Possessor(s) is many things: stylized, satisfying, occasionally frustrating, and short but sweet despite its large map. It’s a familiar yet solid gameplay loop with few frills, save for shirtless demon protagonists and neon stylizations.
Heart Machine, the developers of the great Hyper Light Drifter, are known for incredible pixel art and fascinating in-game atmospheres. Their highly stylized games stand apart from others at first glance, even if they don’t break the ceiling of innovation or setting the gold standard in how a game of a certain genre should be going forward. It’s a solid approach to game design in that they follow tried-and-true methods that more-or-less resonate with players, all the while presenting them with novel color schemes that are pleasing on the eyes.
Possessor(s) follows suit with Heart Machine’s history, incorporating smoking hot (literally) demons and a gorgeous neon art style against a backdrop of darker tones to make characters pop. Instead of attempting to shake up the metroidvania genre, it sticks to a familiar gameplay loop involving colorful demonic powers and soulslike difficulty curves.
Possessor(s) starts with a demonic bang, full of blood and flashy explosions. Luca finds herself with no legs and crawls along the ground toward a black-haired man with green horns, leaving a trail of blood behind her. The black-haired man is a demon named Rhem. Rhem agrees help Luca get her legs back and survive in exchange for taking Rhem home. Luca takes Rhem up on the offer and eventually wakes up three years later with pointed bony legs. When Luca reenters the world of Sanzu City, she’s surprised to see everything taken over by demons. Imagine potted plants with eyes, fox-like creatures with multiple tails, and squid with more teeth than tentacles.
Luca has very little combat prowess despite her ally of convenience, Rhem, giving her demonic power. She uses everyday objects as weapons, like kitchen knives and guitars, along with other scavenged supplies to take down demons in her way. The primary weapons that Luca uses vary in attack speed and power, but the slower weapons lack the satisfaction of slicing and dicing enemies to bits. Part of this can be justified by the need to parry – it’s almost a requirement in Possessor(s). Parrying can deflect bullets back at enemies along with stunning them, leaving them vulnerable to several attacks before they got back up and resumed attacking me.
The emphasis on parrying and attacking felt quite similar to Nine Sols’ approach to hardcore combat. Rather than encouraging run-and-gun tactics, parrying forced me to pay attention to enemies’ attack patterns and deflect/strike when I could. The issue, though, is that Possessor(s) is not the most clear on signaling the right moment to parry, nor is it the most clear on what can/cannot be parried and what should be dodged. I became frustrated when I encountered enemies in the second biome (that ended up being in just about every biome) that were entirely immune to my attacks until I had parried them. There needed to be a clearer indication (be it a colored projectile or colored animation) of a parryable object vs. an object that needed to be dodged.
The combat felt too stiff for my liking, even as Luca gained more powers that increased her speed and traversal prowess. Using slower weapons felt like I was setting myself up for failure rather than making me a behemoth who could strike enemies down in one-or-two hits. In my attempts to use the stronger yet slower weapons, I got far less satisfaction in slaying enemies after I had parried them because of the long windup animations, let alone the short window I had before the enemies left their stunned states. I kept returning to using the knives until I got the final hockey stick weapon that was similar in speed.
The subweapons I came across were incredibly cool, even though I could only use them a few times before needing to attack with my primary weapon to recover subweapon charges (small little circles beneath the health bar that are spent when using a subweapon and recovered when using primary weapons). One of the first subweapons I came across, the mouse (a literal computer mouse attached to a cord), could be used to juggle enemies and attack diagonally. This proved especially effective when stunning enemies and chaining longer form combos together. Getting used to those subweapons proved to be more satisfying than the primary weapons at times, as they turned an otherwise simple combo into a deadly flourish of everyday objects and demon-infused attacks.
Affixes are Possessor(s)’ way of upgrading Luca with unique perks. Luca starts out being unable to equip affixes altogether, but merchant NPCs allow her to add affix slots to her weapons (both primary and sub) that give her abilities like a faster sprint speed, bonus subweapon charges, additional chroma (money to be spent) on death, and more attack damage. They function similar to Hollow Knight’s charms in that a certain amount can be equipped at any time, but they can be equipped/unequipped at any time rather than only at save points.
