The Messenger is an enjoyable experience that I had trouble putting down a couple of times, but most of that wanderlust came from the first half of the game and a few key points in the second half. I rode a dragon! For a package like this, though, it is hard not to recommend it fervently, even if I have a few problems with how it stretched out or worry it may not be for some.
The Messenger
Sabotage · Aug 30, 2018
About
As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival. What begins as a classic action platformer soon unravels into an expansive time-traveling adventure full of thrills, surprises, and humor.
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Critic reviews
- 8.0The Messenger is a rock solid action platformer that balances out its retro stylings with modern touches and brilliantly slick controls. Blasting through the lengthy story is compelling, as new story beats and abilities are thrown into the mix. It perhaps flies a little too close to the sun later on as you hunt down the final few collectibles, but by and large, it's a cloud-stepping joy. Fans of 2D action games should have a blast with this, and that's a message we're happy to pass along.
- If there's any real "downside" to The Messenger, it's that its music and effects can be repetitive, but well... that's nitpicking. At its core, this game is damn-near perfection of the 2D action-platforming genre. Humorous writing, great boss fights, well-thought-out level design, and challenging but not painful execution make The Messenger a must-have for any Switch owner.
- Despite its slower second half, The Messenger is hard to beat. Without a doubt, it’s an absolute must-play for anyone with a love for the classics. From its excellent presentation to its brilliant stage and boss designs, Sabotage Studio has penned an unforgettable love letter to the NES era that any retro gamer worth their salt simply needs in their library. The message is loud and clear. If you’ve been biding your time for the next Shovel knight, your wait is finally over. The Messenger delivers.
- 9.0The Messenger is a horrible name for a game that pays homage to Ninja Gaiden. Don’t let the name stop you, though. This is one of the best of its type and is worth checking out. I do wish it was more widely available across consoles, but Switch and PC owners should certainly not miss this one.
- 9.5This is why games like The Messenger are so important. Here, the style of these classic games lives on with dedicated affection and modern sensibilities. Checkpoints appear at a proper clip, but you don’t save after every room. Lives are never an issue, you just might have to give up some upgrade currency along the way. Games like The Messenger are exceedingly playable, but few can achieve Sabotage’s high level of craft in this pursuit.
Gamer reviews
The Messenger
The Messenger é um jogo que cativa por sua premissa bem simples, gameplay e mecânicas precisas, ótima história e personagens, trilha sonora acima da média e gráficos lindos, aliados a belíssima direção de arte. Tudo isso culmina em um jogo divertido, em que o elemento de plataforma se destaca, surpreendendo o jogador com novos desafios a cada área que é liberada. Aliado a isso temos excelentes boss fights e mobs estrategicamente posicionados para dificultar nossa aventura o suficiente. Isso torna a gameplay bem dinâmica e instigante pois ela é bem fluida e tem a dose certa de desafio, sendo assim um jogo quase que perfeitamente balanceado.
- 9.5
The Messenger Rating
This game was **Genius!** I've had so much fun playing it!! S-tier humor, best core mechanic I've seen of my life, insane lore and much, much more. The only down-side is (in my opinion) the DLC. There's a chance it completely restarts your file. But even with that, the DLC itself was so much fun that losing the file wasn't so bad after all. If you are thinking about triying out a new metroidvania, I **Highly** recommend this one!
Would have been a 10/10 but when I was going for completion my game glitched and I missed some trophies and had to start a new save. Great game just took a little away from the experience.
This is a solid 9. Absolutely loved it. First half of the game was good but it grew and grew for me, and delivered enough story and challenges along the way to keep me very interesting the further I got into the game. In this new phase of my gaming life (retro, indie, pixel art games on PS4) this is my favourite so far. If you want to be taken on a journey this is the game for you. Very rewarding. Defo play this one.
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