How A Deadly Disease Served as The Spark for Creating Hyper Light Drifter

Alx Preston’s Battle with Congenital Heart Disease

Hyper Light Drifter, a 2D action role-playing game, is the result of Alx Preston’s unwavering motivation caused by his congenital heart disease. Congenital heart disease is a general term for a range of heart defects that develop during pregnancy or birth. While some individuals, post-surgery, lead relatively normal lives, others require ongoing care and medical attention. In Alx’s case, his heart had multiple holes that needed to be patched up during an open heart surgery when he was only about one year old. Although the surgery saved his life, it left him with severe digestive and immune system issues, resulting in multiple hospitalizations, some of which were near-fatal.

To stay alive, Alx had to have a pacemaker and heart valve installed. He takes over a dozen pills daily to maintain his health and has to stick to a very strict diet. Additionally, he sees two cardiologists every six months: one for regular checkups and another specializing in monitoring his cholesterol and pacemaker. On top of that, Alx has been diagnosed with a genetic mutation that causes numerous other health issues. It’s hardly surprising that he often struggles to not feel like “horrible garbage” on a daily basis. Despite these obstacles, he co-created a highly successful video game franchise, which is even being adapted into a TV series. “I think I have an unnatural amount of motivation and I think a lot of that stuff stems from the fact that ‘eh, I could die at any moment.’ Who knows how long I’m really going to live. I didn’t even think I’d make it past 30.”

Alx’s Artistic Journey from Canvas to Code

Alx’s condition has always limited the types of physical activities he can engage in, which led him to spend a lot of time playing video games and immersing himself in various other media. These activities, especially video games, offer an escape to entirely different worlds where he can temporarily set aside his worries and push the boundaries of his imagination. Bits and pieces of Hyper Light Drifter have been swirling around in Alx’s mind since his childhood, but it wasn’t until his college years that he began to express these ideas artistically.

He began painting and experimenting with film and animation. Initially, he created a lot of work that he describes as ‘unsatisfying, straight-up bad,’ but he believes that’s what most art students are supposed to do. The process of throwing a lot of stuff on the walls to see what sticks, what resonates with oneself and peers, is essential. For Alx, this was a valuable experience, not only to hone his artistic skills but also to help him define what he actually wanted to say with his work moving forward. After college, he worked on commercials for a while as an illustrator and storyboard artist. This period was instrumental in teaching him about pitching projects and effectively communicating a clear message. Eventually, he started going to a monthly game jam called Strawberry Jam, hosted in coffee shops. Here, various media creators would gather to mingle and make inspiring indie games, purely for the joy of it.

In early 2012, Alx was hospitalized again and it was an exceptionally difficult period. He only weighed 90 lbs, was mostly bedridden and unable to eat anything but prefabricated medical goop through a tube punched in his stomach. This true waking nightmare did spark a realization: he needed to share his creativity with the world. Previously, he had been very private about his art, sharing it only with close friends and family. But Alx grew tired of keeping his work to himself and allowing his health issues to hold him back. No matter what would happen from now on, he was going to push forward and create the video game he’s been envisioning since childhood. To start things off, Alx drew loose sketches, developed rough ideas, and experimented with a number of game engines.

From Dreams to Pixels – The Birth of Hyper Light Drifter

Video games such as ‘Mega Man Zero,’ ‘Zelda: A Link to the Past,’ and the ‘Souls’ series greatly inspired Alx. Some critical elements in those games informed a lot of decisions for Hyper Light Drifter’s design and atmosphere building. However, ‘Super Metroid’ was the first experience of almost pure visual storytelling that captured his attention and ended up being deeply inspiring. He loved the mystery, the sense of discovery, the feeling of being alone in an alien world, and its incredible atmosphere and tone. In terms of animation, Studio Ghibli films demonstrated to him how beautiful animation and design can bring a world to life. Arguably, Alx’s biggest source of inspiration has been his medical condition. It provides him with a unique perspective on life, a perspective that directly influences ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ and its narrative. “I have a deep need to keep funneling my personal nightmares and frustrations into my work. It keeps me functioning. I don’t think I can avoid it.”

