The Messenger

fun game but Temple of Time so bad and boring

I really enjoyed this, especially once it opened up about half-way through. Played on the SteamDeck and was a relaxing high quality platformer with lite-metroidvania elements. The music is the absolute best. Found game a little easy in the end, as except for right at the end, you can pretty much brute force all the areas by attacking any projectiles and repeatedly jumping.

That said, a classic. Worth playing through if you haven't and enjoyed some of the other classics like Celeste.

Agile gameplay where combat & parkour often merge together, a lot of secrets to find, beautiful art styles & music, fun character(-writing), a good challenge, an absolute pleasure to play!

Having recently replayed the game to get 100% achievements, I can definitely say that this is one of my favorite indie games of all time. The writing, visuals, music and moment-to-moment gameplay all come together to create a stellar experience that I've thoroughly enjoyed — especially the witty humor which never ceased to amuse me.

I also noticed that there was a lot of room for personal skill expression on repeat playthroughs (fresh save or NG+), where you can traverse some rooms ludicrously quickly if you are well-versed in the movements tools at your disposal — which I had a great time with. Despite this, the difficulty curve is well-paced and is thus friendly for people new to platformers.

As such, I would highly recommend The Messenger for both those who are well-versed with platformers and people looking to get into the genre for the first time! If you get gifted this game by a friend, do yourself a favor by not letting it languish in your backlog.

I thought I was done with gaming. Nothing could hold my interest anymore—I’d start a game, play for ten, maybe fifteen minutes, then drop it, feeling empty and unmotivated. It felt like I’d outgrown the thrill of it all, like I’d hit a peak I’d never reach again. Then I found this game, and everything changed. Suddenly, I felt engaged, challenged, and genuinely entertained. It’s not just fun; it’s a reminder of what I loved about gaming in the first place. Thank you for reigniting that passion and making me believe in gaming again.

1 really good game split into 1/2 decent linear platformer and 1/2 decent metroidvania. 0.5 decent + 0.5 decent = 1 really good???

The movement could be better and the game is mostly pretty easy, but it was very fun and the characters were some of the funniest I've seen in a game/film etc

100% is worth it.

will your finghxers crakmp so bad to the polint you want to brexak them off avfter playeing this gayme for hourzs on ehnd? yes BUT this gamne is wosrth brevaking your findgers off for, trwust me. if you dont belpieve me, i typbed this witoh the nubs of my finfgers 😛

I love this game but making 2 of the main air mechanics share a button is incredibly frustrating every time it backfires

I REALLY like the humor of this game. It is full of charming characters and well written dialogue. The music is also very good.

Cloudstepping is very fun to play around with. Backtracking never felt boring because of the platforming challenges and good level design. It is a joy to just zip around the in-game world. I never cared about collectibles in games, but I went for all the power seals. I didn't care much for the upgrades, but I didn't dislike them either.

The difficulty is challenging but not punishing. The bosses are a bit tough, but very satisfying to beat. I don't think there is a single boss that I disliked. I got bored with the common enemies in the 2nd half though. This is not a big deal, since they make up for it with clever enemy placement within the levels.

This is the best game I have played this year. Clearly, Sabotage Studios made this game with a lot of love. I can't wait to play Sea of Stars, and I look forward to any other game they put out in the future.

wow. what a game. firstly I was hooked by the visuals, sound and funny dialogues that were breaking the fourth wall. but that "swap" in the middle of the game... I wasn't expecting such a twist and dedication to pull that off with the level design, the visuals and the music&sfx. bravo! and also even though sometimes I raged at some truly hard parts of the game, it was worth it. the last shopkeeper dialogue about boy in the well... man. thank you so much for such a beautiful, hand crafted and created with passion and such a big love, game. glad that it was a success financially for the team, but most importantly that people acknowledged its soul and personal touch! looking forward to play "sea of stars" later and also waiting for other games from you guys :)
<3<3<3

Really fun. About a third of the way, the game changes pace from a very linear platformer to a complete metroidvania style, with lots of backtracking. Personally I've enjoyed both phases.

