POEM EX MACHINA: Solo-Dev Urban Parkour Action

Few things get me more excited than an indie game channeling Jet Set Radio’s spirit while forging its own path—and that’s exactly what POEM EX MACHINA aims to do. Solo developer Amaury Hyde has taken urban parkour, stylized combat, and light investigation and wrapped them in a moody cityscape that feels part street art, part fever dream. After a hands-on demo and a deep dive with Hyde at AG French Direct 2025, here’s a closer look at the game’s mechanics, design choices, and the inevitable trade-offs of a one-person operation.

Parkour and Combat Systems

At its heart, POEM EX MACHINA is about flow. From the moment you meet Clopin—your rollerblading protagonist—you have access to the full suite of movement and combat techniques. No unlock timers, no gradual skill tree: Hyde built every dash, grind, and strike into the core loop so players learn through repetition and personal mastery.

• Momentum-Based Movement: Every sprint, wall run, and rail grind feeds into a combo gauge. Maintain speed to strengthen your follow-up attacks or unlock brief bursts of slow motion for precision maneuvers.
• Seamless Combat Transitions: Striking an enemy mid-air flows directly into an evasive roll, which can then chain into a grind or mid-air kick. It rewards players who think on their feet rather than memorizing button sequences.
• Risk-Reward Mechanics: High combos increase your damage output but ramp up enemy aggression. If you break the flow, you risk losing combo points—and the extra damage that comes with them.

Level Design and Narrative Structure

Rather than a sprawling open world, Hyde opted for chapter-based districts linked by a social hub—a neon-soaked bar/arcade that houses branching dialogue options and environmental lore. Each district unlocks as you progress the story, introducing new traversal challenges and combat variations.

• Chapter Zones: Compact neighborhoods encourage repeated runs, with hidden shortcuts and graffiti tags that reveal character backstory or unlock collectible concept art.
• Environmental Storytelling: Shifting lighting, dynamic weather cues, and supernatural anomalies hint at the city’s darker undercurrents—an approach that leans on mood over exposition.

Social Mechanics and Side Activities

Don’t expect deep relationship trees like a Persona game, but Hyde’s social interactions can still influence minor narrative threads. A few well-placed dialogue choices change NPC attitudes or tweak endgame details. The bar/arcade hub offers decorative retro machines—more Easter egg than playable feature—and a simple shooting gallery time trial that emerged from a development bug turned into a side mini-challenge.

Technical Ambitions and Constraints

Indie showcases often tout “dynamic day-night cycles” and “investigation mechanics,” only to deliver surface-level implementations. Hyde acknowledges this and keeps both elements tightly scripted: day-night shifts serve story beats rather than simulate real-time, and investigation is woven into cutscenes and dialogue prompts, adding narrative texture without derailing the core action.

This focus on a few polished pillars—movement, combat, and mood—demonstrates a disciplined design philosophy. It also reflects necessary constraints: detailed branching quests, deep social systems, and extensive side content would stretch a solo dev too thin.

Why POEM EX MACHINA Matters

For players craving traversal that feels earned rather than gated, POEM EX MACHINA stands out among upcoming indie action titles. The “all moves from Day One” approach is a throwback to PS2-era challenges, asking you to invest time mastering Clopin’s toolkit instead of unlocking it piece by piece. The city’s segmented layout prioritizes flow and discovery over endless backtracking, and the light social elements add flavor without overpromising depth.

Of course, with solo development comes compromises: don’t expect AAA-level polish or dozens of mini-games. What matters is whether the core loop—nailing combos, chaining movement, and soaking in the city’s uncanny atmosphere—holds your attention. From what I’ve seen and played, there’s genuine potential here for players who appreciate skill-based progression and a strong artistic vision. Wishlist it, but go in prepared for a learning curve and the occasional rough edge—those are the trade-offs of indie ambition.