Prior to attending Summer Game Fest, I had heard exceedingly little about Heart Machine’s upcoming title, Possessor(s). Admittedly, this might be because I was a bit tapped out; for as big of a fan I was of Hyper Light Drifter, the studio’s newer releases–Solar Ash and Hyper Light Breaker–didn’t capture me the same way Drifter’s lush-yet-somber world did. It seemed to me that Heart Machine was building upon the parts of their legacy that I found less compelling, emphasizing fast, fluid traversal and breadth in exploration rather than depth. Don’t get me wrong–I liked both Solar Ash and Hyper Light Breaker, but they didn’t captivate me–and their trajectory made me unsure if a new Heart Machine title ever would. Fortunately, a brush with Possessor(s) has proven me very wrong.

Billed as a search-action game–a more game-neutral term to describe the metroidvania genre–Possessor(s) marks a shift to the second dimension for Heart Machine and combines fast-paced, side-scrolling action (a la Metroid) with Dark Souls-inspired mechanics to create a tense, brutal, and gorgeous adventure game that emphasizes continuous discovery. Whereas the studio has previously shipped titles with more abstract stories and characters that aren’t particularly humanoid in appearance, Possessor(s) also seems to mark a pivot towards a more traditional version of storytelling, with hand-drawn, swoon-worthy characters that dish out plot beats and dialogue with accompanying character art, similarly to Hades.

So far, this description contains a lot of comparisons to some incredibly beloved games, so I want to emphasize that despite this, in the section I played, I didn’t find Possessor(s) to be overly derivative. Although it pulls inspiration from some of my favorite titles and I’d argue I didn’t see anything that reinvents or refines its genres, its urban-horror setting, lustrous art direction, overall tone, and budding narrative feel both distinctly Heart Machine and like a new direction for the studio.

Set in a world being overtaken by dimension-hoping demons, Possessor(s) kicks off with main character Luca watching one of her loved ones get ripped apart by a demon while pinned under a pile of debris. Eventually, she is able to move out from underneath it, only to find both her legs have been severed from her body. After a few moments spent crawling and crying out for help, she finds it in the shape of a tall, dark, and handsome individual named Rhem–who also just so happens to be one of the demons terrorizing humanity. Rhem tells Luca he can graft her new legs and save her life, so long as she enters a pact with him that will help save his life, too. She reluctantly agrees, and the two form a unique bond that ties both their souls to Luca’s body.

As the two proceed, Rhem alludes to Luca not understanding the demons’ motives or the true purpose of a global corporation associated with household appliances and creating better living for its customers. This ultimately sets up a mystery for Luca to unravel, causes all the game’s evil, inanimate object enemies to make a whole lot more sense, and creates a path forward for her and Rhem’s coexistence. Although not entirely novel–science-fiction and corrupt corporations tend to go hand-in-hand–it’s still an interesting premise made more compelling by its macabre leanings, fantastic character art, and the overall atmosphere of the decaying urban sprawl I explored.

Most importantly, however, Possessor(s)’ gameplay feels great. It’s fluid, fun, delightfully difficult, and, based on the portion of the map I saw, seems like it will offer up a large, dense world ripe for exploration. Though some metroidvanias (or search-action games) leave room for hack-and-slash style gameplay, Possessor(s) requires a level of dexterity and intention that reflects the team’s desire to incorporate souls-like elements into it. It also includes “bonfires” and a world that resets once you rest, further emphasizing that influence.

Possessor(s) has already impressed me, and with its promises of a complex narrative that allows you to play through multiple paths and meet a variety of characters with their own “heartbreaking” stories, it has quickly become one of my most anticipated releases of 2025.

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