One of my favorite games of the past decade, if not ever. If you're looking through the reviews to see if it's good enough, as long as you like platformers and are ok with being challenged to a certain degree, then buy it right tf now. This game is best experienced as blind as possible. Make sure you read too! This game's dialogue is one of its best parts!! I would be remiss not to mention Rainbowdragoneyes' work on the soundtrack too, it's phenomenal, absolutely worth a purchase once you've finished the game.

It was a wonderful adventure full of captivating boss fights, lively characters, amazing soundtrack and tons of humour. When I was advised to play the Messenger after beating the Sea of Stars, I did not have high expectations of this platformer based on its looks and the fact that it was the first game created by Sabotage Studio. But in the end I've received as much as I got from the Sea of Stars—they are pretty similar in terms of storytelling, world-building, pace and jokes. The only major difference between the "game of the year" and the rarely known platformer, which the Messenger is, is the genre. So if you enjoyed the spirit and the story of the Sea of Stars (and you are not a hater of platformers), the Messenger does not only offer a couple of easter eggs, it feels like a spin-off to the game, and honestly there is no even slightest drop in quality.

Despite sometimes wonky controls (each action separately is all fun but try combining grappling hook, double jump, hit and jump and wingsuit in a combo and you'll see how unresponsive the controls can get) and a little bit annoying metroidvania structure (common, guys, give us more teleport points please), I've enjoyed the game a lot and will totally advise it to friends.

The only negative feedback I have is PLEASE patch the moth-bat boss, so that it stops blinking like it's trying to start an epileptic seizure in a healthy person. It was unbearable to the point that I had to ASK someone to beat the boss instead of me (first time in more than 15 years) because I literally could not look at the screen and not feel sick.

No major complaints.
Tight controls.
Excellent 8 and 16 bit graphics & sound.
The puzzles and platforming were difficult enough without being frustrating.
Absolutely worth the purchase price.

Great 8-bit / 16-bit game with Metroidvania elements.

The traversal mechanics are great, the story is cool and humorous.
The difficulty ramps up gently but steadily, giving you time and practice with every new tool you get.

There is a rather difficult bosses about a third of the way into the game, but the battle is actually fair once you realise what it wants from you.

The game is also fairly long for a platformer, but I had a great time with it.

might be one of the top games in my steam list. pretty graphics, lots and lots (and lots) of content, moderately hard but beatable with time and effort, great mechanics, music and maps. definitely can feel overwhelming in late game when you dont know what to do next, but most of the time ive spent on this has been just one game. might be a little overpriced, so try to get it on sale, but i didnt and i think its worth the price. really well made game.

My absolute favorite indie game of all time. I have put countless hours into it across various platforms. The aesthetic is perfectly pixelated, the music is incredible (especially the seamless changes between the 8bit and 16bit during gameplay), the Shopkeeper's stories (and the associated easter eggs placed throughout the world) are amazing, and the story is more complex than initially realized (and the lore is awesome too). I love everything about this game. Plays perfectly on Steam Deck.

Horribly Janky, unresponsive controls. Pressing A and X simultaneously is unreliable. I even tried to set up a macro and that was unreliable too.

Haven't even finished the game yet but i feel the need to leave a review. Not a huge fan of platformers but this game is something else. A must try. Huge thank you to the devs. NOW GIVE MORE STORIES! lol

Also definitely try the cabinet ;)

Pretty fun 2D game with funny plot and clever gameplay mechanics that pays tribute to old school NES/SNES platforming gems! Really loved the in game transition and boss fights.

the game is really fun i loved it only downside is the second last boss fight thats terrible the worst everything aside from that the game is fun

excellent game if you want your arse to burn, ESPECIALLY if you want to 100% it (GOOD LUCK WITH RACE LMAO). I've literally uninstalled this game twice after mental breakdowns after hours of getting nowhere at certain hard points in the game. but then I decided that I can't allow a game to brake me and 100%ed it after some more hours of grind.

for non-grinders (who dont care about achievements) I would totally recommend this, because main game isn't hard and quite fun (game has actual plot and humor and stuff). would not recommend DLC tho, because difficulty of the totem boss might prevent you from finishing the DLC (this boss is savage).

Saw from the steam feed a friend bought this, opened the store page, halfway through the video trailer I immediatly bought it for the soundtrack alone. I'm not really into platformers but the game has some pretty sweet artstyle, the gameplay is ok I guess.
Overall 8/10, soundtrack carry

This game tricks you into thinking it's a good game.

