The Messenger

Honestly, at first this was my go-to lunch break game. The levels were simple enough that I could beat one or two during my break, just get from point A to point B, slash some enemies, and maybe take down a boss before heading back to work. Classic 8-bit platformer vibes, nothing too complicated. The dialogue was surprisingly funny too, definitely got a few chuckles out of me.

But man, later on this game pulled the rug out from under me in the best way possible. Without giving too much away, something happens mid-game that completely changes the direction of the story and the gameplay. It went from a fun little nostalgia trip to “wait a second… this is kinda genius??” territory.

It ended up being one of my favorite late indie discoveries, way deeper than it first lets on, with killer music, clever design, and a twist that legit had me grinning. Don’t sleep on this one.

i didn't knew much what to expect from this as i did little research before buying it, but i was definitely rewarded for going blind.

the game has simple but fun 2d combat system that works well with its gimmicks, but the platforming is, while somewhat hard at times, genuinely challenging, fun to perform and enjoyable.

the metrovania aspect, while nice to venture into new areas, feels "weak" when compared to other games, mainly due to the way it was used, but on its own is still nice in the context of the game.

the visuals are very nice for a pixel-art style, the 8-bit has an old but memorable look, especially for those who grew on these graphics, and the 16-bit style is gorgeous and stunning, and both styles work well for the game as a whole.

music is... peak. not spoiling it, go listen to it. genuinely.

the secrets and collectables are nice i guess, the platforming needed to get to them is nice, but i dont have personal negative or positive stuff to add as i am not an avid fan for this stuff.

the story progresses in weird ways sometimes, but as a whole is good, the characters are great and fun to listen when they're around, and the comedy is magnificent.

if you enjoy metrovanias, this one might be questionable but still a good buy,
if you enjoy action-platformers, this is a must buy, and i'm sure you'll enjoy it a whole lot.

Amazing game. Tight controls, easy to learn but hard to master. Challenging but not impossible. 8 and 16-bit style art is on point! Good humor but not overdone. Just an overall great game

One the best metroidvania games I ever played. Beat it 3 times since 2019 and gonna play it again cause the gameplay is so smooth and enjoyable. 100% must play if you're a fan of pixel platformers and motroidvanias.

Originally posted on Dragon Qull. Comments are enabled there.

A retro-styled platformer with a lot of twists and turns. The writing is extremely self-aware and tongue-in-cheek, with many jokes about video game tropes, satirical retellings of fairy tales, and general metahumor. To give you an idea of this, traveling to the future changes the graphics from 8-bit to 16-bit. While the humor was good, the rest of the plot left something to be desired, and the ultimate reveal was disappointingly cliched; I was expecting it to provide some recontextualizing twist, but it was a pretty generic fantasy backstory (with bonus fridging). For such otherwise self-aware writing, that stuck out like a sore thumb. The writer also doesn’t seem to understand how to format quotes and has an inordinate love of comma splices, which was unfortunate.

The gameplay is nicely challenging, with both intense platforming gauntlets and complex boss fights. The most notable feature is that attacking anything in midair lets you jump again, and this can be chained indefinitely. This reminds me of Celeste‘s dash recharge gems, and gives the game a high skill ceiling that lets you zip over most levels if you’re skilled. I do think that advertising the game as a Metroidvania is a misnomer, however. The first half of the game is completely linear, and after that progression is gated by key items rather than abilities, with only one exception. I have to admit I think the linear sections worked better; combing through the levels for new stuff is quite tedious, both because they’re very linear and because there are an utter dearth of fast travel points. I really would have liked the ability to warp between shop portals, at the very least.

I just wanted to play a quick little platformer, but I couldn't stop until I finished it. It's a perfect fit for the Steam Deck, though I bet it's awesome on desktop too.

Utterly phenomenal, self-aware, mechanically sound action platformer/metroidvania. Tons of content, challenges, and consistently funny humor. 10/10, literally had like one nitpick about the game and the game called attention to it as a joke later on.

