Whether you call them action-seeking games or Metroidvanias, Possessors offers a fun, if very familiar, version of this formula. Strong combat and high-quality narrative make up for a few stumbles on the exploration side. When I saw the end credits, I didn’t regret signing up for this devilish adventure.
The corporate-owned metropolis was torn apart by the appearance of a demonic portal. Interdimensional demons flooded the streets; some citizens become possessed, while most others, perhaps fortunately, are simply murdered. A teenager named Luca is fatally injured in the chaos, losing both of her legs, after witnessing the murder of her best friend by a mysterious monster. While at death’s door, he finds a similarly brutal demon named Rhem, who will die without a host. Rhem proposes a deal: if Luca agrees to have her, he will not only save her life, but will replace her legs and give her the power to fight together from the city.
Luca isn’t thrilled with this solution, but I’m ecstatic to apply Rhem’s powers to tear apart monsters with weighty attack combos inspired by the stylish action genre. Armed with a variety of demonically supercharged common items such as kitchen knives, a computer mouse, sunglasses and more, chaining attacks to juggle enemies is seamless and has a great sense of impact. I’m a sucker for any mechanic that pulls enemies closer to me, so I love using Lucy’s whip to pull in flying enemies and even jump away from them. Surviving relatively hard opponents also requires Luca to master a satisfactory parrying skill to deflect their attacks, and I never tire of deflecting incoming projectiles back to their senders.
Upgrading weapons to provide passive benefits, such as dealing increased parry damage and recovering health by dodging attacks, adds compact but welcome layers of strategy to lend a hand deal with different situations. However, once I got to the mid-game, I found little motivation to change my loadout as I could more than handle every hazard, including the hilariously challenging boss fights. The action in motion is also visually impressive, thanks to the elegant and colorful graphics, chilly monster designs (most of them are twisted faces of the objects you have), and a frame-skipping animation style. Another treat are the beautifully illustrated conversational portraits, whose graphic style is reminiscent of Image Comics. Saga.
On the other hand, the city’s devastated neighborhoods, such as the university campus and the water park, are visually meager and ordinary compared to the bustling characters. Sprinting through them reveals some decent side quests, including killing fun bounty targets and completing uncomplicated fetch quests for mentally broken survivors, which satisfied me as a completed Metroidvania. Just don’t be surprised if you get lost while searching for these tasks.
Since the game’s main goal of collecting four demon eyeballs can be completed in any order, the game doesn’t direct players to key skills like stomping and sliding on the ground as obviously as I would like. It wasn’t uncommon to spend long periods of time following seemingly viable paths, only to encounter barriers that I couldn’t get past, forcing me to backtrack for long periods of time even after unlocking some shortcuts. The “right” path isn’t always clear enough, and breakable barriers like brittle wooden planks sometimes blend in a little too well with the surroundings. Between this and the relatively few checkpoints and rapid travel stations, not to mention having to remember lost currency upon death à la Soulslikes, long runs through enemy-infested areas or hard platforming sequences eventually tired me out. Barebones map markers also make it hard to remember which points of interest are worth revisiting when using a specific skill.
In addition to its forceful action and art direction, Possessors’ plot is an unexpected highlight. Lucy and Rhem’s distinct personalities shine through with funny bickering, and the story includes surprisingly poignant revelations centered on toxic relationships – platonic and romantic – that effectively humanize them. Rhem is a particularly fascinating character, and Heart Machine offers a fresh and captivating take on the history of demons that kept me connected to this fallen world.
The most disappointing aspect of Possessors is that it plays pretty sheltered compared to previous titles Heart Machine, Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. There is little in its formula that will surprise Metroidvania fans; nonetheless, the studio has yet another gripping single-player action game under its belt, proving that its action and world-building elements transcend the genre.
