I remember being blown away by the 2024 reveal trailer Owner(s)new game from Hyperlight Drifter Developer Heart Machine. The trailer features a stunning art design, where an animated 2D character explores and fights in a side-scrolling environment with beautiful 3D backgrounds, all set to moody, powerful music. The final game, which came out this month, wasn’t as amazing as the initial trailer made it seem, and I almost gave up on it—but I’m really glad I watched it to the end.
i Owner(s)you play as Luca, a girl who has been captured by Rehm, who belongs to another realm. After a devastating attack, Reham saves Luca’s life by making legs for him. The two have a controversial relationship. They quarrel Constantlywhich makes it hard for me to care about them sometimes. But over the course of the game, their relationship develops as they seek to understand more about each other and their worlds. Come from whom they came.
Hart explains the machine Owner(s) as a “fast-paced action side-scroller,” but it’s a Metroid– Or CastlevaniaStyle game through and through. You’ll explore an interconnected world with distinct zones, spend a lot of time looking at the map and figuring out the next path to explore, and collect helpful traversal upgrades like a wall to help you access new areas. Very early on, you’ll pick up a whip, and it serves double duty as an exploration tool for crossing large gaps and as an important weapon in battle.
Battles are inspired by platforming combatants Super Smash Brosthat means they’re fast and smelly, and you’ll be taking weapons from enemies inspired by regular things around your house. My usual strategy consists of wheeling at enemies with a large baseball bat up close, shocking them with a lightning blast from a cell phone to create space, and blasting demonic silverware across rooms to hit distant targets. Parrying is also an important part of combat.
Photo: Developer Digital
Initially, though, Owner(s) was a lot Tough regular enemies hit hard, and if you focus for just a second or get caught in an unlucky combo, you can die in no time without even reacting. Dying sends you back Owner(s) equal to Dark souls Bonfires, but the journey back to where you died can be long, difficult and fraught with danger. (Also uses game Spirits(Like the Flask system, swapping Flasks for pain relievers to restore you to health.)
Normally, I like this kind of challenge, but something about this Owner(s)The level and enemy design often made the early game feel more frustrating than fun for me. I got it too a lot Lost after the first few hours, finding more of the map path than I needed because I couldn’t figure out how to get past some mysterious walls with glowing cracks in them. I considered putting the game down for good.
However, after finally learning how to open those walls (use a whip!), getting some health and pain-reducing upgrades, and seeing more focus in Luca and Rem’s relationship, I started to enjoy the game a lot more. I finally settled in satisfactorily Metroid Using the quest to find a new area, find a new upgrade, get to the next boss, get the next MacGuffin, and then work your way to the next zone again.
Owner(s) Didn’t hold me in the way I expected. Based on my initial impressions, the game was lab-cooked to appeal to my exact tastes. I just needed some patience. The game culminated in a final level that really put my skills to the test and an amazing battleground for the final boss. As I watched the credits roll, I realized that it finally evoked some of the emotions I had watching the game’s first trailer.
Owner(s) Out now on PC and PS5.
