The devil’s in the details (literally)
Heart Machine (the studio that gave us Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash) has teamed up with Devolver Digital to unleash their next beast: Possessor(s), launching November 11 on PC and PS5. It’s an experimental mashup of Metroidvania exploration and platform fighter combat, dressed up in sci-fi horror drag.
The new Game Overview trailer shows off what’s basically: what if Smash Bros, but possessed by Silent Hill. We’re into it.
Meet Luca and her demon flatmate
You play as Luca, a high schooler who gets wrecked in the ruins of Sanzu City, a metropolis chewed apart by an interdimensional catastrophe. Her body broken, she strikes a desperate deal with Rhem, a demon looking for a host. Think Venom energy, but with more trauma bonding.
As their codependent situationship deepens, Luca and Rhem unlock new abilities to traverse the sprawling city, while Luca searches for her mum and bestie in the wreckage. It’s tender, it’s grotesque, and it’s all very “my trauma monster and me.”
Combat that juggles both vibes and enemies
Possessor(s) doesn’t just slap Metroidvania on the box and call it a day. Combat is fast, flashy, and juggling-heavy, with aerial combos and improvised weapons like kitchen knives, a guitar, and even a computer mouse.
Exploration is equally wild. Collapsed skyscrapers, abandoned aquariums, crumbling districts full of secrets and heartbreak. The world’s open-ended, so you can carve your own path, meet strange survivors, and get hurt in both combat and feelings.
Why this matters (beyond demon possession, obviously)
Heart Machine calls the genre “Search Action,” which is a fancy way of saying Metroidvania with extra spice. But Possessor(s) also digs into heavier stuff: loss, survival, codependency.
And knowing Heart Machine’s track record for making heartbreak beautiful (Hyper Light Drifter’s vibes live rent-free in my head), expect Possessor(s) to be as devastating as it is stylish.
TL;DR
- Possessor(s) launches November 11 on PC & PS5.
- Developed by Heart Machine (Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash) and published by Devolver Digital.
- A mashup of Metroidvania exploration and platform fighter combat.
- Play as Luca, a teen bonded to demon Rhem, as they explore Sanzu City’s ruins.
- Stylish combat: aerial juggles, improvised weapons (yes, even a guitar).
- Themes: trauma, loss, codependency, survival.
- Gorgeous hand-drawn characters against haunting 3D environments.
So, if you’ve ever wanted a game that feels like Smash Bros possessed by Junji Ito, this might be your new November obsession. Just don’t be surprised if you start emotionally identifying with your inner demon.
Stay unruly.