The main character, known simply as The Drifter, suffers from a deadly illness for which he is desperately seeking a cure, a theme Alx is intimately familiar with. He decided to make a 2D single-player action RPG with a pixel art aesthetic. During this time, the group from the monthly game jam grew tired of the limited power outlets and unreliable Wi-Fi in the coffee shops. This led to discussions about renting a space for hosting game jams and other artistic events. Consequently, Glitch City was founded as a community space for indie developers. Initially operating out of Alx’s garage, the venture quickly evolved. By early 2013, they had pooled their resources to rent a coworking space, with the aim of fostering indie game development.

Assembling the Dream Team & Kickstarter success – Heart Machine’s Formation

It’s through Glitch City that Alx met programmer Beau Blyth. Alx quickly noticed Beau’s genius and invited him to join Hyper Light Drifter’s development. They co-founded Heart Machine, a name inspired by the machines that have been vital in keeping Alx’s heart alive. Working as a duo, they were able to generate more ideas and insights, accelerating the game’s development. They chose the GameMaker engine for two main reasons: Beau’s extensive experience with it from projects like ‘Samurai Gunn,’ and its suitability for creating 2D games. A few months into development, they prepared a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds needed to fully realize their vision for Hyper Light Drifter.

After working out the core mechanics, creating graphics for various characters and levels, composing a sample soundtrack, and preparing a trailer, the duo felt ready to unveil the project to the public. Alx estimated that $27,000 would be sufficient to cover three key aspects. First, it would allow them to fairly compensate Beau and Rich Vreeland, also known as Disasterpeace, who had agreed to compose the soundtrack. Second, establish Heart Machine as a real game development studio, which takes a fair chunk of money and time. Third, it would fund the hiring of playtesters and the incorporation of community feedback to refine the game. Originally, they aimed to release the game by mid-2014. However, these plans changed after the project evolved into a highly successful Kickstarter campaign.

The Kickstarter launched in September 2013. Remarkably, in less than 24 hours, it not only reached the $27,000 goal but also exceeded $40,000. Things weren’t slowing down either, and within days, the campaign had raised over $100,000. A key factor in its rapid popularity was the team’s involvement with Glitch City and the larger indie game community. This connection provided easier access to the press, ensuring that news about the Kickstarter spread quickly.

While Alx was immensely grateful for all the support, the 30 days of the Kickstarter campaign turned out to be some of the busiest of his life. He quickly had to think of new stretch goals as the campaign surpassed the original ones within just a few days. Furthermore, after his daily work on ‘Hyper Light Drifter,’ he dedicated many hours to fostering and maintaining relationships with fans and backers. He provided daily updates on the game’s development throughout the duration of the Kickstarter and responded to lots of incoming messages. As it became apparent that they would receive significantly more funding than initially asked for, the scope and vision for ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ began to expand. To support this larger vision, additional developers joined the team. Thanks to the network at Glitch City, it wasn’t difficult to find reliable partners.

Teddy Diefenbach, a co-founder of Glitch City, joined the team as a programmer and designer, even though Teddy was initially focused on developing their own game. Teddy needed some additional income to sustain themselves for a few months so they could work out the kinks of their own crowdfunding campaign. Therefore, on the day the ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ Kickstarter launched, Teddy reached out to everyone at Glitch City inquiring about any short-term gigs. By the time Alx responded, the Kickstarter had already gained significant momentum, leading Alx to propose that Teddy join Heart Machine. Although Teddy had envisioned creating a very different type of action RPG, the temptation of contributing to the captivating world and characters that Alx and Beau had started developing was too compelling to resist. Casey Hunt, a long time friend of Alx joined during the Kickstarter as well and he became the cornerstone of conversations about design, story and everything else. Casey’s skills in concepting, world building and his carefully considered approach to design all contributed to shape the game in many ways.

