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Developer Heart Machine is known for their incredible Hyper Light series, leading strong with Hyper Light Drifter and going all in on their new Hyper Light Breaker. Since then, I’ve always recognized them as having a specific style, filled with darker, vibrant colors and beautiful worlds. However, their next game, Possessor(s), marks a bit of a departure that I didn’t expect, yet still retains their trademark style, making it feel like a Heart Machine game in a whole new light.

Possessor(s)

Unlike their previous games, Possessor(s) is a fully 2D experience with a low-poly 3D background, making it feel like 2.5D. Before getting into the game, I was surprised to see Heart Machine's name attached due to how different the game is from their previous titles, but as soon as I got in, I felt it. Their games all have a very distinct art style and color palette that go hand-in-hand with each other, and Possessor(s) feels familiar. The character and enemy's muted vibrant colors, mixed with the orange-ish hues of the lighting and greyscale buildings, vaguely reminded me of Heart Machine's games, and I loved it.

This is coupled with the incredible artwork of the characters, which is so pleasing to the eye that I found myself staring for quite some time. The detail and beauty in the portraits made it hard to look away, and the cutscenes that use them are just glorious. It was hard not to be captivated by the beauty of the art and visual effects combined.

The part I am both excited and nervous about is the combat, which feels like a weighty Super Smash-esque system. You can have different weapons for your main and secondary attacks, which can combo into each other, and these can unfold in different ways. We can smash people down, hit them up to start juggling, and just keep things going on until the enemy is demolished. It definitely takes some time to get used to, and attacking is a bit on the slow side, but I fell in love with it the more I used it. As I started to understand, I was executing these fantastic combos, dodging attacks, and annihilating enemies.

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This is a full-on metroidvania as well, so there will be a big open world and lots of backtracking. And with how beautiful the world looks, it seems like it will be so much fun to go back and forth through the game to unlock everything possible. Combined with the deeper combat mechanics, it seems like there will be a lot to love here.

However, I love the story. A demon invasion has broken out, and it has decimated the city. You play as Luca, who has to work with a demon named Rehm to explore the city and find out exactly what happened behind this interdimensional catastrophe. The sprawling narrative is so interesting, especially as there are multiple different parties at play and a corporation that could be behind it all. I was already drawn into the story almost immediately just from the first 5 minutes, and I can't wait to see what else Heart Machine is cooking here.

I didn't get a chance to test on the Steam Deck, due to the demo not working on the device, but I would be surprised if this game wasn't compatible on release. Not only is it the perfect game to play on the Deck, but it also doesn't have the most demanding art style, so it could run well. Heart Machine is also very open to getting their games running on the Deck, as we have seen with Hyper Light Breaker and the updates since early access launch.

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Still, Possessor(s) will be a game to watch. The combat mechanics make this metroidvania feel quite unique, and I love what Heart Machine is doing here. The story roped me in almost immediately, the art world and art direction is incredible, and I can see myself enjoying this gorgeous experience in my free time. I hope we won't have to wait long because I am ready to find out what happened behind this horrific event.

Possessor(s) can be wishlisted on Steam now and has a demo available on its page.

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Noah Kupetsky
A lover of gaming since 4, Noah has grown up with a love and passion for the industry. From there, he started to travel a lot and develop a joy for handheld and PC gaming. When the Steam Deck released, it just all clicked.
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