Most of the standard metroidvania traversal elements manifest here, like wall running and wall jumping. The traversal feels quite fluid and organic, especially in the latter portions of the game with longer platforming segments. Luca’s demon whip lets her swing like Spider Man; this is a novel approach, yes, but it ends up feeling hit-or-miss when attempting to aim the whip toward orbs in some of the earlier platforming trials. After too much trial and error, I figured out that I could automatically send my whip towards an orb so long as I wasn’t aiming at all. It’s counterintuitive, as players like me have been trained to aim at interactable objects instead of blindly pressing buttons in hope that something connects.
I would imagine that the whip swinging can and will be improved in at release, or shortly after. Seeing as it’s the primary means of getting across large gaps and a surprisingly effective weapon to bring flying enemies into melee range, this bread and butter mechanic needs to be properly nailed so that players find it intuitive. There is no double jump in this game (yes, very surprising that the metroidvania staple isn’t here), so the whip needs to be given improvements to ensure players use it and learn how to explore the massive world that is Sanzu City.
In typical metroidvania fashion, Sanzu City is massive and broken up into multiple biomes. Some of these biomes are single buildings (like a lab or an Aquarium) while others are comprised of multiple connected buildings/areas. I was free to explore until I hit an area that required a specific traversal upgrade, then I was to backtrack. There are tons of branching paths, meaning that I was able to backtrack a smidgen before taking a new unexplored path.
To its credit, Possessor(s) makes exploration easier to track by highlighting locked pathways when I encounter an area that needs a key/traversal upgrade along with a little white map marker that shows me of a doorway I have yet to enter. This made it easy for me to see areas I had yet to explore instead of needing to aimlessly backtrack in hopes that I found my way. I cannot tell you the number of metroidvanias I have played where I got lost on the minimap because I kept forgetting where I had already explored. More metroidvanias should have this simple and player-friendly feature – developers, please take note.
The first hour or so of exploring Sanzu City took me through a dilapidated and seemingly post-apocalyptic cityscape. The path to the train station (Possessor(s)’ sole source of fast-travel) panned out and showed a beautiful panorama of a gigantic plume of demonic energy. It was a stunning visual presentation that bordered on cinematic, touching on horror and cyberpunk all at once. Tentacles wove their way through the rubble of office buildings. Security cameras shot balls of energy at me. I was excited to see other demon-infused biomes, as what I was shown thus far looked incredibly cool.
Unfortunately, much of the world looks relatively the same, rendered in bright colors against blacks. While the ray-traced lighting made the world feel responsive, seeing the same color formulas after a while became boring. I wanted to see more than office spaces and labs overrun by demons. You mean to say that there were no other pockets of color, novelty, and reality-bending phenomena in Sanzu City? There has to be more than corporate culture and urban rubble, especially since demons have supposedly taken over the world for several years at the time of the game taking place.
It’s not until the near-end of the main story where biome creativity finally takes off, most notably the upside down spa. This biome in particular was one of the best spaces to use Luca’s whip, wall-running, and other acrobatic abilities across crumbling art nouveau architecture. It’s a shame that this space ends up being the final explorable biome because the worldbuilding creativity is there, but it was primarily focused in this space instead of spread out across the multiple spaces I traveled.
Possessor(s) doesn’t reach the heights of its creative potential, nor does it use its massive space effectively. Take for example, its save hub. There are a handful of teleportation gates scattered throughout the world that allowed me to save the game and set aside the chroma I had collected thus far for safekeeping. It was the only space in-game where Rhem was visible. Most of the time, he had very little to say to me (often saying “Let’s get going” or “I don’t feel like talking”); after important battles/story moments, a little exclamation point would appear above his head and I could quickly chat with him about what just transpired. I understand that one shouldn’t spend too much time in a hub, but it should offer players a sense of safety and worldbuilding.
The best metroidvanias reward players for going off the beaten path during the formulaic exploring and re-exploring. This often emerges in the form of rewarding players with Easter Eggs and smaller upgrades. Here, not so much. Fast traveling is relatively sparse while rooms vary in size from cramped to outright massive. This translated to me having to retrace my steps more often than carving new paths in the map, seeing the same spaces and enemies over and over without much new content to pique my interest. The few moments I did come across an Easter Egg of sorts, it was most likely a computer terminal with one or two short entries or a health/affix upgrade that I couldn’t utilize unless I backtracked to an NPC merchant. I didn’t feel like I was rewarded to exploring every inch of the world.
