I remember how I was amazed 2024 trailer For Owner(s)new game from Hyperlight drifter developer Heart Machine. The trailer features vibrant art direction that features an animated 2D character exploring and fighting in a side-scrolling space against a gorgeous 3D backdrop, all accompanied by moody, powerful music. The final game, released this month, wasn't as impressive as the initial trailer suggested and I almost gave it up, but I'm very glad I saw it through to the end.
IN Owner(s)you play as Luca, a girl possessed by Rem, a demon from another world. After the disaster, Rem saves Luka's life by creating legs for her, but from that moment on, Luka serves as Rem's host, meaning that they can talk to each other all the time and sometimes look into each other's memories. The two have a contentious relationship. They are quarreling constantlywhich made it difficult for me to care for them at times. But as the game progresses, their relationship develops as they begin to better understand each other and the worlds they come from.
Heart machine describes Owner(s) like a “fast side-scroller”, but it's Metroid– or Castlevania– stylish game through and through. You explore an interconnected world with distinct zones, spend a lot of time looking at the map, trying to find the next path to explore, and collect useful upgrades to progress, such as wall running, that will help you access new areas. You'll pick up a whip very early on, and it does double duty as an exploration tool to bridge large gaps and a key weapon in combat.
Fights inspired platform fighters such as Super Smash Brothers.that is, they're dynamic and cool, and you'll fight enemies with weapons inspired by everyday things you might have around the house. My usual strategy was to attack enemies at close range with a large baseball bat, shock them with a cell phone blast to open up space, and throw demonic silver across rooms to hit distant targets. parry This is also a key part of the fights.
Image: Devolver Digital
It's early, however, Owner(s) was Very hard. Normal enemies hit hard, and if you lose focus for even a second or get caught in a bad combo, you could die before you have time to react. Death sends you back to Owner(s) equivalent Dark souls bonfiresbut the journey back to where you died can be long, difficult and full of danger. (The game also uses Souls-like a flask system that exchanges flasks for painkillers so you can restore your health.)
Usually, I like this kind of challengebut something about Owner(s)The level and enemy designs often left me feeling more frustrated than entertained early in the game. I got it too Very got lost after the first few hours, exploring the map far more than I needed to because I couldn't figure out how to get past the mysterious walls with glowing cracks on them. I was thinking about closing the game forever.
However, after finally learning how to open those walls (using the whip!), getting a few health and painkiller upgrades, and seeing more nuance in Luke and Rem's relationship, I started to enjoy the game a lot more. I'm finally satisfied Metroid a cycle of exploring a new area, finding a new upgrade, using it to get to the next boss, getting the next MacGuffin, and then repeating it all again in the next area.
Owner(s) didn't take hold of me the way I expected. Based on my initial impressions, the game seemed like it was created in a lab and suited my tastes. I just had to be patient. The game culminated in a final level that really tested my skills and an awesome final boss battlefield. As I watched the credits roll, I realized that all of this had finally evoked some of the same feelings I had when watching the game's first trailer.
Owner(s) already released on PC and PS5.
