The Messenger

Genre: Action-Platformer / Metroidvania

Players: 1

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Review:

The Messenger is an Action-Platformer that, much like Shovel Knight, channels the nostalgia of classic NES games while dodging many of the flaws those games had, all while being its own unique thing. Or at least, that’s what it starts as.

It’s no big secret by this point that a few hours into The Messenger, the game transforms into something else entirely, using a “time travel” mechanic that transforms the game into a Metroidvania.

Honestly, I’m not sure I’m entirely sold on this idea, since it seems like doing this sort of bait-and-switch misses some of the core qualities of both genres – the focused and straightforward linear level design of the former, and from the latter the idea that everywhere you go in the game you’re finding new and interesting upgrades.

Still, while this design choice doesn’t quite work for me, the core gameplay here is fantastic, playing out a bit like a Ninja Gaiden game with all of the frustrations stripped away. The sword slashing, the wall-crawling, the ninjas versus demons aesthetic… the game is clearly channeling Ninja Gaiden and it knows it. However, it doesn’t stop there.

One of the game’s core conceits is its Cloud Step technique, which lets you get an extra free jump when you attack an enemy in midair, or a part of the environment. In fact, before long, mastering this technique will be absolutely vital, as you find yourself desperately slashing at lanterns or enemies to stay in mid-air, and before long the game will really test your skill with these abilities – it is damn hard, although it thankfully avoids the frustrating “Nintendo Hard” challenge level of the Ninja Gaiden games it imitates, and death rarely sets you back too far.

The game’s presentation plays up that nostalgia, looking at first all the world like a top-notch long-lost NES game, before eventually transforming into an SNES-era interpretation of the same sort of visuals. While this is pretty fantastic in and of itself, the game’s characters are extremely amusing, especially the extra-dimensional shopkeeper whose fourth wall-breaking is rivaled only by his snark.

There is one other complaint I have for this game, and it has to do with the game design and controls. At a later point in the game, on top of the Cloud Step ability, you gain an additional ability to float, as well as an upgrade that allows you to attack, albeit in a downward direction rather than horizontally. The problem is, both the Cloud-Step and this hover ability are mapped to the jump button, meaning that in the midst of complex combat or acrobatics, you may find yourself hurriedly trying to do one of these moves and accidentally doing the other. I can’t even begin to count how many times this killed me.

However, despite its flaws, The Messenger has solid gameplay wrapped in a package that perfectly captures nostalgia. Those looking for a great, challenging, old-school style action-platformer will find this deserving of a spot next to Shovel Knight.

tl;dr – The Messenger is an Action-Platformer that later in the game unfolds into a Metroidvania with strong gameplay, nostalgic visuals, and a great sense of humor, and it’s difficult without being as punishing as the Ninja Gaiden games that clearly inspired it. It’s just a pity that some design choices do still cause some frustration here and there.

Grade: A-

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