Developer: EmpI Studios
Publisher: Black Shell Media
Platform: PC, Mac, Linux, SteamOS
Tested on: PC
Hypt – Review
Some gamers crave titles with a complex control scheme, deep story and incredible graphics. Well, Hypt is not one of those games, let us make that clear. Still, for a game with such a simplicity surrounding it, you’d be surprised at how fun it is to move around, evading enemy fire whilst attacking on an as good as non aggressive way. Want to know what this little game is all about? Be sure to keep on reading as you might want to try it for yourself.
Story
Sometimes, a small indie game revolves completely around the gameplay and Hypt is one of those games. Players won’t find a storyline of any kind here as the game’s main focus lies in the gameplay department. Still, there’s a basic set-up for the game. You are basically a sort of anti-virus program and your quest is to eliminate all kinds of viruses, malware and Trojan horses that you’ll encounter while playing. Without so much as a certain power of elimination, the only way to overcome the viruses is to use their abilities against themselves.
Graphics
Hypt offers a very simple and still pretty good-looking art style. As you play as a sort of anti-virus program in the world of bits and bytes, the straightforward but colorful graphics certainly suit the game. The first few levels show us a blue background and red viruses that shoot red projectiles at the player’s orb. The contrast between colors make this game stand out in a positive way without making Hypt feels like it’s on drugs.
After the first boss battle, the game changes its appearance a bit by throwing in some hexagon/square-shaped areas where you need to fulfill your duty as an anti-virus. However the game may present the level design, graphics wise, the game plays with colors and keeps a fresh, clean look.
Sound
Of course, with such a modern and clean graphical style, there’s need for a groovy, entertaining beat. As with as good as anything in the game, Hypt offers a rather simple soundtrack but for such a small title like this one, that’s good enough to enjoy some playthroughs. The music in the background never interferes with concentration (which you’ll need quite a lot of in later levels) but even encourages you to reach the end.
Gameplay
The game is pretty straightforward in its control scheme and purpose. You just move the ball-shaped figure around with the WASD keys and with the mouse; you can manipulate the shield in front of you. Like this, bouncing back the projectiles to where they originate from is quite the simple task… in the first few levels at least. The more you progress, the harder the levels become and soon enough, you’ll find yourself facing challenging areas where danger lurks everywhere and can take the anti-virus down in a matter of seconds.
At level 30, the first boss battle makes its entrance and here, the difficulty goes up by a few notches. The game that started out like something pretty casual now truly shows its colors. Although Hypt never really feels like it’s making the game unfair by throwing in more and more opponents, there’s no denying that the player might grow frustrated when replaying a level over and over again. Then again, if you buy a game like this, knowing very well what it’s about, you can’t really justify complaining over it. Still, if frustration and impatience are natural traits to you, you might do well to avoid Hypt. Want a real challenge? Then this is your game.
The only real issue with this game situates itself outside of anything directly gameplay related but is a matter of pricing. Hypt can be bought for €9.99 (equivalent in dollars and pounds) in the Steam Store and although the game is entertaining to play in short bursts, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the pricing is a bit too steep. Eventually, there’s not much to the game except doing the same thing again and again but in different circumstances. Of course, opinions can differ in such a subjective topic like pricing, but still, if the game were a bit cheaper, there would be no reason to ignore this game if you like the genre.
Conclusion
For such a simple game, Hypt is a lot of fun to play. The clean, colorful environments accompanied with a modern soundtrack really make this game an enjoyable experience for your senses. The gameplay is also not all that complex but be aware, levels become quite hard in a short amount of time so prepare for doing some retries. The only ‘issue’ with this title can be found in the pricing as chances are you’ll mainly play Hypt in short bursts (not hours on an end), plus, the gameplay consists mostly of you doing the same thing over and over again.
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