Comparison

HAAK vs Hyper Light Drifter

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HAAK

Embark on a parkour-filled adventure in a vibrant pixel-art post-apocalyptic world. Utilize a versatile hookshot to swing, slash, and solve puzzles. With adjustable difficulty, multiple endings, and extensive gameplay, this experience caters to both casual explorers and hardcore players.

Highlights
  • Parkour and hookshot mechanics
  • Pixel-art Metroidvania world
  • Hidden rooms and puzzles
  • Challenging boss battles
  • Unique difficulty system
  • Multiple endings
  • Global leaderboards
Features
Read full description

HAAK: Where Dead Cells Meets Spider-Man in a Post-Apocalyptic Playground Ready to become the ultimate wasteland parkour master? HAAK throws you into a vibrant pixel-art world that's one part Mad Max, two parts Metroidvania madness. Your secret weapon? A badass hookshot that'd make even Spider-Man jealous. Swing, slash, and dash your way through a sprawling map filled with hidden rooms, brain-teasing puzzles, and bosses that'll make you question your life choices (in a good way). But don't sweat it, newbies – our unique difficulty system means everyone can feel like a hook-slinging hero. Whether you're a casual explorer or a hardcore speedrunner, HAAK's got your back. With 10+ side quests and 40+ hours of gameplay, you'll have plenty of time to perfect your hook-fu. And hey, your choices actually matter here – multiple endings mean you're not just along for the ride. Think you've got what it takes to conquer the wasteland? Prove it on our global leaderboards and show the world your hook-shot prowess! So grab your hook, channel your inner post-apocalyptic acrobat, and dive into HAAK. Trust us, it's way more fun than surviving an actual apocalypse. Ready to get hooked? Download HAAK now and start your adventure!

About

Hyper Light Drifter

Embark on an action-adventure RPG journey through a vast, ruined world filled with danger and lost technologies. Explore, battle vicious enemies, and uncover secrets in this hand-animated, visually stunning experience.

Highlights
  • Hand-animated visuals
  • Vast, ruined world exploration
  • Challenging combat
  • Weapon upgrades and skills
  • Branching paths and secrets
  • Evocative soundtrack
Features
Read full description

Finally, Heart Machine's award winning slash-'em-up arrives to iOS in the most polished and refined version yet, the Special Edition. ► Winner of the Audience Award and Excellence in Visual Art awards of the prestigious Independent Games Festival. ► 14 + nominations among the Best Visual Design, Best Audio and Best original Game categories. ► 9/10 Destructoid - A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage. ► 9.5/10 Game Informer - The combination of soundtrack, art, and combat creates a rabbit hole worth your full exploration. ► Eurogamer Recommended - Heart Machine's slash-'em-up is punishing and precise - and incredibly beautiful. ► 9/10 GameSpot - It is more than simply pretty; Hyper Light Drifter uses its visuals to both guide and relax you. The grandest vistas calm your pulse between difficult, breathless combat sequences. ► 8.5 Polygon - Hyper Light Drifter deftly mixes contemplative moments with breakneck action. ► 5 Stars Darkstation - The top-down action-RPG Hyper Light Drifter is an amazing game: gorgeous, a fascinating world to explore, tight controls, beautiful music, and the faith in the player for you to figure things out on your own. Echoes of a dark and violent past resonate throughout a savage land, steeped in treasure and blood. Drifters of this world are the collectors of forgotten knowledge, lost technologies and broken histories. Our Drifter is haunted by an insatiable illness, traveling further into the lands of Buried Time, hoping to discover a way to quiet the vicious disease. Hyper Light Drifter is an action adventure RPG in the vein of the best 16-bit classics, with modernized mechanics and designs on a much grander scale. Explore a beautiful, vast and ruined world riddled with dangers and lost technologies. Features: ● 120 fps gameplay on iPad Pro / 60 fps on iPhone and iPad. ● Compatible with MFi controllers. ● Game Center achievements. ● Haptic Vibration. ● From each character to subtle background elements, everything is lovingly hand-animated. ● Easy to pick up, difficult to master; enemies are vicious and numerous, hazards will easily crush your frail body, and friendly faces remain rare. ● Upgrade weapons, learn new skills, discover equipment and traverse a dark, detailed world with branching paths and secrets abound. ● Evocative soundtrack composed by Disasterpeace. ● All the content from the original game + more weapons, enemies and areas from the Special edition.

Screenshots

HAAK4 screens
Hyper Light Drifter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Hyper Light Drifter at 4.9 against HAAK's 4.5. Hyper Light Drifter also leads on ratings volume (6.7K vs 101) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). HAAK's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

HAAK costs $1.99 and Hyper Light Drifter $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Hyper Light Drifter holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hyper Light Drifter has 6.7K ratings behind it against 101, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of HAAK's written reviews are positive against 83% of Hyper Light Drifter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HAAK ships an update every 2 months, Hyper Light Drifter every 6 weeks. Both last shipped on October 2, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
HAAK versus Hyper Light Drifter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHAAKHyper Light Drifter
Price$1.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.5 (101 ratings)4.9 (6.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews76.0% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1016.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#162#140 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size481 MB813 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperZhiXiong HuangAbylight S.L.

Customer experience

HAAK

All ratings101 ratings
Positive87.1%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.9%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive76.0%
Neutral5.2%
Negative18.8%

Hyper Light Drifter

All ratings6,721 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews544 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral5.0%
Negative11.8%

Bugs and requests

HAAK

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Hyper Light Drifter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes when fighting in the tower
  • Background glitches and visual issues
  • Inconsistent frame rate on some devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add controller remapping
  • Improve touch control responsiveness
  • Provide more story context
  • Adjust difficulty settings
  • Add widescreen support for newer devices

In-app purchases

None

HAAK

No in-app purchases

None

Hyper Light Drifter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HAAK free?
HAAK costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hyper Light Drifter free?
Hyper Light Drifter costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HAAK or Hyper Light Drifter?
Hyper Light Drifter is rated higher. HAAK averages 4.5 out of 5 from 101 ratings, while Hyper Light Drifter averages 4.9 from 6.7K ratings.
Do HAAK or Hyper Light Drifter have ads?
Neither HAAK nor Hyper Light Drifter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HAAK or Hyper Light Drifter?
HAAK ships an update every 2 months, and Hyper Light Drifter every 6 weeks. Most recently, HAAK was updated on October 2, 2026 and Hyper Light Drifter on October 2, 2026.
Which is more popular, HAAK or Hyper Light Drifter?
HAAK currently peaks at #162 in the App Store charts, and Hyper Light Drifter at #140. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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