I liked this game a lot. The 1st part hit astronomically well, everything felt great and cohesive. The 2nd half was kinda weak, the backtracking was annoying, the direction was vague and annoying to navigate and just kinda fell flat for me, but it was still an overall great experience.

This was another one and done game for me. I played it to death once, greatly enjoyed it, but don't plan on ever touching it again despite how great it was. I watched The Completionist's review of it years ago which inspired me to add it to my wishlist. By the time I finally bought and played this game, The Completionist's career fell apart after he was exposed for engaging in financial fraud. That was one hell of a timeskip

Genuinely one of the very best metroidvania type games I've played. Incredible smooth controls and a great mix of retro-modern theme in terms of combat and aesthetics. The real clincher is the humour. Never expected to see existential musings that made me stop and rethink my life. This game has heart and soul. Thankyou.

Absolute banger of a game, soundtrack is consistently excellent, gameplay remains fresh throughout the runtime, and the world is well put together.

Complete with a genuinely funny script, some nicely set out boss encounters and brilliant platforming, this game should be a must for any platform game fans.

Not enough good stuff to say about this game. if you like being a ninja, solving time crises, enjoy stellar music and interweaving narratives play this. the studio can't get enough love

Great game, you can definitely see Sabotage studios style when you play both their games. This one is very nice, the plot twists are very good, the game is also funny from time to time, on the right amount for my taste.

I would say the main downsides are the same of Sea of Stars, the early game is not that great, the story needs some time to really start kicking, I would say other minor complaint is that I wish there was a easier way to fast travel instead of just the portals.

I didn't expect much from this game at first, but it completely surprised me! It turned out to be an absolutely awesome experience. The pixel art style is stunning, and the time travel mechanic is by far my favorite feature, it adds such a unique touch to the gameplay. The soundtrack is another highlight; it's simply incredible, I find myself listening to the shop OST even after playing.

If you're a fan of platformers or retro-style games, I highly recommend giving this one a try!

Awesome game, really liked the surprise(s), funny writing. Controls, presentation are superb! Feels like a modernized 8 to 16 bit era game

I will not spoil, but if you do care about them please ignore my review:

The first half is very fun, like really really fun, the movement and platforming is really solid and combat is great. The soundtrack is banger. When the game reaches second half, I do really like the idea, but I think the game drags on for a little too long and the enjoyment drop a little bit. Overall, I still finish the whole game and it is a really fun enjoyable experience.

9/10 - first half, 6/10 second half, 7.5/10 overall

Really fun and funny game. I loved Celeste and finished that but it was a little too punishing but The Messenger is just right in skill but not enough to make you throw your controller. Highly recommend it for any platformer enthusiest!

Fun platformer, has some interesting ideas. Good writing, made me chuckle a good number of times. Music is fire.
Movement is lovely, challenge is adequate unless you go for all seals in the main game, then there will be pain. All achievements is garbage tier design though. Would wish for better flying controls however, that caused a huge number of my deaths.
Deaths themselves set you back to the last checkpoint and cost a few shards, never been a problem.

Playing The Messenger was a fun experience. The game-play input feels intuitive while retaining the skill-based challenge aspect that I like about platformer games.

I love the music; how it builds the atmosphere of each location and how seamlessly it transitions between. The pixel-adjacent art style is used in an interesting way and I feel it embodies the game well. The characters are fun; striking a rather interesting ratio between goofy and heartfelt, yet all wrapped up in a kind of casualness that frees the player up to fully embrace the slightly strange world in which the game takes place.

Without telling spoilers, reveals of the story's mysteries balance just enough at a time to remain interesting, adding on to the game play and no uncomfortable surprise shifts in mechanics. The game play loop feels very complete and balanced. The only 'grinding' I encountered was one I voluntarily subjected myself to at practically the end of the game. It was entirely non-plot-related extra.

