Should You Play Hyper Light Breaker Solo Or Co-Op? Which Style Is Best For You

Hyper Light Breaker offers players an enjoyable roguelike experience set within the Hyper Light universe. It sees players go up against swarms of enemies and challenging bosses, all while attempting to extract with the loot that they've gathered. Of course, like a lot of roguelike games, Hyper Light Breaker seems perfectly suited for cooperative play, especially when facing the deadly boss fights that take a lot to overcome.

Fortunately, Hyper Light Breaker has co-op alongside its single-player mode, allowing up to three people to play together online. It's a great addition to the game, especially considering its high level of difficulty. However, while many may instantly flock to the multiplayer mode, many may wonder whether Hyper Light Breaker is better suited to playing alone or with a group. After all, most games are typically designed with one style of play in mind, even if they offer both. Hyper Light Breaker definitely prioritizes one over the other, but that's not to say they're not both enjoyable.

Pros & Cons Of Playing Hyper Light Breaker Solo

There Are Less Enemies To Deal With

It is great that Hyper Light Breaker offers a single-player mode, as it ensures that those without a consistent group of friends or those who simply prefer to play alone, can still enjoy the game. For the most part, Hyper Light Breaker can be experienced in its entirety in single-player, as no content is gated behind playing with a group. Everything, from Hyper Light Breaker's boss fights to its engrossing exploration can be enjoyed alone. Playing alone also comes with its advantages, as the game scales in difficulty depending on how many people are playing.

So, if one chooses to play alone, they can still expect a very challenging experience, but one with substantially fewer enemies to face. However, while in some respects it is somewhat easier - at least when it comes to enemy encounter size - Hyper Light Breaker is arguably a lot harder when played alone. The game's heavily critiqued difficulty is more felt when playing alone, as enemies will have no other target to swarm. As the game hasn't been properly balanced in the player's favor, it can get overwhelming quickly, making it easy to lose hard-earned progress.

Additionally, playing alone means that fans can't balance their party with each of Hyper Light Breaker's unlockable characters. As each character specializes in different styles of combat and comes with their own specialties, having access to multiple of them in a single run can greatly increase the player's chance of survival. However, if people play solo, they'll only be able to pick one of the several characters, making it a far less balanced experience overall. That's not to say that the solo mode of Hyper Light Breaker is bad, but it can be a lot harder.

Pros & Cons Of Co-Op In Hyper Light Breaker

It's Slightly Easier To Manage

Goro, Vermillion and Lapis in Hyper Light Breaker.

Hyper Light Breaker's co-op mode is a lot of fun, especially as it allows three players to join forces to tackle the game's hardest encounters. It makes the game a lot easier, as multiple players make for additional targets for enemies and bosses to focus on. It can be hard to make the most of Hyper Light Breaker's parry in solo, as enemies will almost immediately swamp the player before they have a chance to use it. However, this isn't really the case in co-op play, as, while there are more enemies overall, they're spread thin across all three players.

Additionally, co-op play allows for a more balanced party that utilizes every character's strengths. The increased level of enemies may make combat more chaotic, but the additional party members and wider pool of abilities ensure it's more manageable. Of course, there are cons to playing in a party. There are a lot more enemies, especially when playing in a group of three, as Hyper Light Breaker's difficulty scales with the player count. While it is easier thanks to the increased player count, Hyper Light Breaker's generally high level of difficulty can still make it a brutally challenging experience at times.

Furthermore, Hyper Light Breaker doesn't currently support voice chat, meaning that those who want to play online with their friends will need to use services like Discord in order to communicate with each other. There is text chat, although this is practically pointless when in the heat of combat. Of course, there is also the three-player limit, which may be frustrating for those who typically play with bigger groups. While it is completely understandable, especially considering the way Hyper Light Breaker scales difficulty, it is, nevertheless, a shame.

Why Co-Op Is Better Than Solo

Hyper Light Breaker Was Made For Co-Op

All three characters on the telepad in Hyper Light Breaker.

Hyper Light Breaker was, undeniably, designed with co-op play in mind. The synergies between various characters, in addition to the overwhelming combat encounters that will quickly swamp a solo player but feel better balanced for parties of three, are certainly evidence of this. People planning on picking up Hyper Light Breaker to play with friends can rest assured that they will have a good experience, so long as they can overcome the many issues players have with the game. Of course, that isn't to dissuade those who were hoping to play it on their own.

Solo play is definitely still enjoyable, but not something those unaccustomed to the genre should try immediately. It is likely that Hyper Light Breaker will be better balanced across its Early Access period, but until then, solo players should definitely consider how much the gameplay loop appeals to them. The increased difficulty makes an already challenging game feel all the more punishing, which can make the high price tag feel a tad more eye-watering. Fortunately, there are plenty of Hyper Light Breaker tips that can make surviving each run feel a little less impossible.

For those who have access to a group of friends as well as Discord or another similar service, Hyper Light Breaker is a great game. Even with balancing tweaks improving the solo experience, it is hard to imagine Hyper Light Breaker being more fun alone. There's simply more joy to be had experimenting with the different characters as well as tackling the various boss fights with friends. Hyper Light Breaker is definitely better with friends, but solo players who are really keen to check it out, or simply love the game's universe and genre, should still give it a whirl.

Source: Hyper Light Breaker/YouTube