The Messenger starts out as an 8-bit action platformer and then morphs into a metroidvania around a third of the way through. Very fun mechanics with witty dialogue and satisfying gameplay. Definitely recommended if you're into retro throwbacks.
Fight'N Rage is a modern beat 'em up that tries to stay true to the classic games of the genre whilst instilling modern design sensibilities to the game. The way it does this is by taking facets of the fighting game genre and applying them to a beat 'em up. Streets of Rage 4 had a similar approach. The game uses a 3-button layout (attack, jump, special). There aren't any complex motions to perform on the controller to perform moves but that does not equate to easy to pull off combos. There is an excellent training mode that can be unlocked where you can learn combos and moves. There are also more characters that you can unlock in the in-game shop that can be played in a versus mode. Characters have various skins that are not all simple palette-swaps. Some will skins will have characters with or without a mask for example. It's rare that you will see a dev go that extra mile in a pixel art game like this with actual skins. There are different paths that can be taken in arcade mode and there are multiple possible endings in the arcade mode depending on your performance and the path taken etc. The astounding thing is that the game was made by only two people and yet is the modern standard by which beat 'em ups should aspire to going forward. The game was graphics and programming was done by a single dev and the music by another. Absolutely startling that the game is so feature-rich and polished. The music compliments the action excellently. Some tracks sound like they could have come from an early Guilty Gear game. Now the game is challenging and you won't be able to beat it by just spamming the attack button (note: maybe on easy) so I wouldn't recommend it to casual fans of the genre as it is aimed at the hardcore. The difficulty may frustrate some. I wish the game had online play and the chibi art-style and oversaturated colours won't be for everyone. Fight'N Rage truly is a modern classic and belongs in the beat 'em up hall of fame.
