this week's brew ☕
​The section of the game we're focusing on this week.

A world in ruins. A population decimated. We begin our May game, Hyper Light Drifter, with a desolate, pixel art landscape that indicates a tragedy has come and gone.

Life seems to be moving forward, but your character — and maybe others in this world — are living with a mysterious, chronic, and (quite possibly) terminal illness. Will we find the cure?

As we play Hyper Light Drifter, note that this is a game may feel more mechanically challenging than previous G&G picks! The combat has difficulty options, but if you’re unfamiliar, even the easier modes may feel initially intimidating. My biggest tip is to be patient and don’t panic: consider the battles to be more strategic -- almost like puzzles -- rather than opportunities for button-mashing. (I say this as someone who loves button mashing). This is also a game where, if you’re wanting to dig into the narrative, you’ll need to pay close attention. There is no dialogue, and plenty of secrets, so if you’re feeling stuck or wanting to bounce ideas off of folks, hop into the discord!

You can technically (I think) play the game in any order, so feel free to explore the four regions as best suits your fancy. We’ll be starting in the North and the East this week, if you’d like to match our route.

Check out the playthrough guide for the full reasoning of why we're playing the game, where you can find it, and the timeline for play.

reflection question 💭
​Reflect on a question related to the game by drawing in your experiences, other media, and the game itself in your response. If you'd like, send your thoughts my way -- I read all of them -- and you may get featured in a future newsletter!

Stay in the loop -- listen to the weekly podcast on Spotify and Apple, hang with the community in Discord, and find us on Instagram!

​​​​

pour over 👀
​Supplementary materials to help explore the game's connections to your life and the world around us.

watch a source of inspiration The lead designer of Hyper Light Drifter, Alx Preston, mentioned that Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is a source of inspiration for the game's world (and players often liken the game to another Ghibli film, Castle in the Sky).

listen to the devs This short (under 10 min) VICE feature highlights the dev team in the weeks just before (and the day of) launch. It provides some context for Preston's intention in making the game, as well as provides a quick peek behind the curtain of what it's like to launch a game.

Thanks for joining our digital café this week -- talk soon!

Jenny

​
​BONUS BREWS​
​Links from this week's podcast.

• If you haven't caught the finale of our American Arcadia discussion: it's live now!
• Two notable game launches this week include Surmount, a climbing platformer, and INDIKA, a survival horror meets narrative game about a young nun with a most unusual companion.
• Joel's still on the Balatro train, while I've been rewatching Nanette and this Nicolas Cage movie that felt very on topic for American Arcadia.