It later pulls the reveal that it is actually an incredible game.

Its a very good metroid based in classics but with new elements, not long but not short, the guy working nights on the dialogue and the interactions made it even better. You wont regret the purchase if you like metroids, 10/10 still waiting for the tea

was not expecting the game to be this good, a simple platformer and metroidvania, the combat it's good and exploring new places also great, the characters are really funny, just a good game overall

This game is phenomenal. Story and dialogue are hilarious and genius. Super fun, pretty challenging. Very cool genre shift near mid-game. A masterpiece.

This is the first time i felt genuinely bad for buying a game on sale
Its so incredibly charming and full of love and detail.
From pixelartists flexing their wonderful sprites and artwork to every single soundtrack being a bop and a story thats pretty interesting and well put together and full of jokes - this game is an absolute gem. I picked it up for cheep on sale and i feel awful because it is worth so much more. Its not a game you can invest 1000 hours in but its a wonderful homage to retro games and a worth experience in its own right.

Now if you excuse me, im off to gift this to friends and make amends

as a 2D platformer its absolutely fantastic! as a metroidvania its pretty meh.

but the 2d aspect is so good it doesnt really matter. an easy A teir

I never finished this because I got burnt out trying to find all the optional green coins, but it's alright for a 2-d platformer.

+smooth controls
+reasonably difficult
+catchy chiptune soundtrack - AND it's dynamic; the alternate version of the songs (which you discover later in the game) have neat twists to them.
+funny, quirky humor. The shopkeeper is a swell guy.

I ended up beating this game but said "I hate this game" many times while doing so. It was great in the 1st half but got way worse in the 2nd half bc it turned into a weird Metroidvania where you have to search for items/characters. You're given cryptic clues and have to pay 300 shards for each hint. Also, when you fast travel, you can't do it right to where you need to go. You have to grind through many old areas to get there. It gets very tedious. I wish the game stayed linear the whole way through. It would have been one of my favorite platformers of all time if it had because everything else is great. Here's my early gameplay: https://youtu.be/r0JXASQhoGs

Great humor, fun exploration and fun bosses.

Perfect, classic (Nes/SNES/Genesis) style platformer - Not boring like many platformers available on steam

I'm not a fan of metroidvania (exploring/searching) style platformers but that aspect of the game doesn't begin until later on. Lots of non-metroidvania fun before that begins

Was absolutely blown away, pure gaming joy. The mechanics are extremely simple at first, but as your toolkit expands you get into this flow state that is so perfectly paired with the high energy music that will be stuck in your head for months.

I would just add that one of the biggest strengths is the difficulty. It's not frustratingly difficult, i got stuck on an obstacle or room that i had to re try several times before clearing, or a boss fight that took many more attempts. Don't get me wrong I love souls like difficulty, but I have to be in the right state of mind and mood for that. This managed to be challenging while still being chill to play, and not so easy it puts you to sleep.

im a huge fan of platformers and metroidvanias games and i’ve played them all my life but this game is all types of unenjoyable. there is no satisfaction or reward in it at all. i would not recommend wasting your money on this game

A fantastic love letter to Ninja Gaiden that still has it's own identity. This is an absolute must-play.

It is indeed very good, but it has a bit of a tension that prevents it from being a true classic. For the first 30% of the game, it is an extremely linear retro platformer, then it opens up into a modestly scaled Metroidvania. The tension is in the timing of this switch though, as the retro action platformer portion is so long that it can mislead players. For players looking for action platformer, enough of a gameplay loop is established that when the Metroidvania structure is finally revealed and significant amounts of backtracking are required, the game can lose momentum. Many of the negative reviews on steam are specifically from this kind of player complaining about this specific experience. For the metroidvania-focused players, there are a lot of doubts for the first portion over whether the payoff is going to be worth the non-preferred gameplay loop of the first 30% of the game. Then when the metroidvania portion is revealed, the execution is not entirely satisfying. It is almost a Metroidvania-lite when it does open up.

The style and movement-response and writing and art-design are all phenomenal, though. It's humorous and beautiful and many of platformer puzzles are pretty pleasantly designed. It is a great game, but it does have an underlying structural indecision that prevents it from being a true classic of either genre.

