2025 is shaping up to be a pretty big year for fans of theMetroidvaniagenre. The long-awaitedHollow Knight: Silksongis finally being released this year,Metroid Prime 4: Beyondis making its Nintendo Switch 2 debut, and the Pac-Man spin-offShadow Labyrinthis scheduled to come out in the next few months. Even on the indie game side of things, there are a lot of noteworthyMetroidvaniasto look forward to. The crowdfunded gothic action gameCrowsworn, the hard-drawn adventure titleThe Eternal Life of Goldman, and the sci-fi platformerMIO: Memories in Orbitare all currently targeting a 2025 launch.
There is one other intriguing Metroidvania that’s coming out this year, and it’s being developed by a rather unexpected company. Heart Machine, the independent studio behind the hit action RPG,Hyper Light Drifter, revealed a few months ago that it was working ona new game calledPossessor(s)in partnership with Devolver Digital. This game, which seems to be fairly different from Heart Machine’s prior works, has been described as an action side-scroller withSuper Smash Bros-inspired combat. Despite its resemblance to many other popular Metroidvanias on the market, Heart Machine insists thatPossessor(s)is not actually part of the genre, at least not in the traditional sense.
The Hyper Light Drifter Devs Are Making a New Game Called Possessor(s)
Possessor(s) is Being Described as a Search Action Game, Not a Metroidvania
Speaking in an interview with Gamesradar at GDC 2025, Heart Machine founder Alx Preston expressed his gripes with the name of the Metroidvania genre, and how it didn’t accurately represent the type of game thatPossessor(s)was trying to be. Metroidvania, as many gamers may already know, is a portmanteau ofthe wordsMetroidandCastlevania, which were two of the most popular video game franchises from the 1980s. The earlyMetroidandCastlevaniagames were both characterized by their side-scrolling gameplay and nonlinear level design. As such, the word Metroidvania has often been used to describe action-oriented platformers that share these traits.
Unfortunately, the term Metroidvania has been applied somewhat loosely in recent years, with the word being used as a label for an assortment of games that have little in common with each other. During a GDC interview, Alx Preston stated that he hates the word Metroidvania because of this. According to him, “most of the games that are Metroidvanias are justMetroidgames without even theVaniapart of it.” It’s due to this reason that Preston notes that he prefers to use the term “search action game” (which is what Metroidvanias are called in Japan) to describePossessor(s).
Possessor(s) Has a Lot of Metroidvania Elements, But It Also Incorporates Features from Other Genres
Possessor(s)has many of the staples of the Metroidvania genre. It has a nonlinear approach to level design, an interconnected, explorable world, a lot of backtracking, an anime-inspired art style, and a focus on fast-paced 2D platforming. However, unlikesome of the other classic Metroidvaniasout there,Possessor(s)' narrative plays a big role in the overarching game. Depending on the paths that players take in the game’s sprawling world, the ending ofPossessor(s)will be different. The game’s story, meanwhile, is told through visual novel-like gameplay segments, and it’s infused with a large amount of sci-fi and horror elements.
Previous Heart Machine games, likeSolar AshandHyper Light Drifter, primarily used images instead of dialogue and characters to convey their stories.Possessor(s), however, is taking a very different approach from these titles in this regard. This is perhaps reflective of the game’s unconventional design philosophy.Possessor(s)not only has the open-ended environments of aMetroidgame, but it also features the combat of a platform fighterandthe branching narrative of a nonlinear RPG. Due to its genre-blending nature, it may be a bit reductive to callPossessor(s)a Metroidvania. After all, as Alx Preston would say, the game has a lot ofMetroid, but not a lot ofVania.
Possessor(s)
WHERE TO PLAY
Possessor(s) is a fast-paced action side scroller with combat inspired by platform fighters, a story told through dangerous characters, set in a deep interconnected world ready for exploration.Play as Luca, the host, and Rehm, her less-than-cooperative counterpart, as they explore a quarantined city ripped apart and flooded by an interdimensional catastrophe. Their only hope of survival is by learning to co-exist.A Fractured World: Possessor(s) takes place across the interconnected sprawl of a destroyed mega-city, from collapsed skyscrapers to an abandoned aquarium, all riddled with secrets. Hauntingly beautiful 3D environments form a stunning backdrop over which hand-drawn and animated characters, and mysterious sci-fi horror action take center stage.A Complex Narrative: Choose multiple paths in an open-ended world structure as you look to uncover the truth behind the catastrophe. Meet a cast of engaging characters, each with their own heart-breaking story to follow in the aftermath of the devastation.