As mentioned earlier, Richard Vreeland, also joined the team to compose the soundtrack. Having previously scored ‘Fez’, Alx felt lucky to have him onboard for Hyper Light Drifter. Once Alx was done assembling the team, the studio counted five full-time employees. To celebrate the conclusion of the campaign, they organized a livestream on the last day, where the entire team discussed their future plans. It was the perfect activity to start building their relationship as a team. These five developers, along with some contract workers, would spend the next couple of years figuring out what a drastically expanded version of Hyper Light Drifter would look and play like. Naturally, this meant that they would not meet the original deadline of June 2014. After the 30-day campaign, Heart Machine had raised over $645,000.

Although that may sound like a lot, Heart Machine still had to stretch every single dollar. After accounting for Kickstarter’s 5% fee, Amazon Pay’s 3% cut, and cancellations due to banking issues, the studio was left with approximately $584,000. To maximize these funds, they minimized overhead costs as much as possible. Being part of Glitch City, where they shared office space with other indie developers, significantly helped to reduce expenses. Regarding salaries, Alx proposed to every team member the option of accepting a lower wage in exchange for a more favorable revenue share. Most agreed to this, resulting in a modest salary with the potential for substantial bonuses in the future.

Heart Machine also allocated a portion of their budget for events like PAX. While these events are crucial for generating excitement, gaining press coverage, engaging with fans, and maintaining team morale, they can be quite expensive. Setting up a full booth and sending several team members to manage it and interact with visitors can easily exceed $10,000. Additionally, to keep the team motivated and provide a fun atmosphere, the studio maintained a budget for celebrating milestones. Activities such as go-karting, team dinners, and similar events provided a welcome break and helped keep the team motivated and connected.

Glitch City proved to be an ideal workplace for Heart Machine. As Alx put it, “We can ask for advice from one another, ask for play testing, thoughts, and have long conversations about detailed design topics. But because it’s not a conventional office environment, it’s also possible to just not turn up when solitude is needed. Sometimes you want to hide in a dark cave alone and work, shut everyone else out. There are ups and downs, like any situation.”

During the Kickstarter campaign, the studio received multiple offers from publishers. However, they chose not to work with any of them. The funds raised through Kickstarter allowed the team to stay independent and retain full creative control. This independence, on the other hand, came with more responsibility and pressure to set and meet their own milestones. The games event circuit provided an excellent framework for this, ensuring that they met specific deadlines and had important playable segments ready for the public to test.

About a month after the Kickstarter, the team faced its first internal milestone: presenting a public demo at MineCon in Orlando. The event organizers had invited Alx and his team, and they saw it as an excellent opportunity to showcase their first public demo and gather valuable playtesting data. However, most of the developers were still exhausted from the Kickstarter so Teddy decided to fly out there by themselves. On the night before the event, Teddy was still assembling a level in their hotel room, working until three or four in the morning. Teddy then reached out to Alx, who was on the West Coast where it was around midnight, to request if he could add graphics. By the next morning, Alx had transformed Teddy’s rudimentary level into a visually stunning first demo of Hyper Light Drifter. Teddy remembers feeling they made the right choice to join Heart Machine.

Development Challenges with GameMaker

The success of their Kickstarter caught the attention of YoYo Games, the creators of the GameMaker engine. As a result, they offered Heart Machine their direct support during the game’s development. This support proved invaluable, as it allowed the developers to report priority bugs. Their intensive use of the engine, combined with constantly pushing it to its limits, led them to discover issues that had previously gone unnoticed. In the early stages of development, Heart Machine utilized GameMaker’s standard tile-based room editor. Alx would create giant Photoshop files filled with art, and Teddy would then make these designs playable. However, this workflow had some glaring weaknesses that limited the world’s potential.