A really great game! Short and sweet! Movement and items are really fluid and fun. If anything, the game is a bit too easy. Music is amazing! Overall, I had a really fun time!

I love this game. I feel like for my 15 hours of playing, I 100% got my money's worth. The only negative I can say is that theres pretty much no enemy variety. I wish they would add diffrent enemys, not only for the dlc.

For the last time, I don't want to use Messenger.

Wait. You're telling me that's not what this is? Oh.

The Messenger is a Metroidvania Platformer, but I felt it was more Platformer than Metroidvania. The story was cute and the dialogue was quirky, the art retro and gorgeous, and the controls fluid and polished. Above all, this game is just a lot of fun. It's not every day that I think about speedrunning a game, that honor only goes to games I feel are fun enough to replay, but that honor goes to The Messenger.

Had this game for years finally played it, was peak until the 2nd half. I equal this game to deathnote the anime, the 1st half is epic sauce, the 2nd half is wtf, and the only reason im pulling through is im too far in to quit.

I have a deep respect for studios that have carved out their niche and become masters of their craft. Sabotage Studio is a prime example of creating a product that needs no marketing; it's the kind of game that can be sold with just a few words exchanged between friends or a recommendation on Reddit—and just like that, another copy is sold.

The Messenger has many strengths, but its crowning achievement is its undeniable charm. The game never takes itself too seriously, which is evident in its bizarre conversations with the shopkeeper and a narrative that endlessly breaks the fourth wall. It brims with playful references to 8-bit games from the Sega Mega Drive era, a lightness of spirit, and a certain slyness in its setting.

In many ways, The Messenger can be compared to the 2011 Oscar-winning film The Artist, which didn’t simply rehash silent film tropes but captured the era’s true spirit. Similarly, Stranger Things doesn’t exploit 80s nostalgia but lovingly recreates the mood and feel of the time. These kinds of projects don’t just imitate the originals—they’re better versions, and that’s why they resonate.

Mechanically, the game strikes a delicate balance. The difficulty ramps up at just the right pace—not too fast, not too slow. There’s room for exploration, and overcoming obstacles feels rewarding. The game will appeal to casual players who might have been intimidated by the hardcore difficulty of games like Celeste, while still offering plenty to those who enjoy a challenge.

All the ingredients are thoughtfully chosen, perfectly balanced, and executed with care.

It’s an excellent game, one you can confidently recommend.

If you aren't willing to spend $20 on this game, it regularly goes on sale for FIVE BUCKS, and if you STILL aren't willing to buy it, I have no sympathy for you and the miserable existence you will continue to live without having experienced this game.

#1. No contest. If I were trapped on a desert island for the rest of my life and could only bring one game, it would be this one.

Peak.

Game just feels good. As others said more platformer than metroidvania.

Amazing game! The meta plot (or the not-meta plot) is amazing, the plot twists are amazing, the gameplay almost never stagnates, and the music and art are on point! So many random and creative ideas are woven into the story and it keeps getting better and better throughout the game.

Seriously though, just when I thought "Oh this has to be the end" the game goes and reveals another entire dimension to the gameplay. Wow. Don't read anything about the game, go in blind, and give it a few hours till you get to the turning point (you'll know when). You absolutely won't regret it.

Just completed the game, including Picnic Panic and it was a joy. Loved the platforming. First half of the main game was amazing, second half, nice surprise, fun at first. Then... the backtracking gets a little tedious. I thought the concept they used could have been more fleshed out. Respawning enemies in a Metroidvania didn't feel great. There was very few items to unlock new areas. You had the candle, the boots to run across lava, and that was really it. The other things were mainly to unlock areas you went to before, and this is really mainly a problem if you try to collect all the green coins, which I did. I did enjoy that mostly, many of the puzzles can be cheesed a bit, so they weren't rock solid. The end ones would sometimes force you to have 1 life, which made them more interesting. Id maybe go with that concept so you cant dmg immune many of the puzzles once you get hit.

