Possession of Weapons

Possession of Weapons is a game in which the player acts as a ghost with the ability to possess firearms. As a ghost they are unable to interact with the guns beyond pressing the trigger, which as well as firing a bullet also sends the weapon flying through the air. They must leverage this recoil to traverse the environment while still using the bullets for their intended purpose.

The game uses its unique control system to create a sense of growing mastery in the long term, while in short bursts its punchy audio, clean visuals, and difficult gameplay provide an addictive loop of failing and restarting, each attempt getting closer to perfection. With open and complex level design, the game welcomes players to explore paths to completion beyond the obvious, while the multiple scoring methods challenge players to search for the perfect line.

As an experimental proof-of-concept, the game takes many elements from more traditional 2D run-and-guns and uses its primary conceit to shift from a pure action-game into a puzzle-action hybrid, where precise execution and short to mid-term planning come together to form a primary gameplay loop which sucks the player right into a flow state.

This prototype was created as a 4th year thesis project for TMU's New Media program.