glad I found yours. Thank You
I wish there was something better than a like button to show how much I appreciated this video. Amazing essay, interpretation, editing, everything!!
This video made me see the game very differently compared to what I did before, thank you this video was amazing.
Also I noticed that the other statues held what seemed to be some sort of liquid that will never go away but your first and last resting place of you journey is near a statue with a fire that will one day stop burning and die out
I never thought of the game this way and only ever thought of it as a beautiful fun stabby stabby slashy slashy game but watching this i see it in a completely new way and have found a new appreciation for it.
Sir, I must say, what a masterpiece.
Thank you for your service in this community.
I remember watching this video a while ago, I’m glad I rediscovered it now when I needed something like this. This is really well done!
Harrison, your analysis is stunning. This gave me chills. After beating the game again through the special edition, I knew it was time to dive deeper into other interpretations, and yours resonated with me a lot. I’ve always wanted to make video essays like this about my favorite games, so consider me inspired. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with all of us. It felt very personal - just what I needed this evening.
I am blown away by this video. I am just seeing this today, but it is simply excellent. I absolutely love Hyper Light Drifter and have had a few ideas about the underlying plot, but this is magnificent. Well done.
This video is just perfect, you couldn't ask for anything better.
The best around on the platform !!!
In the future I would love to hear from you about games like FEZ or Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice
Not a lot of content for this game so thanks for your contribution.
Great to see this game get the love it deserves with such thoughtful and high-quality content. And I especially appreciate that it's focused on abstract themes, rather than an inane string of meaningless speculations about the plot points themselves. You've nailed the main theme, that being the Fear of Death and everything around it - fall and decay, the misguided desire for immortality, hope and despair, etc. Anyway, beautifully produced essay.
This is beautiful, such a respectful piece on one of the most important games to me ever made. I'm glad you released this so I could see it, a reminder that even after so long the message of hyper light drifter holds true, even as death is the most constant thing in our lives.
For some reason the video got recommend to me God am I thankful it did, I just want to thank you for making such a beautiful essay for one of my favorite games.
Hoo boy I’m gonna say it
I’m gonna say it
NEEDS MORE VIEWS
THIS IS A MASTERPIECE. Both the game and this essay on the game are both masterpiece that everyone that loves videogames and storytelling in every level should play the game and watch this video
this is one of the best videos ive ever seen, thank you for it, i actually cried in the end. this game holds a special place in my heart as i too have a deep fear of death.
again, thank you for making this, it was incredible
Wonderful! Was brought here by Sequential Sundial!
One of the best video game deconstructions I have ever watched, and probably ever will.
In school i had the chance to make a video essay and I jumped at the chance to talk about this since it's my favorite game.
ill be taking notes not only on your editing, but how you portrayed the messages themselves.
One thing that I would like to mention about The Guardian is that, after he dies, you get his Cape, which makes you more powerful, which, to me, signifies how the impact we had on the people in our lives lingers on even after our death.
This is the best video on Hyper Light Drifter on the whole internet, I can't put into words just how much justice you have done to this incredible game. I'm a person with a brain tumour who has been living with a severe fear of death my whole life and your video has not just helped me understand Hyper Light Drifter on a deeper level, but also myself.
I'm not afraid to admit that I cried multiple times while watching this, due to both your own insight and the beautiful way you show and narrate the strongest points of this game. This was very difficult for me to watch, but also very cathartic. Your messages relating to the North and West regions especially rung true for me and made me realise something about myself and death that I never knew before. Thank you Alex for this game, but also thank you Harrison for this essay that's truly worthy of it too.
Hyper Light Drifter was one of the first real games I got on my PC that wasn't just a sandbox or shooter online game with no meaning. I knew I didn't truly understand the meanings or implications behind the titans and the story of the Guarian but kid me also felt I wasn't supposed to yet. I think the only thing I did understand was that Judgement instilled fear in the Drifter and so it instilled fear in me too. I went through the game appreciating the beautiful scenes, trying to find all the secrets and beating the bosses and was really caught off guard at the Guardian's early death. It sort of snapped me into a more sombre feeling for the remainder of the game and having Judgement flicker around in the final section really emulated that jittery panic the Drifter must have felt. Now I've watched this beautiful video I can appreciate this beautiful game for even more than I ever knew thank you.
I am not sure if you will see this but this video has elevated this game from being a top five to being my favorite game of all time. The story of this game was always something in the back of my mind when playing it but I could not always figure things out. Having everything contextualized into what you have presented really makes me not only appreciate Hyper Light Drifter more, but it also makes me really appreciate games as not only a thing to have fun, but a true form of art.
What’s the other four?
My god, how well this video is made. So much effort and meaning. And it's beautiful just like this game. I went through it twice, the first time I enjoyed the design and gameplay, but the second and third time they allowed me to look at these strange monoliths for me, which all this time had hints of what kind of story I was missing.