If following the main game however, paying for the hints so you aren't wondering around infinitely respawning enemies, its quite nice. Revisiting the old areas in the future was cool and made one time backtracking fun. Picnic Panic was absolutely amazing. I loved everything they did here. You had bits of Battletoads, Portal, Mike Tysons Punchout, Races (which was the hardest in the game for me personally) and it was just a joy. It really brought in a lot of concepts. The puzzles here were much better, and gave a REAL sense of satisfaction. You couldn't really cheese most of these to get all the Feathers and Totem pieces. The final boss while fun, was a bit too easy. It was the easiest of the DLC and I 1 shot it.

Overall, id recommend this to anyone. The writing was amazing and had a quality I have only seen in early Mario and Luigi games. It was funny, insightful, the person who wrote is absolutely amazing imo. Seems like someone who has been through and learned a lot in his time on this Earth. Some of the greatest moments came from finding out what the Shopkeeper was going to say next. I couldn't wait to hit a new checkpoint. That's not something you see often in games.

I am not an amazing gamer. I am quite casual. I rage quit Sekiro at the Monkey when he came back to life. I do have a passion for platforming however, but I would say most people should be able to beat this with some effort. The movement options are amazing and allow you to pull off some truly wild stuff if you can piece everything together. Everything they give you has a purpose (Use your grapple!).

Considering Chrono Trigger is one of the few JRPGs I have ever beaten, outside of Mario and Luigi and the Paper Marios (if you consider these JRPGs, I mean, I guess technically they are RPG made in Japan), I will definitely be picking up Sea of Stars. If nothing else I know the writing will be solid.

Amazing Company here. Ill buy anything they put out after having experienced this game. Truly a joy for anyone who grew up in the 80s.

I feel that the negative reviews of this game focus too much on the fact that it becomes a metroidvania half way through. Though I do agree that the switch-up is a bit jarring, it's not really too bad and the game has other more serious issues.

As a whole, the game is perfectly serviceable and is mostly an enjoyable experience. The boss fights in particular are fun and fair. There's a particular boss fight in the DLC that's tough but an absolute blast to fight. The level design is also pretty well done, even if you do get a bit lost sometimes. The grappling hook is also super satisfying to use, specifically during the metroidvania portion of the games when you need to do a lot of backtracking. The time mechanics are cool and make for unique, if a bit gimmicky, puzzles. The soundtrack is fantastic, though I do remember one track being kind of annoying. I also appreciate the collectible clean-up mechanics for the medal things.

I do have a number of issues with the game. The writing is honestly annoying, especially at first. It's really hard to get invested in the world of a game when the NPCs constantly break the fourth wall, or make real-life references, or squeeze in Marvel-tier gags into their sentences. You do get used to it, and it does get charming at times. The wall climbing is also strangely sensitive, making it so that your character attaches to a wall you don't want to climb if you so much as brush it. I kind of wish they just had a button dedicated to wall climbing, like in Celeste.

Speaking of Celeste, probably the biggest issue I had with the game is that it doesn't know whether it wants to be a metroidvania or a precision platformer. If it's trying to be a metroidvania, the skill tree is too plain (half of the perks are health and special upgrades), most regular enemies don't post a threat and are instead just targets for the grappling hook, and there's way too many one-shot pits and spikes that send you back to the last checkpoint (most other metroidvania hazards either don't one-shot or just send you back to the closest safe spot). If it's trying to be a precision platformer, why have all of this backtracking and cryptic clues on what to do next during the second half of the game?

Despite all my complaints, the game at it's core is solid and it'd be unfair for me to not give a recommendation. I did still have a good time overall, despite some hangups.

There are 3 acts to this games. The first act was honestly pretty enjoyable to me, it was a simple 2d platformer with slight roguelite elements. The second act was what made me drop the game once before years ago, because of the metroidvania style it adopted, but with a guide i was able to continue. If you like platformers, pixel artstyle, humor, and a great soundtrack, then this game has it all.

Immediately picked this up after finishing Sea of Stars, Sabotage's latest release, and I was fully blown away just as much -- if not more -- by this game. A pleasant box to open: great music, visual style, and dialogue. It has just about the perfect amount of difficulty; If I can beat it, then you should be able to as well. Majority of deaths I had were completely human error.

Very happy to have discovered this studio and can't wait for their next game. They really need to get some exposure because these are passion-filled games.