Hyper Light Breakeris finally in early access, and during this early access phase, there are threeBreakersfor players to try out as they explore and dominate the Overgrowth. These Breakers are exploration and combat specialists, whose job is to explore the Overgrowth and restore civilization from the effects of a world-wide war.Choose one of three Breakers, alone or with friends, to take on the Crownsand see the world back to its former glory.
As seen inBreaker’s early access launch trailer, the Overgrowth is full of baddies to fight and secrets to unlock, and the Breaker chosen will determine each player’s combat style. While, there aren’t any gear restrictions between characters, the Breaker’s stats will determine how well individual pieces of equipment will function.This means that the Breaker chosen by the player, while important, isn’t the end-all-be-allof how a player should approach combat. Each of the three Breakers is unique, and more are sure to be added in later phases of early access.
Lapis, The Soldier And Scholar
Lapis’s SyCom Increases Rail Damage And Stats Gained
Lapis, the first of the Breakers to be announced onHyper Light Breaker’s X (formerly Twitter) page, is a yellow-coated Breaker with SyComs that focus on Rail damage and stat increases. Rails are the secondary weapon of every breaker, and are various types of ranged weapons that derive ammunition from felled enemies.Lapis' SyCom: Lightweaver increases Rail damage for a short time after a Battery is picked up, allowing the next few shots afterward to be even more devastating.
Her secondSyCom: Warrior increases core stats whenever Lapis gets anupgrade inHyper Light Breaker. This means that Lapis gains extra stats over the other Breakers in each upgrade phase, so she can scale into whatever the player chooses more quickly. Thanks to Lightweaver, her gameplay should be more Rail-focused, but it’s up to the player to play their own run how they like.
Lapis is just the first of three Breakers to join early access, and it’s likely that players will see her continue to evolve as early access continues. Whether this will be through fine-tuning or even character overhaul is unsure, but as with any early access game,Breakerand its characters will change over time.Lapis' focus on Rail usage, as well as her increased stat gain, make her a pretty all-around style Breaker, for players who want variety in their runs.
Vermillion, The Gunslinging Hunter
Vermillion Can Deal Huge Damage From Multiple Sources
Joining Lapis on theBreakerroster is Vermillion, a Rail-toting damage machine. He was the second of the three Breakers revealed within the past week or so, and he’s similar to Lapis with a few notable differences. The biggest differences are, of course, his two SyComs.
Like other abilities, a player will need to upgrade their SyCom throughout the game; this upgrade is one of the instances of permanent progression inBreaker.
Vermillion, like Lapis, has two SyComs: Gunslinger and Tank.Gunslinger increases crit chance after doing damage with a Rail, meaning any consecutive Rail shots will also have an increased crit chance as long as the initial shot is hit. His second SyCom, Tank,temporarily increases armor after parrying, which does rely on being able to parry well, but is otherwise super helpful.
Overall, Vermillion benefits from a bit sturdier of a playstyle than Lapis does, meaning he can take a bit more damage as long as his SyComs are active. Along with other loadout weapons and abilities,Vermillion is a good choice for players who are less confident in their ability to avoid damageand instead want to focus on dealing it. Utilize his Tank SyCom to absorb damage and stay in combat longer, clearing out enemies before they have a chance to do damage.
Goro, The Bladed Light-Wielder
Goro’s Dual Blades Make Him A Fast-Paced Melee Character
Goro is the final character available inBreaker’s early access launch, and he’s also the most novel in terms of design. While Lapis and Vermillion have human-like designs and limbs, Goro is a tanuki-style creature with large, glowing eyes and animal ears. Not much is known about his species yet, but players can rest assured that more will be revealed the more they learn about the Overgrowth and the lands surrounding it.
Like the other two Breakers, Goro has two SyComs at his disposal. The first, Astrologer, allows him tocharge his Blade skills more quickly while shooting his Rail. This allows him to have less downtime when switching between weapons; as soon as he’s done with the Rail, he can swap right back to his melee-focused Blades, allowing him to be dangerous in both combat ranges.
Goro is the most obviously non-human Breaker, and it’s highly likely that more non-humans will join theBreakerroster later in early access.
Goro’s second SyCom is called Sniper, and is pretty basic:it increases crit frequency, full stop. This is an excellent passive buff that rewards intentional Rail use rather than button-mashing, which some players might prefer. Sniper means that Goro players should avoid spamming their Rail when at range, instead ensuring they hit their targets to take full advantage of those critical hits.
Which Breaker Is Right For You?
Playstyle Matters, But Preference Matters More
As with any hero-based combat game, which Breaker a player should choose relies mostly on that player’s preferred combat style. For those who know they’re not the best at avoiding damage, playing Vermillion with his Tank SyCom provides a bit of a cushion in terms of health, given players can parry properly. On the other hand,players who enjoy technical gameplay should pick Goroto take advantage of his ability to fight both in melee and at range.
Finally,players that enjoy versatile characters should choose Lapis, especially when starting out. Lapis' SyComs make her a good choice for someone who hasn’t figured out what they like yet, as her increase in stat gain means she should be able to take advantage of a wider range of weapons than the other two Breakers. This might not mean that she can use every weapon well, but she’ll have a larger pool of effective weapons and upgrades to pick from.
The three Breakers that have beenrevealed thus far inHyper Light Breaker’s early access are just a snapshot at what’s to come in the game’s full release. The devs at Heart Machine have yet to release a bad game, and it seemsHyper Light Breakeris unlikely to buck that trend. For those players who are yet to be satisfied with the three Breakers currently available should keep an eye out for future announcements both on the game’sSteampage and its account on X.
Sources: Hyper Light Breaker/YouTube (1,2,3),Hyper Light Breaker/X,Steam
Hyper Light Breaker
Hyper Light Breaker is the follow-up to developer Heart Machine’s 2016 isometric action-adventure game, Hyper Light Drifter. In this stand-alone sequel, players will embark on a journey through a land called the Overgrowth, where massive monsters roam the ruined cities reclaimed by time. Either alone or with friends, players will collect new gear and build their character to help them uncover the secrets of this forgotten land.