Truly, beautiful work.
I wish you good luck in your work, you really know how to create something good among a bunch of content that popular youtubers stuff us with.
HLD is a tittle that allways make me cry from all the feelings it generates, it gained my heart when i feeled my self in the adventures of that little and lonely foe fighting against a fear that persued him... I'll follow ur channel from now on because you took my favourite game of all times and give it a great warm hug with the way you feel it. You vision is beawtyfull and is great to know and learn about something so delicated that is death itself. Im lookin soooo much foward in your upcoming videos, thanks for making me cry one more time with this increddible tittle. apreciated a lot. (srry for my broken english)
It's 55 mins but it feels like 5 :)
This... game, film, art, whatever you might call it was so cryptic, but after hearing this, and connecting the dots, i just wanna bawl man, this touches mu heart to tenderly and I DONT KNOW WHY!!! WHY IS THIS SO GOOOOOD 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
I just ran into this video recently and I must say this video deserves so so SO much more attention. It's such a beautiful video with such an insightful take of the story and meaning of this game, and it solidifies it's point well and mirrors the Drifter's journey from where he started and dying back at the place where he started by returning back to it's original points in the first parts of the video.
hey, just wanted thank you for inspiring me to make my own video on Hyper Light Drifter. Your video still stands as one of my favorite video essays in general, just wanted you to know that your creativity spreads to others even after such a long time.
This video aeds so much to the game. Incredible job
Wow, watched the whole thing. And I can't be more impressed, realy great video essey. Great audio, amazing editing and narration. This totally deserves more views.
I know it’s been a while since you uploaded this video but I just want to say how much I love this video and how you have interpreted and deepened my understanding of this game I love so much hyper light drifter.I can’t put into words how amazed and astonished I am by this video.I can tell that a lot of effort went into it and I thank you for it,I thank you for making this video and talking about my favourite game hyper light drifter ❤
This video is so well made. I just came back to rewatch the whole thing. Well done
Dang he got all the work cited too.
But seriously this video was amazing. It’s clear you put a lot of effort into it and it’s really well put together. HLD is one of my favorite games so I love to hear different peoples interpretations.
You definitely got a knack for literary analysis too.
Thank you for this. I’ve been in an excruciatingly hard place and this game is such a wonderful centrepiece in my mind. I love it. I love your essay. Thank you Harrison.
I had this video in my watch later Playlist for quite a while and I'm happy I finally got around to it. The music and visuals of the game are beautiful and your analysis was very thoughtful. It all came together to make a video I think I'll be rewatching in the future. Thank you for the effort you put into making this video, it is wonderful 👍
I imagined Hyper Light Drifter had a deeper meaning, or paralleled the journey of the creator in his own life in some way I wasn't privy to... but I got swept up in the awe inspiring vistas of dead giants and beautiful art/animation/music and was unable to see past the surface-- because my GOD is it a distracting surface, this game is STUNNING
To me, the ending, like all the other story beats, were moody and evocative, but not much more. They sort of just... happened. They felt too obtuse or flashy to be worth reading into. I finished the game and moved on with my life, and it didn't stick in my mind for long, even though I still thought the game was an extremely impressive package on the whole-- but seeing it all laid out in this way like you've done, the story suddenly seems so much more powerful, and I think one day I'll want to replay it again thanks to this video.
You retroactively made me fall a little deeper in love with this little gem, and for that, I'm really grateful. Fantastic essay :D
I nearly drowned when I was 6 or so, then nearly died from illness when I was 11. After both of these experiences, I've come to feel that I don't really fear death or age that much, at least not for myself. I felt sort of detached from other people's experiences here, and in some other areas. Not because I have no trauma or because I have no struggles, but because I've always had tools to deal with them. This video helped me to think about the mechanisms by which I've found comfort, and how other people might not have access to them, or might pursue good means in an incorrect way.
Thank you for sharing.
fuck, im half way through this video essay, and i havent thought to see hyper light drifter in such a rich and valuable manner. thank you for enlightening me to your perspective on this game. and allowing me to understand it better.
After watching this video, I think in the end, Finding a cure for death is exactly what The Drifter does.
The cure is acceptance of death's inevitability, or rather no longer seeing death as a disease and thus something that no longer needs curing.
By the way, this video is fantastic, best video on HLD I've ever seen, and truly made me appreciate a game I already deeply loved even more.
How has this video not gain 10k views after a year? It is so well done.
Still one of my very favorite videos on UA-cam. Hope you are well, enjoying life, and using your wonderful mind to explore it. Cheers.
This video is something else you’ve shown what I love about this game in a way that I can’t even explain whatever you end up doing in the future I will be sure to watch it