Over all: I enjoyed the various skill challenges that built on each other, the use of music and art to craft its story, and the specific-ness of its characters.

A love letter to classic 8 and 16 bit games. A bit of Ninja Gaiden here, Metroid there, and even a dash of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first half is definitely the stronger of the two, but both are still good.

Refreshing to play a "distilled" experience that this game provides. I'm burned out on how massive games are these days so playing a focused experience game like this has been a joy. Recommended if you love a challenging action platformer.

Personal favorite of 2018. Great art, Fun story and NPC interactions. Smooth gameplay and a masterclass in level design. Prepare a spot on your playlist for this game's music.

Really enjoyed the main campaign, it feels exactly like an oldschool platformer but with some new age mechanics. The lore is fun, the graphics/art style are perfect, I even enjoyed some of the humor. It did feel a little on the easy side for most of the game except for a few segments of some of the levels and a couple of the bosses. It's definitely worth buying on sale if you enjoy retro platformers/oldschool Ninja Gaiden. However, after beating the game (or what I thought was beating it) it says there is more stuff you have to collect by replaying all of the same levels, and it feels like an artificial way to extend the length of the game and kind of unnecessary. If it simply ended after beating the final boss it'd be better. Still a very solid 8 out of 10, definitely recommend.

Classic platformer with very fun movement mechanics and options, combined with metroidvania style progression with boss fights, power ups and backtracking.

The special 8-bit 16-bit visual change time travel mechanic you get in the middle is very cool visually and feels smooth to play alongside everything else. I first though would be annoying to manage when backtracking but it's chill.

The stand out feature for me is definitely the writing humor. All dialogues and banters are so funny to read, especially the shopkeeper.

Later on, the progression are given to you via riddles from the prophet, which are decently fun to solve, and if you are stuck you can just buy a hint for a little bit of grinding currency (or just wiki it)

Other than that, the game is very polished, not any super new idea but they are executed well. That includes the platforming, the powerups, bosses and the lore.

The music in this game is pretty good, not outstanding but I don't find any track bad either.

Play time is solid, around 10 to 15 hours (now with an extra free DLC).
If you like metroidvania or platformers, or are interested in the retro graphics and soundtrack then I'd recommend.

On the whole a really good platformer. Decently challenging, great music, funny writing, good looking retro graphics in 8- and 16-bit styles. But it has some flaws.

The game has a really good pace for the first half, which consists of linear stages (with funny interactions with the shopkeeper and optional challenging side rooms along the way) ending in challenging boss fights. At a certain point, though, the game seriously loses momentum as you are expected to backtrack through the map to do some tedious fetch quests. The map is barely interconnected, because it's designed like a linear platformer, and there are very few warp destinations, so it doesn't lend itself well to repeatedly backtracking over the same areas. This disappointing mid-game does ultimately lead to great new linear stages, though, and the game ends on a high note with a great final stage and boss.

The controls in the air felt a bit clunky to me as well, I often found myself mashing attack and jump since it was often difficult to keep track of whether I still had a jump in hand in the more crowded, panicky areas.

Still, on the whole, I really enjoyed The Messenger and would recommend it to anyone who likes challenging platformers. But if you're here specifically because you're looking for a Metroidvania, then don't bother, it isn't one

if you like metroidvanias and haven't played this game yet, please do so. Very refreshing experience, doesn't feel like any other game I've played until now. Insanely unique mechanics and beautiful pixel art, interesting combat and neat collectibles. Definitely recommend this to ANY metroidvania enjoyer.

Also have to mention the Soundtrack. It's insane and I love it.

Just an amazing game both in story and gameplay, these devs will have me hooked on their games until they go bust.

game is fun, art style is gorgeous, writing is really good, but my favorite part of the game is easily the time travel mechanic along with the soundtrack switching. man this soundtrack is so damn goated.

also the game is short and cheap so you don't have a reason to not play this right now after reading this.

