You must rely on your skills of evasion and shatter the enemy with your hyper lightspeed to survive. Hyperlight EX has three game modes, modest graphics that offer a slight old-school feel, and plenty of bonus powerups to give your ship a fighting chance at survival. Available for Windows 10 PC and Mobile, Hyperlight EX currently costs $0.99 and is an entertaining game.
Hyperlight EX opens up to a modest primary menu with options to choose your game mode, view the help screens, access the game's settings and view the leaderboard and achievement stats.
Gameplay is straightforward. You have on-screen controls to handle your ship's steering and hyperdrive activation. Hyperlight EX has gamepad support for the PC version, but it does not have keyboard support.
The goal is to pilot your ship around the battle arena, avoiding enemy ships, and when the opportunity is just right, activate the hyperdrive (to achieve Faster-Than-Light speed) and ram the enemy to obliterate its ships. When in hyperdrive, your ship is indestructible, so it is important not to make contact with the enemy until after you see the glow of the hyperdrive. Once active, you can use the hyperdrive to demolish multiple ships.
The game screen displays your score, ship lives and hyperlight energy meter. Each time you use the hyperdrives they consume energy, and to replenish that energy you can collect energy units (they look like rain drops) that appear on the battle arena. Along with these energy units, other powerups will appear on the battle stage to give your ship a little boost. These units include shields, bombs, lasers and machine guns.
The three game modes for Hyperlight EX are as follows:
- Arcade mode — This mode has more than 50 levels of play, in which you battle your way to face eight mid-level bosses and four upper-level bosses.
- Infinity mode — This game of survival has you facing an endless supply of enemy ships and mid-level bosses.
- Panic mode — While the Arcade and Infinity Modes rely on on-screen controls, Panic Mode utilizes your Windows 10 device's tilt sensors to steer your spaceship. You also lack the hyperdrive feature, so your only offensive capabilities are from the powerups you collect.
The gaming experience with Hyperlight EX is fun. The controls are responsive and the fast-paced attack of the enemy ships delivers a healthy challenge. The graphics are clean, with a slight old-school look. (Think of the classic Asteroids) game but with more color.)
The game tests your skills at evasiveness, strategy and timing. You can time your attacks just right to take out rows of ships or wildly let loose, smashing everything in sight. The energy for your hyperdrive can sustain an attack for a short time, but you should never forget to collect additional energy whenever possible. Otherwise, gameplay simply involves running for your life.
The three game modes offer variety, and Hyperlight EX can easily fit the bill for short gaming spurts or for longer when the need arises. Overall, I find Hyperlight EX to be a fun and challenging Windows 10 game that won't dull your reflexes.