The studio didn’t want the world to look and feel tile-based. It needed to feel natural, unique and lived-in. When looking at early prototypes, noticeable patterns emerged, with recognizable shapes that the team wanted to avoid. Furthermore, Alx’s art was so strikingly beautiful that any compromise which might sacrifice even a single pixel was unacceptable. Object and enemy scripting was also very difficult and tedious to implement. As a temporary measure, the developers just threw a bunch of enemies all over the place to try and make combat interesting. Anything more creative would require an outside-the-box solution.

Initially, YoYo Games offered to add features to address these issues, but the team chose to tackle them on their own. Their first approach involved using an exporter that integrated Photoshop files, aiming to streamline the pipeline workflow, as well as facilitate more creative enemy scripting. The second iteration of prototypes featured more organic shapes, giving levels more of a ruined and crumbled look. The enemies’ behavior was also refined, eliminating the need for players to fight large numbers at once. However, other issues persisted, especially with GameMaker’s room editor. Adjusting objects or the layout of a level required frequent re-exports, and programmers had to manually update elements like hitboxes. It was at that point that the devs decided to create their own editor.

Beau came up with an outside-the-box idea for a custom editor, which Teddy initially shot down. That said, Beau went ahead and gave it a shot anyway. To boil it down, the idea was to build an editor within the game itself. Unable to extend GameMaker to add their own tools and menus, they opted to implement everything they needed directly into the game environment, where they had complete control. When Beau had a prototype of the editor ready, the developers could simply click play and begin building the world in-game. It featured a sketch tool that greatly simplified the process of adding terrain. Developers could even select specific layers to work on. Interestingly, they used the shadows layer as a space to leave notes for themselves, since that layer wouldn’t need final touches until the very end of development.

The editor also included an object system that made it possible to easily place Alx’s Photoshop assets onto the terrain. Certain objects even had multiple variations that could be randomized while placing them in the game. Furthermore, the editor’s link system simplified the process of connecting objects to other elements and triggering events. Beau ensured that each object had accurate collision detection, which streamlined the entire process. These features were just a few of the many capabilities provided by the custom editor. The team could immediately begin playtesting their creations by simply placing The Drifter into the scene. Remarkably, they continued to add features to the editor up until one month before the game’s release. Alongside Photoshop and GameMaker, the team also utilized Pro Motion for animations and software like Premiere, After Effects, and Flash.

Visual Storytelling: Minimizing Text and Maximizing Impact

Heart Machine made the interesting decision to include no text in their game. From the start of development, Alx and Beau were considering using minimal text and dialogue. They made some prototypes that included numbers, but barely featured any words. However, it wasn’t until their Kickstarter campaign that the full team committed to creating a game completely devoid of numbers and words. “I think we all wanted to try something a bit different when it came to storytelling. It was a huge challenge, but crafting an experience told entirely through the visuals and the audio was something we agreed early on was a worthwhile endeavor to set us apart and focus on the more impactful moments and components.” Alx’s background in animation and visual storytelling became essential in this ambitious endeavor to keep the game focused on the imagery and the environment. Needless to say, this approach led to a lot of interesting yet frustrating design problems. Despite their efforts, in rare instances, they found it necessary to compromise and include some text.

For instance, the game displays text in the first ten minutes for tutorial purposes. The developers wanted to make absolutely sure that every player understood basic mechanics like healing, which would have been hard to convey through level design alone. Teddy mentioned that while it most likely would have been possible to avoid text during the tutorial, it would have required significantly more time to develop and implement the right ideas. Text is also present in the pause menu and credits. The team rationalized these instances by categorizing them as non-diegetic elements: visible to the player but doesn’t exist within the game’s world or is acknowledged by its characters. The only instance where text appears within the game world itself is on mysterious pillars. These were added to provide some lore and give the game more depth. However, the text on these pillars is not in a real language and doesn’t relate to the main objectives of the game.

