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Heart Machine knows how to make a stylish game, so its no surprise that the studios latest project, Possessor(s), is sexy as hell. I mean, just look at Rhem, the cosmic demon with a chiseled jawline, aquamarine horns and a fine-cut suit unbuttoned down to his navel, who alternately encourages and negs you throughout the game. Stupid sexy Rhem. It's just fun to have hot characters at the end of the day, Heart Machine founder Alx Preston said at GDC 2025. Preston and three other Heart Machine developers producer Myriame Lachapelle, narrative director Tyler Hutchison and writer Laura Michet played through Possessor(s) while we chatted about the game and the studio. Hutchison continued the hot-characters conversation by praising Heart Machine concept artist Sophie Medvedeva and adding, Since we were kind of building out this visual novel, I was trying to leverage the expertise I brought from Dream Daddy to be like, well, let's make sure these characters are very hot. Sometimes, its as simple as that. Possessor(s) is a sidescrolling sci-fi action game set in the ruins of Sanzu, a corporate megalopolis that's been ripped apart by interdimensional horrors. Sanzu was once a company town controlled by the tech firm Agradyne, but three years ago, a flood of demons escaped the citys underground laboratories, possessing its citizens and transforming most of them into vicious, mutated creatures. The game spans desolate skyscrapers and abandoned aquariums, and it looks like a daydream of a 1990s anime, splattered in neon and shimmering with a sickly green VHS aura. It stars Luca, a possessed-but-lucid 16-year-old whos searching the urban wasteland for any signs of her mother and best friend. The hot descriptor in this game is reserved for the demons, but Luca is stylish, with an iridescent coat, slender metal legs and two horns of her own. Luca is bursting with teenage angst and she has an uneasy relationship with Rhem, the demon whos invaded her consciousness. Hes the only thing keeping her alive, and he needs her in order to finally return home. Luca is missing her mom and her best friend, who both got lost when the demons escaped to destroy the city, Michet said. So she's resentful Rhem won't let her take some time off to find all the people important to her. Heart Machine Together, Luca and Rhem explore Sanzu, investigate the true nature of Agradyne and search for Lucas loved ones. Levels are littered with evil creatures to battle and puzzles to solve, and throughout the game, Luca masters an arsenal of improvised weapons like kitchen knives, a guitar, a hockey stick and a corded computer mouse. Her whip, a power provided by Rhem, allows her to swing across gaps, rapidly reposition and pull in heavy objects and enemies. Combat in the demo seemed to flow smoothly; it was heavy on visual flourishes, leaping airborne attacks and satisfying slashing moves, with Luca bounding seamlessly across floors, walls and platforms. A few frames of line-drawn placeholder art flashed across the screen at one point, but these were the only indication that Possessor(s) isnt actually complete yet. Its due to hit PC and PS5 this year. The original premise was something more like Smash Bros., where you can do directional inputs and kind of build out your loadout to feel more like a different character, Preston said. Where we've ended up is still a bit Smash Bros.-y, in that there's juggling and bouncing enemies on surfaces and things like that. But we've found the spirit of Luca and her character, and what she wants to do. Heart Machine Possessor(s) is eye-catching and combat-focused, and it also has a narrative thats supremely relevant for our times. Boiled down, the premise is that capitalistic megacorporations with an iron grip on society are bad, and young people fighting the system are rad. Interdimensional beings with chiseled pecs and a devastating smoking habit are the hot twist that makes the story uniquely Heart Machines. I mean, it sucks to live in a hierarchical corporate society where your value is determined by your value to the business, Michet said. And Luca will discover this from her teenager perspective. The story in Possessor(s) is branching, with multiple paths to follow and a quarantined city of characters to meet. This is a new mechanic for Heart Machine in fact, the entire game is composed of firsts for the studio, and Possessor(s) is purposefully different from its previous games, Hyper Light Drifter, Solar Ash and Hyper Light Breaker. Hyper Light Drifter's moody, 16-bit-inspired isometric action put Heart Machine on the map even before its release in 2016. Solar Ash followed in 2022 and it was a third-person, 3D platformer. Hyper Light Breaker hit the market this January as a third-person, online roguelite with stylized 3D graphics. Meanwhile, Possessor(s) is a hand-drawn, 2.D side-scroller with touches of horror and visual-novel mechanics. Heart Machine This progression aligns with a mentality of curiosity that