Possessor(s), a stylish new Metroidvania from developer Heart Machine, officially has a release date now, launching on November 11 for PC and PS5.
Heart Machine is best known as the studio behind the hit 2016 game Hyper Light Drifter, a moody action-adventure game that embraced the style of 16-bit classics and merged it with modern design. Since then, the studio has also release Solar Ash, and currently has Hyper Light Breaker in Early Access.
Possessor(s) sports a similarly gripping art style, somewhere between a Castlevania game and a visual novel, with striking character portraits juxtaposed against a huge emphasis on minimalist visual design and color.
Here’s a quick overview of the game’s story, via publisher Devolver Digital.
“In Possessor(s) you play as Luca, a high-schooler trapped in the ruins of Sanzu City, a sprawling metropolis overrun with otherworldly horrors following an interdimensional catastrophe. Her body broken, Luca strikes a deal with Rhem, a newly freed demon in need of a host. Together, they make a last-ditch effort to survive.”
Possessor(s) is described as an action-adventure game, but quite clearly has a lot of Metroidvania elements, as you explore an interconnected world that weaves through a collapsed megacity. Along the way you’ll collect a cavalcade of different weapons and abilities, taking down enemies and surviving nail-biting platforming.
What’s most interesting, however, is that Heart Machine describes the game as a mix of platform fighters and Metroidvanias, saying you can use improvised weapons like “Kitchen knives, a guitar, and a computer mouse.
Possessor(s) is launching in what’s already been a pretty incredible year for platformers and Metroidvanias. Of course, the long-anticipated Hollow Knight Silksong just released, but this year also saw Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, Shadow Labyrinth, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, and more. It’ll be interesting to see how Heart Machine’s latest outing stacks up in an already packed year, especially coming off the Hyper Light games.
Possessor(s) launches on November 11 for PS5 and PC.