Having close to no text in the game led to an extensive iterative process, especially for designing the game’s shops in terms of functionality and appearance. An easier yet still complex example is the sword upgrades. The devs agreed putting a picture of a sword on the building’s sign was enough to communicate that this is the sword upgrade shop. Inside, the player encounters an NPC holding a sword, with additional swords displayed on the wall, reinforcing the shop’s purpose. Once you interact with the NPC, the player sees an image of themselves holding a sword, accompanied by a sword icon. While this may seem excessive, Heart Machine was determined to ensure that every player unmistakably understood where they were and what they were doing.

After all, in Hyper Light Drifter, in-game currency is scarce, making each purchase a significant decision for players. If a player regrets a purchase, that’s on the developers and Heart Machine took this very seriously. Therefore, they spend a lot of time and effort figuring out ways to clearly demonstrate each upgrade’s function and the consequences of buying it. At first, the team considered implementing a test ground for trying out upgrades. However, this raised the challenge of communicating to players that they were merely testing the upgrades, not purchasing them. According to Teddy, this approach raised more questions than it answered. Ultimately, the team decided to attach an animation to each upgrade to illustrate its effect.

To familiarize players with the shop’s UI layout even before they encounter it, the studio designed it to mirror the inventory menu. They employed the same assets and underlying code, with only minor adjustments. A particularly tricky problem was indicating the cost of an item without using numbers. The team’s solution was to display the price as golden squares next to the upgrade. These squares also appear in the player’s money box, which flashes to show the corresponding amount of money. Another issue was conveying to players that they lacked sufficient funds. The final iteration there was to have the squares flash red and accompany this visual cue with a sound effect. Although this solution may seem straightforward, it took many iterations to make it feel natural.

Heart Machine also had to get creative when it came to communicating the game’s larger goals and underlying questions: What is the player’s purpose in the game? Why are they here? What are their objectives? Where should they go? These questions are largely addressed during the opening cutscene, where the developers emphasize certain visual elements through repetition — a dog, diamond-shaped objects, four pillars, four towers, and so on. The cutscene depicts a diamond splitting into four pieces, with the Drifter attempting to grab it. Following this, the player finds themselves in the Drifter’s apartment. Here, the developers almost lose control over the player, but not before presenting a diagram summarizing how to beat the game. Interestingly, the team reinforced the diamond shapes to such an extent that they eventually had to redesign many items to prevent them from resembling diamonds; only the main goals and objects were allowed to be associated with diamonds. Hyper Light Drifter’s narrative unfolds primarily through visual storytelling, as traditional dialogue wasn’t an option. The game features sprawling levels filled with dead bodies and ruins, intriguing NPCs and hidden areas, all designed to keep the player engaged and curious.

Crafting a Memorable Soundtrack

While making the soundtrack, Rich was heavily influenced by composers like Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. He likes to use synth sounds, dedicating a lot of time to shaping them to inject them with a sense of movement and make them feel alive. His work on FEZ marked the beginning of his journey to make synth sounds more expressive, a theme he continued to explore in Hyper Light Drifter. Rich employed techniques like reverb, distortion, noise addition and tape saturation to give warmth and texture to the score. Significant attention was given to how sounds are spatialized in the stereo field, ensuring everything has ample room to breath. Drawing inspiration from sources beyond music, he read Hayao Miyazaki’s manga adaption of ‘Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind’ towards the end of the project, which helped him maintain momentum and complete the score.

Launching Hyper Light Drifter with Critical Acclaim

Heart Machine initially planned to release the game on five different platforms simultaneously. However, they reconsidered this strategy after receiving advice from other indie studios, like Supergiant Games, advising against it. Instead, they chose to launch the game only on PC, Mac, and Linux. After multiple delays, the team eventually set a firm deadline for March 2016. It was a terrifying prospect, especially in light of Alx’s scheduled heart valve replacement in November 2015, which would inevitably leave him unable to work for some time. The team began playtesting a rough version of the entire game in late 2015 with family, friends, and fellow developers. Subsequently, they also conducted a comprehensive QA series with random playtesters just a few months prior to the release.

