A downloadable game for Windows and macOS

Read the Full Technical Spec HERE

Welcome to HyperLydian, a top-down 2D space shooter that goes beyond the ordinary gaming experience by blending multidirectional shooter gameplay with dynamic music creation. Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey where your actions as a player shape the very fabric of the soundtrack.

In a not-so-distant future, Earth faces an invasion from an alien race that is devoid of the ability to appreciate music. Intent on dismantling humanity's greatest achievement, they threaten to erase the essence of rhythm and melody from our world. Standing as the last line of defense, our courageous protagonist, Lydian, emerges to confront the invaders head-on, armed with the power of infectious tunes, danceworthy beats... and GUNS!

HyperLydian immerses you in a unique amalgamation of interactive gameplay and creative music-making. Each move you make, every shot you fire, and every adversary you overcome will dynamically influence the evolving soundtrack. It's not just a game; it's a musical instrument disguised as a space shooter.

The fate of humanity's music rests in your hands. So, jump into the cosmic battlefield and let the melody of the universe guide your way to victory! The power of music is not just in the notes, but in your hands as you wield the guns and the groove to save humanity.

Overview

HyperLydian is a Digital Instrument disguised as a top-down 2D space-shooter. Every action the player takes will have an influence on changing the game's soundtrack: such as adding rests or notes, changing the tempo, scale, and key, modulating the parameters of various effects (e.g. reverb or delay), and much more. 

Gameplay-wise it is heavily inspired by the bullet hell genre in which the player is bombarded by projectiles and has to deal with an overload of visual information. Musically it takes inspiration from generative music and Eurorack principles, particularly the idea of experiencing a unique piece of music on each iteration and the feeling of limitless exploration.

Game Details

Read the HyperLydian | A Detailed Description document for an in-depth guide into the game mechanics and technical details.

Watch an in-depth HyperLydian Gameplay Demo.

View Images of the Max Patches.

Game Code

Source code and additional details can be found on the HyperLydian Github page.

Credits

All programming, art assets, and music written, designed, and created by Gregg Oliva.

Thank you for playing my game.

Download

Download
HyperLydian Windows 111 MB
Download
HyperLydian MacOS (Intel Chip) 177 MB
Download
HyperLydian MacOS (Apple M1/M2 Chip) 176 MB

Install instructions

Windows: 

Extract the zip file contents to a location of your choice. Run the game by double-clicking the HyperLydian.exe program.

Mac: 

Extract the zip file contents to a location of your choice. Due to MacOS security restrictions, you must open the `Terminal`  application and run the following commands:

sudo chmod -R 755 <path-to-app>/HyperLydian.app
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine <path-to-app>/HyperLydian.app

You should replace <path-to-app> with the correct path to HyperLydian.app. For example, if you extracted the HyperLydian application to your Downloads folder, you would run: 

sudo chmod -R 755 ~/Downloads/HyperLydian.app
sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine ~/Downloads/HyperLydian.app

You can now double-click on the HyperLydian app to run the game.

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