An amazing game with unbelievable amounts of sarcastic humor, awesome artwork, and a phenomenal soundtrack! Quickly become one of my favorites in the genre!

Walljumping is a bit fucky and the glide mechanic i would rather it be a separate button, but besides that? This has to be one of the thightest most well made gameplay i've seen in a 2D platformer. The level design, music, and graphics are impressive, the gimmick is meh but its a way to experiment with new soundtrack and visuals so i tolerate it.

It's impressive how much "hit anything and you get to jump again" quickly turns into an impressive way to traverse the world without touching the ground.

Very fun Ninja Gaiden-like Metrovania Platformer. The game has a very good sense of humor and is very self-aware.

Recommended. And I don't even fancy ninja settings. But there is quite a bit to enjoy about The Messenger: The pixel art and the soundtrack are simply gorgeous, the gameplay is fluid and the storyline is captivating. Dialogues, in particular, are more intelligent than what you'd expect from your usual jump-and-run title. The twist at the half-way point even surprised me, which is something not many games manage to do these days.

What I didn't like quite as much:

- Most rooms have been built with multiple approaches in mind (e.g. grappling or gliding over a chasm). A few rooms, in contrast, enforce exactly one correct solution (e.g. grapple only)---but the room layout doesn't clearly communicate this, and other approaches fall short by minimal amounts (e.g. gliding is off by just a very few pixels).

- Many rooms feel like they have been designed as a one-time traversal challenge. This is OK for serial progress in the first half of the game. Yet, it gets tedious once you have to navigate through rooms multiple times during the second half of the game.

- The controls aren't as bad as, say, in La Mulana or in the original Castlevania and feel fluid during normal gameplay. However, controls are not as great as, for example, in Ori or in Shovelknight: Climbing inadvertently sticks you to walls---the game even jokes about this---and the double mapping of one key for gliding and jumping means you have to expedite your buffered double jump before changing to gliding mode.

- Normal enemies are a little boring and lack variety. Spikes and, even more so, bottomless chasms are the main hazards, which is somewhat frustrating.

- The standard boss fights are just okayish. Yeah, you can probably learn boss moves and make every hit count, but tanking and slashing still is the easier solution---especially considering the Messenger's extreme attack speed.

- Upgrades aren't exactly novel or interesting and don't really make your character feel much stronger than at the beginning of the game.

- One or two of the achievements are excessively annoying to get, because they require you to use mechanics that haven't been necessary in the remaining game.

- The final turn of the storyline (i.e. the cutscene before the final level) feels like needlessly complicated exposition and breaks the overall pacing. I think I'd have enjoyed an ending as in the mid-way point more than a grand conclusion.

- The German translation isn't bad, but picks the wrong words at times. For example, the space-time "tear" becomes a "Träne" (i.e. eye fluid), and the musical "note" is a "Notiz" (i.e. memo).

A very fun platformer with enough surprises, twists and throwbacks to keep things interesting.

Fantastic soundtrack and the first part of the game is solid. While the soundtrack and story are still good in the second half, I didn't really care for the "Celeste" style gameplay switch to "Hollow Knight" style gameplay in the second half

It's still worth a play. Go in blind and don't look up guides!

Edit: The "Hollow Knight" style works. Just pay the shopkeeper for the secret locations to save you time.

This game is beautiful in nearly every way, the art, the mechanics, the story, this game is great! It doesn't take up much time and while it can be difficult at some times, the game is quite forgiving compared to rage bait games. If you want a challenge that wont make you want to throw your keyboard against the wall, this is the game for you!

The Messenger – A Fun but Quirky Adventure

The Messenger is a fantastic game with strong platforming, fun combat, and great music, but it comes with a few quirks that may turn some players away. While technically a Metroidvania, the early game plays more like a level-based platformer, only shifting into a more open-ended structure later on. If you're expecting a full exploration-based experience from the start, you might find the linearity off-putting. That said, I appreciate that the game doesn’t let you get lost, and revisiting areas remains engaging due to strong level design.

