Game Reviews

Hyperlight

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Hyperlight
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| Hyperlight

As gamers, we've wiped out a lot of galactic civilisations in our time.

Finding new ways to destroy alien scum is always going to prove difficult, but Hyperlight seems to have found one possible answer.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that the game was a Geometry Wars clone. It has the same neon glitz, and takes place in an enclosed, gridded space.

But that's where the similarity ends, because Hyperlight is about bashing headlong into spaceships rather than shooting them, and it's a mechanic that feels fresh and exciting.

Ramming speed

You swoop around your fenced-off corner of the universe dodging the attentions of a variety of rapidly spawning and irrationally angry neon space creatures, waiting for the perfect time to unleash your Hyperlight mode.

You start off as a fragile thing, susceptible to sudden death at a single touch, but once you tap X and unleash Hyperlight you become a smashing, ram-raiding, ship-sized bringer of destruction.

A bit hyper

Your Hyperlight only lasts so long, and needs replenishing with the glowing tokens that appear on the grid. When you're not careering around killing things you're dodging and weaving to try and pick up more juice.

The Xperia Play's extra control options make playing Hyperlight a joy. You control your ship with the left thumb nub, and it feels smooth and responsive.

Hyperlight was warmly received when it first arrived on Android shores, and this Xperia Play-optimised version is the definitive edition. It's slick, gorgeous, and plays brilliantly.

If you own an Xperia Play and you want a fresh way to rack up those xenocidal numbers, then Hyperlight should definitely be your first port of call.

Hyperlight

A brilliant, fast-paced ram-'em-up that fits perfectly onto Xperia Play, and offers hours of high score-chasing fun
Score
Harry Slater
Harry Slater
Harry used to be really good at Snake on the Nokia 5110. Apparently though, digital snake wrangling isn't a proper job, so now he writes words about games instead.