Preston outlined to Engadget in 2021. At the time, Heart Machine had fewer than 30 developers and they were still building Solar Ash, unsure of how the switch to 3D would be received. Back then, Preston said the following: Hyper Light was a way for me to get started, it was a way for me to be more grounded and put together a crew and understand, can I do this? Can I actually make games? And so having answered that question, then the natural next step for me was something in 3D. Can I put something out there that reall opens up the world and makes you feel like you can truly escape into something, a creation that is otherworldly, that you otherwise wouldn't have the experience of? Since 2021, Heart Machine has endured layoffs and launched a Patreon, and today it has 58 people on staff. Preston remains at the studio's core, still testing new concepts. At GDC 2025, he said, We've done overhead stuff with Drifter back in the day, and then fully 3D was a big jump. I wanted to do something sidescrolling, because there's a lot of different, unique challenges there that are fun to tackle. That perspective for how we do art, and mixing our 3D stuff with a 2D plane, there's a lot of cool opportunities there. Something like Inside was a good point of inspiration, seeing what a smaller team can do with atmospheric chops. And we're pretty good on those fronts. Possessor(s) is due to hit PC and PS5 in 2025, published by Devolver Digital.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/possessors-is-a-game-about-hot-demons-and-other-things-170016014.html?src=rss
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Fret not, Fireflies, The Last of Us will continue on HBO beyond its second season. Just before the hit adaptation of Naughty Dog's games returns to the network and Max for its next batch of episodes, HBO has officially greenlit a third season of the show. It would have been a major shock if TLOU wasn't going to return beyond this latest seven-episode stint. Season two doesn't cover all of the shocking events of The Last of Us Part 2. The show's creators and showrunners, Neil Druckmann of Naughty Dog and Craig Mazin, have long been adamant that it would take at least two seasons to adapt that overly long misery simulator (still a very good game, though). Plus, the first season was a huge success, as tens of millions of people watched Joel and Ellie fend off infected and other enemies as they trekked across the remnants of America. "We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of," Mazin said in a statement. "The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season three!" HBO hasn't given a timeline for when we can expect the third season, but there should hopefully be a smaller gap between seasons this time around. Season two was delayed by the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes in 2023. Plus, it's hard to imagine that viewers will be willing to wait so long to find out what happens after [redacted]. Speaking of which, season two of TLOU premieres on HBO and Max this Sunday, April 13. Engadget's Nathan Ingraham reviewed the season, and found it did an admirable job of adapting (at least some of) the non-linear source material while resolving certain issues from the first season.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/the-last-of-us-will-return-for-a-third-season-163801196.html?src=rss
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Instagram is testing a feature that locks Reels behind a secret code and a provided hint, according to a report by TechCrunch. This looks like a novel way for creators to interact with fans, as they can share exclusive reels with people who are more likely to know the answer to these clues. As an example, a creator could lock a Reel with a hint like my favorite food and rabid fans would, of course, know the answer. The Meta-owned social network has been testing the feature on its Design account. It shared a locked Reel that prompts viewers to enter a secret code based on a hint that read 1st # in the caption. Meta / Screenshot from Engadget The first hashtag mentioned in the caption was Threads. Upon entering the correct code, viewers access a Reel that announces that the Design account is launching a profile on Threads. This could be used by brands to advertise new products or by creators trying to amp up engagement. Personally, I could see it as a place to hide in-jokes with friends, but maybe thats just me. Engadget has reached out to Instagram for more information regarding this feature. Well update this post if we find out anything regarding availability. This could be just a test, with no actual plans for a general rollout. This is also quite similar to another Instagram tool called Reveal. This feature lets creators post a hidden Story for followers to uncover by sending a DM.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/instagram-is-testing-reels-that-are-locked-behind-a-secret-code-162142807.html?src=rss
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