HYKE: Northern Light(s) review: An easy-to-play cosy adventure

HYKE: Northern Light(s) is a new RPG, offering a mix of adventure and cosy vibes packaged inside a beautiful pixel art world. Gamers will play as Hyke, a young girl looking for answers regarding her lost mother. But the journey is perilous, not least of all because of the devastation left behind from the war between humans and witches. 

With Hyke’s destiny set in motion, she and her allies must delve deeper into the Forbidden Areas to get answers. The HYKE: Northern Light(s) game is a top-down RPG reminiscent of classic The Legend of Zelda, blended with popular elements from Animal Crossing. Before you begin, make sure to read our full review of this Akatsuki Games Inc. developed adventure.  

The Escapist recaps

• HYKE: Northern Light(s) is a new RPG developed by Akatsuki Games and published by Aniplex.
• HYKE: Northern Light(s) release date is 18 September at 6pm PDT (which works out as 19 September at 2am BST).
• This new RPG is an easy-to-play top-down experience offering two difficulty levels: Adventure or Action.
• While visually stunning, some will find the combat and level of challenge lacking.
• HYKE: Northern Light(s) is available on Switch (the version we reviewed), Steam, and PS5.

Cosy vibes no matter the danger

Even though the HYKE: Northern Light(s) game is an RPG first and foremost, it has many wholesome elements too. Chiefly, the camping sections. 

Even though the main plot is fuelled by Hyke’s desire to find her lost mother, who we, the player, briefly meet in Chapter 0, that doesn’t mean there isn’t time to relax. After clearing each stage of the map, Hyke and her companions will return to camp for some hard-earned rest – this is where Animal Crossing fans will thrive. 

While in camp, you can carry out a range of actions, such as decorating your campsite, cooking, and interacting with your allies. Initially, Hyke’s camp is sparse, as are the features available. To unlock the full range of features for camp, you must progress through the story; don’t worry, it doesn’t take long to gain full access to everything. 

Camp also serves a greater purpose: a means to improve your character specs. Not only will cooking offer buffs, but you’ll eventually unlock character enhancements. Even if you’re playing on Adventure mode, aka easy mode, upgrades are still important. Ensuring your characters are as strong as they can be will definitely make combat easier, regardless of your preferred difficulty level. 

This is great, as it means players can just enjoy the action at their pace and not get bogged down in granular detail if they don’t want to engage with it. 

Variety is the spice of life

Like with any good RPG, allies are the key to your success. Even though Hyke has her fair share of impressive abilities, certain allies will be better suited at tackling different enemies. For example, Hyke can adapt to both close quarters combat and ranged fighting, while others are better suited to one or the other. With seven playable characters available, make sure to play around to find out who does what best.

Thanks to character switching, choosing the right character for the task couldn’t be simpler. HYKE: Northern Light(s)’ Switch version allows you to change character by pressing the L button. For your convenience, players can switch characters at any time. The only exception to this rule is when you’re completing character specific side quests. 

The further you progress in the story, the more companions you will accumulate. Consequently, keeping on top of upgrades, as well as learning the controls for each new character, is a must. Even though it’s easy to get to grips with the mechanics of the game, the number of enemies you’ll face, combined with their increased attacks, means you need to test out every ability and not just rely on Hyke to see you through. 

It can get overwhelming, but the game does a great job of mankind it manageable so it doesn’t take long to click into place. 

Exploration is key

Early on, it becomes clear that each stage of the map has multiple routes to take. Sometimes, Hyke and co will be forced to go one way, but more often than not, you’re free to roam. Exploration isn’t just highly advised, it’s key to the overall HYKE: Northern Light(s) game experience.

Venturing down every path, as well as wandering through the trees, will result in you finding extra items and chests. You may find health, money, and/or key items. Money, in particular, is a vital resource, as it allows players to purchase recipes, camp gear, and more from local vendors. 

Regarding gathering supplies, make sure to hit everything that looks breakable – tree stumps, bushes, boxes, they all could be hiding something worthwhile. When you happen across a chest, players need to hit those too. Whatever you discover while exploring, Hyke and co will automatically gather these newly found supplies. This is a neat mechanic, and made life much easier.

Aesthetically pleasing but still bare bones

The crowning jewel of HYKE: Northern Light(s) is undoubtedly its art style. Sporting a pixel art aesthetic, even the most haunting of locations  is still beautiful to look at. 

Many games now opt for pixel art graphics, yet not all of them are created equally. Even though some of the map stages become a little too repetitive, even visually, players will still find vibrant graphics, great attention to detail, and smooth animations. Even HYKE: Northern Light(s)’ Switch version runs well despite the console’s old age. 

That being said, if one were to compare Octopath Traveler II with this new release, the former title would still win, both visually and narratively. It isn’t that Akatsuki Games’ title isn’t good, it’s just that other RPGs that it’s clearly taken inspiration from do it better. Nonetheless, if aesthetics are especially important to you, HYKE: Northern Light(s) will tick that box with ease.

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