Possessor(s) Gives You Demon-Magic Legs and Plenty of Fast Action to Enjoy

Ever since developer Heart Machine burst onto the country with its hyper-stylized 2D enactment crippled Hyper Light Drifter, each effort from the workplace comes with the committedness of ocular splendor and choky gameplay, and Possessor(s) is nary different.

If Hyper Light Drifter is Zelda-like, past Possessor(s) is the team’s instrumentality connected the Metroidvania. Although their dev squad volition astir apt get huffy astatine maine for calling it that, arsenic they similar the archetypal genre word of “search-action.” Regardless of which statement you prefer, you’ll find the genre’s acquainted hallmarks here. Possessor(s) drops you successful a large unfastened representation afloat of almighty demon enemies and branching paths that aren’t each unfastened to you conscionable yet.

Unlike Heart Machine’s past games with stylized, but masked oregon hooded, heroes, Possessor(s) is led by a formed of beautifully hand-drawn characters whose stories I’m funny to larn much of. Set successful a fictional, Japan-inspired, city, the subordinate controls Luca, who survives a devastating, apocalyptic event. But lone conscionable barely. She awakens to find herself without her legs, which were damaged during the attack. Luckily (or not), she makes interaction with a demon named Rehm, who offers her the classical devil’s bargain. She tin get her legs back, but lone if she helps him get revenge connected immoderate unnamed but almighty demonic forces.

Similarly, Possessor(s) feels heavy inspired by municipality phantasy anime. Shows similar Jujutsu Kaisen travel rapidly to caput arsenic Luca and Rehm research a ruined metropolitan metropolis and combat disconnected demon-possessed mundane objects similar haunted searchlights and demon fridges. This extends to Luca arsenic well. While she’s present powered by demon-magic legs, her weapons are besides mundane objects. Things similar room knives oregon adjacent a machine rodent she tin wield similar a whip.

All of this combines into a fast-paced action-adventure. Combat feels rapid-fast, which is large due to the fact that determination are a batch of enemies to chopped through. And moving done the devastated city, oregon jumping and grappling implicit obstacles, besides feels accelerated and great, which is simply a positive due to the fact that I get the consciousness this is simply a beauteous large game. The information of the representation I played already felt rather ample and I lone played a 20-minute demo.

Mechanically, I wouldn’t accidental Possessor(s) upends the search-action genre, oregon astatine the precise slightest not successful the aboriginal information of the crippled I saw. But some narratively and successful the plan there’s tons much that I’m funny successful learning much of. Possessor(s) has moments wherever the camera pans retired into the ruined city, highlighting a cinematic consciousness of standard that Heart Machine has explored earlier successful games similar Solar Ash. And adjacent successful my abbreviated hands-on clip determination was a batch of dialog and exposition betwixt Luca and Rehm.

There’s besides apt much to the RPG constituent that I haven’t discovered yet. Luca’s quality paper seemed to amusement bare slots for a assortment of weapons and upgrades – mode much than the mates I recovered during my demo. And having lone been fixed a glimpse of the map, which was chiefly a batch of abandoned and destroyed bureau buildings, there’s intelligibly a batch much nether the hood successful Possessor(s) than what I saw. I’ll beryllium keeping an oculus connected this one.

Matt Kim is IGN's Senior Features Editor.