The combat is simple yet effective, with a responsive jump, attack, and shuriken, alongside additional abilities gained throughout the adventure. The standout mechanic is the Cloud Step, which lets you reset your midair jump after attacking something, allowing for creative platforming and evasive movement in combat. Enemies have small health pools, making encounters short and sweet without feeling like a chore. Boss fights are another highlight, with each featuring distinct patterns to learn, ensuring they remain fresh and rewarding.

The platforming is a major strength, as the game constantly introduces new challenges that test your reflexes and mastery of its mechanics. Controls are tight and deaths always feel fair, a critical component for any platformer. Each environment offers something different, both in aesthetics and level design, keeping the experience fresh throughout.

The music is rad, with each area featuring a distinct theme that shifts when transitioning between dimensions. The way the soundtrack dynamically changes underwater or during certain sections is a nice touch that adds extra depth to the experience.

However, the dialogue and cutscenes are where The Messenger stumbles. Cutscenes are unskippable, which is a major flaw for replayability. The game also leans heavily into humor, and while I personally enjoyed it, I can see it being hit-or-miss for others. Dialogue sections drag on longer than necessary, which can slow the pacing down unnecessarily.

A few other minor gripes include the way enemies respawn when re-entering the screen—this isn’t a dealbreaker due to their low health, but it could be annoying for players who backtrack often. Some progression elements require talking to NPCs, which sometimes sends you on long fetch quests that feel like padding. Additionally, dimension-switching portals aren’t always conveniently placed, leading to some frustrating backtracking. The final moment of the game being a quick-time event is a bit underwhelming, though it doesn’t diminish the overall experience too much.

Final Thoughts

The Messenger is a strong game with excellent platforming, tight controls, and a killer soundtrack. Its quirky writing and unskippable cutscenes may frustrate some, and its Metroidvania elements are not as deep as others in the genre, but if you’re here for fun movement, satisfying combat, and great level design, you’ll have a great time. If the humor and music don’t click with you, it might not land as well, but overall, it’s a solid experience worth playing.

They put far more effort into trying to tell a joke than making the player character have any options other than what they wanted.

The gameplay gets stale. This is because they stopped upgrades, and it seemed like the things they added to try to mix up gameplay were more to slow it down and force you learn the button input sequence needed to get to the next checkpoint. I stopped when what was clearly telegraphed as the boss in a chase sequence ended up being another of the same type of boss battles. Not again - no thanks.

cool ideas but the clumsy execution of the second half of the game and the corny meta humor cheapens the experience

I can recommend this game!!
It has gameplay flow, a bit challenge (not too much) and great humor!! Thanks a lot to creators, it's a nice game!

funny game, largely doesn't take its story seriously except for the most important bits.
gots all your metroidvania stuffs with some extra unique mechanics thrown in to spice up exploration. love it, want more of it.

This game is simply amazing. The devs really nailed the oldschool arcade vibe, the graphics, the music, the mechanics and story elements all work together very smoothly to create the pixel platformer experience. The fourth-wall-breaking jokes are a nice touch and makes the game feel like a love gift from its creators who I imagine thoroughly enjoyed working on it. The symbolism is great, how the game's story revolves around time and cycles and loops. Witty, creative, well though out. 10/10, cannot recommend it more.

The Messenger is an incredibly fun game that beautifully blends retro visuals with modern gameplay. At first glance, it may seem like a typical platformer, but it constantly delivers surprises that keep you engaged. The story is compelling, and the dialogue is genuinely entertaining, making me laugh every time. Plus, the music is outstanding—it's the kind of soundtrack that gets stuck in your head long after you’ve finished playing.

Unironically one of the funniest games i've ever played. It's fast paced, fun and engaging.

A+ classic style platformer with a great and funny story. A++ if you have, or plan to, play "Sea Of Stars"

Can't remember when played such a great game when I just simply couldn't stop play and haven't even finished it yet. At the very beggining was a little sceptic, a bit curious, but the more I have played the better it got. Totally worth. Love it!

