The opening cinematic seems to show him waking amidst a pile of corpses, possibly a result of the invasion the evidence of which is found throughout various points in the game. It can be inferred that he was suffering from his infection prior to the start of the game, and can be further inferred that he came to the land in search for a cure for it. Not much is certain about the Drifter's history. According to the game's original description, 'Drifters of this world are the collectors of forgotten knowledge, lost technologies and broken histories.' Alx Preston also confirmed in 2022 that the Blu species featured in Heart Machine's upcoming 2023 game, Hyper Light Breaker, is the same one that the Drifter is a part of. Source the Drifter is one of many different individuals referred to as 'drifters,' meaning that it is not his proper name but a descriptive title or nomadic type of occupation. When asked, developer Alex Preston said that 'he' is the appropriate pronoun for Drifter. The Drifter came to the Land of Light from the Northern Realms and travels the new continent in search of a cure. He is a member of the feline Blu species who has been infected with a strange terminal disease. The Drifter, referred to on his tarot card as 'The Magician', is the main playable character in Hyper Light Drifter. “ A lonely soul, in a desperate search.-Steam emoticon description ” “ A searcher, aspiring to find a cure.- Steam trading card description ”

Hyper light drifter sprite sheets