The Messenger

The Messenger has exceeded my every expectation. I wasn't sold at first, but bought it after seeing a lot of positive review buzz. I'm so glad I did. You play the role of the titular Messenger, a ninja from a clan that prepares for the day when the Demon King returns. Well, that happens right off the bat, but you're bailed out by the Western Hero, and given a scroll to deliver. And with that, you're off. The early hours of the game are strictly linear. You can poke around a little bit for more time shards, the currency of the game, but for the most part it sticks to ninja action. The controls feel spot on. If you've played Ninja Gaiden, then there's some of that feel, but you're limited even less than Ryu Hayabusa; you'll get a wingsuit and grappling hook, and also have the ability to air-jump after striking an object or enemy. You can stay suspended for quite some time if you play things right, and many of the platforming challenges revolve around these unique abilities. All of this is presented in something resembling an 8-bit game, although sometimes it feels slightly higher fidelity than that. The soundtrack uses actual NES chiptune music, adding an air of authenticity. It also helps that it rocks. This all changes, however, several hours into the game. You will leap forward in time to the 16-bit era. That NES soundtrack shifts to Sega Genesis-style FM synthesis, and should absolutely be listened to on something with some bass. The composer did a great job of making tunes work in both styles. The gameplay also shifts gears, and becomes more exploratory. You won't find many movement upgrades at this point, though; most of your items will be quest-related, either in old areas or in new ones once you unlock paths. Switching eras comprises much of the puzzling. I really only had a few gripes about limited teleportation and a brutal segment near the end, but all in all, this is a fantastic retro homage as well as just a great game. Highly recommended.

The soundtrack, level design, self aware humor, and graphics are all fantastic. Without spoiling anything, the 'gimmick' is quite fun and doesn't get old even towards the end of the game. The player character controls wonderfully, jumping around and slashing your sword feels great. If you don't like old school platformers then this probably won't convince you, but if you do like games like Ninja Gaiden, Shovel Knight, or even Mega Man (though with less emphasis on boss fights) then the Messenger is definitely worth a try.

The Messenger wears its Indie-ness on its sleeve. The game is very obviously made by people who appreciate the games that came before it, filled with both references to and implementation of the gameplay from its predecessors. Almost every piece of the game can be described as 'just shy of...' The music, the controls, the interface, the story... it's all good with just enough issues to keep you from getting completely lost in it. As my example: Cloudstep. In the early game, I was overjoyed to find this 'hit thing, jump again' mechanic had some attention paid to its controls, where the jump and attack buttons could be pressed simultaneously to get the effect. Taking effort away from a minor execution demand and letting you focus more on getting your avatar to do what you want. Later in the game you get a glide mechanic tied to the same jump button. But it didn't get the same usability pass. Gliding requires a discrete button press once you're in the air. It also modifies your attack from horizontal to vertical. That has the double whammy of first, making it so that earlier 'press both simultaneously' strategy can cause you to miss your target and deny you the second jump, dropping you to the ground. Secondly, if you get hit in mid-air, you can't simply hold the button down to continue the glide. You need to hit the button again to get the animation and go back into the glide - and hopefully you didn't waste your stored jump and then miss a follow up attack... Of the 160-ish deaths I had in my playthrough, I'd put 3/4 of them at less than a half dozen puzzles which had similar issues of it being very difficult to get my ninja to do what I wanted. Like most of the other issues with the game it only affects a small percentage, but will hit you like a truck when they do.

The Messenger is just pure fun. The story & characters aren't serious and extremely quirky. The humor is spot on. In regards to gameplay, it is both smooth and satisfying. Overall, the game took me ~10 hours to fully complete it and there were some really memorable moments. This is a game I will boot up in a year and glady give another go. If you like 2D Platformers with a tinge of metroidvania, do not hestitate to pick this up.