Amazing game! Chill to play, but enough challenge, beautiful biomes and fun dialogues. Sometimes a bit glitchy, but doesent affect the gameplay too much (:

Decent metroidvania game.

Positive:
1. Quite a humor and twisted plot but unfinished ending,
2. Lot of challenging platforms but quite fair not as hard as Celeste.
3. Decent 16 bit arts and OST style.
4. Battles are fun and some are unique such as riding and shooting on flying dragon.

Negative:
1. This is subjective but I dont quite like 8 bit arts and OST style. I rather developer used both past and future used 16 bit, or maybe used 16 bit for past and 32 bit for future.
2. Green coin reward should be divided like 10 coin reward 1, 20 coin reward 2....collecting all 40s for 1 reward does not feel worthed.
3. Wish double jump is part of upgrade. Come on...mc is a Ninja.

There is something else that I feel bit negative but cant describe it...

Overall this is a decent game, recommended on sale...score 7.7/10.

Message received loud and clear: Play this game!

As a disclaimer, I'm not going to spoil anything. This game has more to offer than I will state in this review. Play it yourself.

This game belongs up there with some of the best platformers (Celeste, Meatboy etc) as it has the tightest controls and really good motion tied with a variety of mechanics and added utilities as you progress in the game. As you get later in the game and unlock more mobility and upgrades the flow of running through levels is incredibly satisfying. The level of challenge for optional content and even mainline content can also get pretty challenging but is seldom unfair.

The Messenger has you take the titular role wherein you must carry a scroll to the top of the mountain as hoardes of demons have invaded the world and you are the saviour of the surviving humans. As you progress you face off against a number of bosses and engage with a plot that has some twists and turns as well as heaps of humour from the interactions between the various characters you encounter.

The interactions between the characters, especially the shopkeeper and the messenger as genuinely really amusing. The writing here is very fun and the game loves to poke holes in the tropes of the game itself, the plot and other various elements. This game should be listed as a comedy game given how unserious the writing is. It's great though.

Visually the game initially is rather basic, adhering to more simple palettes and sprites with the soundtrack also following a more dated sound. At a point in the game however, the visuals begin to share styles with a more updated aesthetic and the music is also updated in the same sense. It's a really fun means of keeping locations fresh whilst adding a fun technical layer between two variations. Honestly some of the detailing here is incredible and it does not surprise me that the devs second game (Sea of Stars) looks as good as it does.

Without divulging my favourite part of the game (about 1/3rd in) this game starts simple but really expands and builds as it goes. Snowballing into a fantastic game that ultimately plays fantastically and plays with the players expectations. My only genuine gripes with the game are that when dying you spawn with half your health which is rough for certain sections, especially more challenging rooms. Bosses can also be a little simple or underwhelming given the simplicity of the combat. Other than that I think the game is phenomenal.

This is good. Some of the best and tightest 2D level design going, and I wish they'd kept the whole game in that style - whilst the Metroidvania half isn't bad by any means (I don't usually get along well with the genre, but this one was just fine for me) I still think it takes away from what is some excellent linear platforming challenges, where the game is absolute peak. Absolutely brilliant music and sprite art all round, with humour is actually pretty amusing for the most part.

Very fun action platformer with Metroidvania elements. Platforming is tight with surprising depth, pixel art is gorgeous, music is awesome. Story is alright, dialogue in particular got a few laugh out loud moments out of me. The only downsides for me are a bit too much backtracking (especially to get to the optional collectibles) and a slightly uneven difficulty (particularly in the DLC). Overall very recommended for any platformer and/or MV fan.

One of the best metroidvanias I've ever played, with a great sense of humour, great combat and above all great movement options I love playing through the game on ng+ flying through the early stages using the grappling hook and flying suit, mastering the movement in this game feels immensely rewarding