Adi Shankar the showrunner of Netflix‘s Castlevania adaptation is actively developing an animated series based on the hit indie title, Hyper Light Drifter.
“The difference between a series and a game is vast in a lot of ways,” says Hyper Light Drifter creator Alx Preston in an interview with Polygon. “Hyper Light as a game was pretty atmospheric and kind of overbearing at times. For a series, the question is: how do you sustain and keep your attention on a non-interactive run? Does it get really, really dark and serious? Does it have some levity?”
We’re leaning a lot more towards something that’s representative of the game on the style side
Which suggests that this will be an animated series that at least touch upon the visual style of the game itself. That’s hardly a shock considering how important the visuals are to Hyper Light Drifter and the success of the Castlevania series. Preston also notes that there is still some discussion regarding how dialogue-heavy the show will be.
There’s still a question of how much dialogue we really have if any,” says Preston. “Could it be a more silent series or would we have voice acting? Considering Hyper Light was wordless, there’s an idea there of how much that would carry over to a show.”
The idea of an animated video game adaptation free of dialogue is not only fascinating but actually makes a lot of sense for Hyper Light Drifter. Almost all of that game’s storytelling is done visually. It would be great to see a series like Hyper Light Drifter embrace the idea of minimal or no dialogue. Shankar certainly seems interested in preserving the integrity of the game itself.
Earlier in March 2019, the game studio Heart Machine unveiled its next project, Solar Ash Kingdom. The game features a familiar, vibrant aesthetic, but in a 3D setting. The announcement trailer didn’t divulge much information in the way of a release date or platforms, but it did conclude with the Epic Games Store tag, seemingly confirming the title will make its way to the Epic Games storefront when it launches.
If you haven’t played Hyper Light Drifter it’s available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One, Linux, and OS.