From the action-packed worlds of immersive video gaming to the flights of fantasy and suspense brought into our living rooms, the console offering has stood as a constant signpost pointing towards a new journey – one defined by a controller in our hands and images on a screen in front of us. This vector field has been the start and end point for a new story of digital entertainment. It has been the launch pad for a new world of interactive storytelling. In the shadow of a new wave of possibilities, with this latest announcement from Heart Machine – who created Hyper Light Drifter and, more recently, Solar Ash – the developer highlights their latest offering, Possessor(s).
At this year’s Devolver Direct, Heart Machine shocked viewers in attendance and worldwide with the initial look at Possessor(s) in an announcement trailer filled with copious amounts of gameplay footage. Possessor(s) is a 2D action platformer that not only engages the eye, but pushes the genre forward in gameplay sophistication on consoles, thanks in part to a focus on game mechanics closely resembling platform fighters such as Super Smash Bros. As a science-fiction action adventure that uniquely layers air and ground combos to emphasise a fighting battle on the console platform.
At the centre of Possessor(s), a narrative mystery set in a post-interdimensional apocalyptic version of the city, players will ‘take control of Luca, a young boy taken over by Rehm to explore their world together’, as the store puts it. The game promises Metroidvania-style freedom and depth, with an emphasis on console exploration. For console gamers who love to finish every game, the prospect of finding and using potentially deep arsenals of weapons and abilities to unlock areas is enticing.
Possessor(s) is expected for release in 2025, and adding to the excitement is that it’ll come to PC as well as consoles. Not only does this show Heart Machine’s dedication to bringing its worlds to a wider audience, it also shows how console players will be able to experience Possessor(s)’s play and narrative without separating the two halves of the experience.
There’s more than that, of course, and Devolver Digital’s 2024 showcase was the most important collection of announcements for console gamers ever. Anger Foot, a sequel to Cricket Through the Ages; a sequel called Witchmare to Dwasarkiller; Possessor(s) of course; The Crush House, a role-playing game; Tenjutsu, a fighting game by the designer of Dead Cells; and a massive DLC for The Talos Principle 2? The future is bright for console gaming!
Consoles have always been a combination of the admissible and the awe-inspiring, an accessible pathway to some of gaming’s most engulfing experiences. To the very day, it still powers the living rooms of innumerable households. It’s a device that brings people together as much as it gate-keeps them, as equally suited to games of couch-cooperative hijinks as those of solo inward-facing introspection. The time between now and the release of Possessor(s) – the publication date of this line of copy – will have seen the release of Deathloop and Metroid Dread, the resurgence of Gran Turismo, the risqué Mario Party Superstars and a slew of other games that suggest consoles and the cultural and ontological stakes of the platform itself still have plenty of transformative impacts up their sleeve.
Even if, by 2025, when Possessor(s) is due to be released, consoles have ended up, once again, being the most innovative platforms for gaming, having broken new ground in the realm of narrative, visualisation and gameplay, it won’t be surprising to find that they’re still the core of console gaming in the future, as they’ve been for the past 30 years – a frontrunner of gaming alongside computers, and, most importantly, a cherished gaming machine in every home around the world. As the anticipation of Possessor(s) and other upcoming new games has shown us, it is a future full of different worlds to explore, enemies to fight, and stories to live.
Ultimately, as long as studios such as Heart Machine continue to create capable, jaw-dropping and invigorating experiences like Possessor(s), the legacy of console and the draw of gaming on the box will endure. Bridging gulf, uniting communities, and opening doorways to unrivalled adventure, consoles are far more than gaming machines. They are the beats of our digital dreams and the vessels of countless tales yet to be told. Each time a new game announcement flashes across our feed and a new console release swings the door wide open, we’re reminded that magic happens when imagination and tech collide. As console gaming moves into a new age of sensory immersion, the promising landscapes of Possessor(s) offer a glimpse at the rich, uncharted territory that continues to unfurl when it comes to interactive storytelling.
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