While early on in the Switch’s lifespan there was a notable lack of indie Metroidvanias, let alone good ones, the genre has gone on to put together a pretty impressive range of representation. Whether you’re looking for something a little more traditional, or itching for a punch in the face at every opportunity, there’s likely something for every sort of genre fan out there. What stands out most about Possessor(s) is that even with so many games in this vein out there, it still manages to feel a little different, and that’s a small victory unto itself.

Sporting a storyline that gets pretty grim right out of the gate, the city your character lives in has been pretty well taken over by demons. Though she has managed to survive, she has also unfortunately managed to lose her legs, and desperate to survive she ends up making a pact with a demon who does provide her with replacement legs but expects some help in return. This uneasy alliance has a tendency to get a bit dramatic at times, but it at least also manages to make the way things are playing out a little more interesting. If you’re a big fan of charting your own course, that’s also an area where there’s some good news, as you’ll absolutely have the opportunity to get yourself into all sorts of trouble before you’re ready for it. So feel free to check out those areas somewhat hidden off to the side, just don’t be surprised if you find that you often lack the skills needed to push terribly far in those directions.

It’s really the abundance of ways you can go, mixed with what can be some rough early game struggles, that makes me wish that until you got some more basic fundamentals like a dash, that it was a little more on rails. Being out of your weight class is one thing, but when you’re not quite sure where to go and you don’t have a simple core ability to help you get by, it can feel a little unfair. Thankfully, once you get rolling you will start to have more success, but you can still expect to get smacked around pretty regularly. It isn’t just some of your enemies that can be lethal, some of the areas have more passive elements and traps that can draw down your health quite quickly as well. So to some degree you’ll find out that there isn’t much safety no matter what direction you go in, and when you do pick tougher routes you’ll often be rewarded with something that will help make it worth the investment in frustration. As gorgeous as it may look, I do wish it felt a little more balanced and fair when it comes to challenge, but serving as a midway step between the average Metroidvania and the likes of something like Silksong, this may still have a place in the eShop if you’re willing to be a bit patient with it.