Hyper Light Drifter delayed until holiday 2014 at the earliest

Gorgeous 2D action role-playing game Hyper Light Drifter, which scrounged up over $600,000 on Kickstarter — way more than the asking price of $27,000 — has been pushed from a June release to launch sometime during the holiday season.

Developer Heart Machine doesn't want to rush the project, according to a Kickstarter update. Backers will receive access to the closed beta in June, but the Steam and PC releases won't arrive until the end of 2014, with versions for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Wii U, and Ouya following later.

The developer reminded backers who might be disappointed that a delay now means a better, more polished game later.

"The original approximation of a June release was for a game developed with just myself and [lead programmer] Beau Blyth, something much smaller; I would have been creating art for the next six months, with much rougher edges and animation," wrote designer Alex Preston. "Since we have been given this remarkable opportunity, the project has evolved, requires polish and finesse that I was not originally afforded. We are able to make the experience whole, into the full vision I had wanted it to be."

The delay is also important for the developers' health and sanity, to avoid crashing altogether. "We're all working as hard as we can within reason," wrote Preston.