It’s a shame that there were so few rewards for going off that path, especially because Sanzu City held so much potential for environmental storytelling. The few NPCs I came across at the halfway point had maybe one or two things to say with very little background as to who they were, how they were surviving, or what role they played prior to now. Of the instances where I was presented with an option associated with these NPCs, it felt like my decisions didn’t really matter in the end as the world didn’t react to my decisions. I was a host to a demon – I should be treated with a growing sense of fear the more I kill, right?
Instead, the main storytelling vehicle occurs through flashbacks and post-boss battles. Rhem would give me some drips and drabs as to the demon I just slayed or how he’s feeling, and occasionally Luca would relive a traumatic moment and be forced to explain herself to Rhem. The dual protagonist approach to storytelling was smart, as it presented a constant dynamic between who was controlling who along with obfuscating motives.
Rhem doesn’t give Luca the whole story, nor does Luca willingly give up crucial information about her best friends and family without being forced to. There’s a constant push and pull of sharing information and big revelations at pinnacle instances throughout the story. I constantly questioned why Rhem trusted Luca as well as the rules that bound demons to possess objects/other humans. The story beats propelled me forward even though the world felt too empty and isolated for my liking.
Isolation can be used effectively, but here it is not. Luca and Rhem were constantly attacked by rogue demons who lost control of their bodies all the while powerful demons took it upon themselves to prevent the duo from proceeding. In this post-apocalyptic space, isolation is used as a means of illustrating the protagonists’ seemingly impossible journey against a world that seeks to consume them. While the isolation is evident with
I completed Possessor(s) at the 13-hour mark, but about 2 of those hours involved me puttering around and attempting to seek out something meaty and meaningful. I had completed most of the side quests, I had defeated the final boss, and had completed the late-game slog of defeating the hidden bosses scattered throughout Sanzu City. To my knowledge, there’s no post-game, nor is there a New Game Plus. Instead, Possessor(s) ends on a note that doesn’t reward me for seeking everything out nor encourage me to return to the dilapidated city for another go-round in demon slaying.
Frankly, I’m not sure if I would want to. While I’m glad that it ends on the note it does, there needed to be something worth chasing for completionists. There were several unmarked collectible sidequests that either didn’t pan out at all during my playthrough or lacked satisfaction altogether. What purpose did the lobsters I’ve come across serve? Were there more that I had missed? I had no clue, as there was no explanation as to their purpose in my inventory nor an NPC who told me what these things were for.
Perhaps I’m being too critical of the game’s systems, or perhaps I’m coming from a position where I’ve completed Silksong (I have) and I’m attempting to compare apples to oranges. Possessor(s) does not proclaim itself as a competitor to Team Cherry’s most recent title, but most players who’re in-the-know may carry some degree of expectation entering Possessor(s) and will surely be let down. Like its in-game demons, Possessor(s) needs flesh to fill it out and best utilize its chromatic space to the fullest extent.
In a world where Silksong exists, it is hard to ignore that players are laser-focused on Team Cherry’s latest metroidvania that is arguably the best of the year. Where Silksong involves a needle-wielding player slicing through haunted bugs, Possessor(s) boldly leans into chromatic and stylish demon slaying. Hornet might be focused on a mission to save her kingdom, but Luca (and her demonic counterpart) delve deep into questioning humanity through tried-and-true storytelling mechanics.
Why play Possessor(s), then? What does it offer that you can’t get from Silksong or Nine Sols (a similarly difficult but satisfying title)? It offers a fresh perspective on a metroidvania, one that genre fans will love to recommend to their friends as a starting off point rather than a best-in-class option. The map’s UI with its little icons that shows the doors you have not yet taken along with its flexible character building gives players all the tools they need to go out and explore. Combat might feel stiff, but once it’s mastered it feels ever so fluid and satisfying.
Possessor(s) is many things: stylized, satisfying, occasionally frustrating, and short but sweet despite its large map. It’s a familiar yet solid gameplay loop with few frills, save for shirtless demon protagonists and neon stylizations.
