Hyper Light Breaker is an incredibly unique game, being an open-world roguelike with RPG elements, and there’s not much else out there that can give you that same experience.




I find the most important aspects of its design to be the open-ended exploration, and the random elements that keep the game fresh, so when looking for alternatives, I’ll typically go for non-linear RPGs or similar Roguelikes.

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That’s not to say any of these games are going to feel the same. I don’t believe there’s any other video game that pulls off a randomized open-world experience like Hyper Light Breaker.

This list is a compilation of eight great games that you’ll likely enjoy if you like Hyper Light Breaker, as they share some DNA and make for a fun time, even if it’s not the same genre and playstyle.


8 Noita

Endless Possibilities

a rapid fire wand made possible by the chainsaw spell

Released
October 15, 2020

Noita is a roguelike sandbox with an endless number of possibilities. While it’s not much of an RPG, it does have a ton of weapons and every pixel is a physics object with really cool interactions.


Noita is very good at encouraging exploration and has rather free-flowing and quick combat where you use one of the thousands of different wands to dispatch enemies and delve further into a cave.

I find the wand combinations an incredible aspect that keeps me coming back constantly, and despite the brutal permadeath, it’s still fun to generate a new world and jump right back into things.

It is in 2D and isn’t quite as combat-focused as Hyper Light Breaker, but if you enjoy the idea of exploring a massive, randomly generated world, then you’ll probably find the gameplay appealing.

7 Terraria

Mountain of Bosses

Dungeon Entry Terraria

Platform(s)
PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, Vita, iOS, Android, macOS, Linux, 3DS, Stadia, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch

Released
May 16, 2011

Terraria is a sandbox game that you can play as if it were a roguelike, tossing yourself into a new randomly generated world that is always unique, interesting, and fun to navigate each time you play.


It has strong RPG elements, namely accessories, and armor sets that increase your stats as you take on increasingly difficult bosses, with many accessories providing unique movement and bonus effects.

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It’s got a structure that is both open-ended and linear, only requiring nine bosses to be defeated in total, with a massive number of optional bosses you can hit up for upgrades in between the big ones.

It’s again, a 2D game, and it’s focused on worlds you can run through in either two hours or two hundred, but I find blasting through it as quickly as possible as if it were a roguelike to be incredibly appealing.

6 Sonic Frontiers

Slick and Speedy

Sonic Frontiers Tower Guardian Destroyed Photo Mode

Franchise
Sonic

Released
November 8, 2022

I decided to throw Sonic Frontiers here, not because I’m biased, but because it’s an open-world adventure with slick combat, an RPG-esque skill tree, and stats, and it’s just a fun game if you like platforming.


The hoverboard controls in Hyper Light Breaker have always felt inspired by Sonic Adventure 2, so if they appeal to you, then trying this game full of speedy, fluid movement and fun obstacle courses may be up your alley.

The combat is similarly flashy, and the parry timing requires you to be perfect while trying to deflect the weird attack cues from bosses during the DLC, something both of these games have in common.

It’s great if you want something far simpler and less randomized, especially if you enjoy running around a big open world and collecting stuff while doing some sick tricks and flips across the continent.

5 Solar Ash

Slashing in Style

Screenshot of Solar Ash, with the player running and jumping across a layer of blue clouds.

Solar Ash

Released
December 2, 2021

I’d be remiss not to mention the Hyper Light Breaker team’s previous game, Solar Ash here. It does feel like a precursor, with a dash that transitions into a smooth glide across an open world functioning very similarly.


It’s not randomized, but the combat, vibes, and aesthetic are all incredibly similar, with it taking place in the same universe as the Hyper Light games, but as an entirely separate side adventure.

It’s great fun to skate past enemies, slash at them on your way, and platform through huge structures on a cloudy landscape, taking on behemoths like you’re in Shadow of the Colossus.

If you’re looking for a recommendation purely based on vibes and less on gameplay, then Solar Ash is the biggest one on this list, even if the game is incredibly different in terms of playstyle.

4 The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Openly Explorative

The Legend Of Zelda Breath Of The Wild Link In An Open World

From the open-world exploration with RPG elements and a non-linear boss order to a similar visual style, it’s not far off to say Hyper Light Breaker feels like a roguelite Breath of the Wild, so it’s a fair recommendation.


It has a similar style of exploring for temporary upgrades to your weapons and armor, then attempting to replace them when they break, frequently forcing you to make do with the scraps you have left.

You’ve probably already played and enjoyed it if you like Hyper Light Breaker. However, it’s still worth re-experiencing, as the game feels different on each playthrough with the endless options at your disposal.

If you somehow haven’t played it, I’d 100% recommend it. It’s a bit rough around the edges in a few ways, but it’s a great time if you don’t have someone in your ear telling you it sucks the whole time.

3 No Man’s Sky

Infinite Frontiers

no man's sky gas giant

You’ve probably heard about No Man’s Sky being awful, but that was years ago. They’ve patched things up and ironed out some of the bugs, which makes it a proper open world with great space exploration.


No Man’s Sky has you scavenging through other planets, base-building, and joining your friends if you want to, and while it’s not much for combat, exploration is the main goal with a few billion procedural planets.

I wouldn’t call it a roguelike, as everyone gets the same set of randomly generated planets, but that makes it all the more enjoyable since you can go to your friend’s coordinates and see the same thing they do.

Ironically, despite having higher graphical fidelity, it runs way better than Hyper Light Breaker, and I find that a bit hilarious. Overall, it’s great fun if you’re enjoying open-world exploration with a sprinkle of RNG.

2 Risk of Rain 2

Dodge and Weave

Image of the False Son Bossfight in Risk of Rain 2.

Risk of Rain 2

Third-Person Shooter

Roguelike

Released
September 11, 2020

In terms of inspiration for the combat, I’d say Risk of Rain 2 is right up there alongside Hyper Light Drifter itself, with the gunplay, upgrades, and dodging feeling comparable overall.


It’s a roguelike that has you running through a bunch of stages, each with a teleport that feels like a far slower version of Breaker‘s extraction events, but Risk of Rain 2 has you fight a swarm of enemies and a miniboss.

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It’s got a massive amount of sauce, a wild amount of unlockables, incredible music, items that are incredibly unique and very fun to stack, and one of the best final bosses in any roguelike, bar none.

If you’re looking for a game to keep your interest for a few hundred hours while being fun the entire way through, this is a super strong candidate, and if you just want to hit things with a sword, hop on Mercenary.

1 Elden Ring

A Brutal Open World

Looking at the Erdtree in Elden Ring

Released
February 25, 2022

In terms of open-world games with a heavy focus on combat, Elden Ring seems like the best recommendation, given how much Soulslike DNA is in Hyper Light Breaker, and given it has way better parrying.


The exploration feels more thoughtful and hand-crafted, which means it certainly isn’t a roguelike yet, but it’s still a great match for just about every other aspect of Breaker, especially if you’re like me and wish the bosses were better.

If you’re keen on going with your friends, then there’s multiplayer and a weird roguelike mode coming soon, which likely won’t bear much resemblance to Breaker, but is something if that’s all you’re looking for.

It’s a great game, and like Breath of the Wild, you might have already played it, but there are so many routes and avenues to explore with each new playthrough that it can cause you to get sucked in for hundreds of hours.

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