Hyke: Northern Lights Review - "A Wonderfully Witchy Adventure"

• Fast-paced combat
• 7 playable witches to unlock
• An engaging narrative

Hyke: Northern Lights blends casual, cosy gameplay elements with action RPG mechanics. You play as the titular character, Hyke, a young witch who is searching for her missing mom. Along your journey, you’ll recruit witches, called Meteos, to aid you as you explore a scenic, magical world. You’ll also relax between levels by cooking meals and decorating your camp. 

Find Your Missing Mother in Hyke: Northern Lights

Years ago, Hyke’s mother, a powerful witch, disappeared. Now, after the death of her father, Hyke has set out on a mission to find her. With help from Riko, the only other surviving witch she knows, Hyke begins her adventure. Soon, she comes in contact with Meteos, witches who have been tasked with guarding powerful runes. The narrative, told through conversation, is simple yet intriguing enough to keep you engaged.

As you progress, you’ll unlock new witches to play as. You can switch between active characters at any time by tapping the switch character button and selecting your preferred avatar. Each playable character can wield distinct spells. 

For instance, Riko can use her Maxed-Out spell to make duplicates of herself to deal extra damage. Fall Out, on the other hand, uses flora and fauna-based abilities like Bestial Shadow, which summons a bear that attacks foes in front of her.

Hyke: Northern Lights Features Fast-Paced Combat

Combat is fast-paced but fairly simple. You’ll use a combination of dodging, basic attacks, and spells to bring down your foes. Be sure to utilise Dodge to avoid enemy attacks, especially when fighting bosses or large groups of enemies. The witches' abilities are diverse, and while gameplay can feel repetitive at times, switching between the various characters helps keep things feeling fresh.

Hyke: Northern Lights isn’t all about exploration and combat. Between levels, you’ll have the chance to sit back and relax at your camp. While here, you can add decorations, visit the local town, or craft meals. In town, you can purchase new décor, recipes, and ingredients, and take on combat challenges.

Cook Meals for an Extra Buff

Cooked meals add an extra buff at the start of a level. Unlike some standard buffs, which remain active until you return to camp or activate when your health is low, meal buffs are active for a short time at the beginning of the stage.

For instance, cooking up an egg sandwich increases your base attack by 40-60% for 120 seconds. Meals are easy to make, and so it's worth it to learn recipes and cook a meal before every adventure.

You can also level up your witches’ HP, Spells, and Attack from the character menu while in your camp. It’s easy to get overwhelmed as you're often swarmed by enemies, and keeping Hyke and the Meteos’ in tip-top shape is the best way to ensure survival. You should also keep an eye on everyone’s HP and swap out characters when HP is low.

Hyke: Northern Lights is an Adorable Witch-fueled Adventure

Hyke: Northern Lights is a cute little adventure RPG with adorable 2D graphics and fast-paced combat. While the world can feel a little flat and combat can get repetitive, the beautiful pixel aesthetic and various playable characters make up for its flaws. The cosy camp mechanic is pretty basic. 

However, decorating, cooking, and listening in on conversations between characters is a nice break from the constant battles you’ll face outside. Overall, Hyke Northern Lights is an engaging experience worth diving into.