On the night before the official release, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for Heart Machine. They had issues with their Steam keys, specifically those meant for Kickstarter backers. Additionally, internet problems made it difficult to manage the game’s launch on Steam. At midnight on March 31st, the internet began freaking out and asking why the game’s not live yet. It wasn’t until four or five in the morning that they were finally able to launch the game. The release was met with highly favorable reviews from both critics and gamers. Hardcore Gamer praised the game in their review, stating, “Alx Preston and his team have delivered a title that highlights everything great about the medium as a whole, it’s as simple as that.” Alx had accomplished his goal of sharing his creativity with the world. “The support of the community, the rapid response from everyone, the overwhelmingly positive feedback has all brought me back from the brink of a very difficult time in my life.”

Porting the Game to PlayStation and Xbox

Hyper Light Drifter’s release was a significant stress relief for Alx Preston and the rest of the team, but they didn’t have much time to enjoy their accomplishment. For about a month, they were busy fixing bugs and optimizing the game for PC. After that was done, they began the more challenging task of porting the game to consoles. This was especially daunting because Beau and Teddy had already left the team to pursue other projects. Consequently, Alx and Eric Melcher, who had handled the Mac and Linux ports, were responsible for the console versions. Fortunately, YoYo Games offered assistance in making the game playable on PlayStation and Xbox. Another unexpected challenge was obtaining platform certification, which involved extensive paperwork. Each region had its own set of rules and limitations. Additionally, securing a game rating for each region proved costly, amounting to several thousand dollars.

It was a much more complicated experience than working with Steam, which gives developers a lot more control. The successful navigation through these challenges was only made possible thanks to the excellent representatives at Sony and Microsoft that worked closely with Heart Machine.

Alx’s Reflections on the Development Process

Reflecting on the entire development process, Alx mentioned that he would have preferred to have fewer and simpler Kickstarter rewards and tiers. The production of physical goods turned out to be a nightmare for the team, as it took precious time away from working on the game. Additionally, he expressed regret over promising to port the game to so many platforms. Heart Machine had to cancel the WiiU and Vita versions, which was a difficult decision that led to disappointment both among backers and within the team itself. On a more positive note, Alx mentioned that developing, releasing and porting Hyper Light Drifter to consoles, all without a publisher, was a great learning experience and taught them everything they needed to know for their future projects.

The Future: Solar Ash, Hyper Light Breaker and Animated TV series

The studio continues to thrive, having released ‘Solar Ash’ in December 2021, set in the same universe as Hyper Light Drifter. As of this video’s release, the studio is working on ‘Hyper Light Breaker’, another game in the Hyper Light Drifter universe, which is slated to be released in early access in 2024. Unlike the original, Hyper Light Breaker is set in a 3D world and will feature both single-player and cooperative online multiplayer gameplay. Additionally, in March 2019, it was announced that a limited animated television series based on Hyper Light Drifter is in development. Alx Preston, alongside Adi Shankar, known for his work on the ‘Castlevania’ series, are currently writing the episodes and developing the series’ visual style. They are focused on blending the game’s iconic pixel art style with a more traditional anime aesthetic.

Alx couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible support and feedback his games have received. While fan art always brings a smile to his face, it’s the medical stories from people around the world that have deeply touched him. “It’s been one of the most incredible aspects of this whole process. To have people willing to share such intense experiences with a stranger – one they have found enough common ground with to find the courage to do so – is stunning. I’m always open to hear people’s stories, and when they’re genuine like that – when a complete stranger is willing to share those secrets and disabilities and what they’re going through – I understand perfectly where they’re coming from. It reminds me to take a moment outside of my own struggles. It’s also deeply inspiring for me to know that I’ve had any kind of meaningful impact or effect on people. I can’t ask for much more.”