The Messenger Reviews
Packed with clever story surprises and dynamic, richly-constructed gameplay, The Messenger is both a tribute to and affectionate pastiche of 8 and 16-bit game design, storytelling and nostalgia. It belongs in every Switch owner's eShop library.
How difficult it is to make all this coexist in a single product, yet The Messenger succeeds, moreover with a maniacal attention to detail and an overall harmony
The Messenger is a marvel of a game in the form of tributes to classical 8 and 16-bit series, with accompanying styles to match. With its surprisingly involving and hilarious plot, The Messenger manages to feature both plenty of action and exploration in a retro style and to grab the player's attention to its events in a way that few games of a similar style do.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
The Messenger is a game that makes no effort to hide who its intended audience is, and its clever combining of two distinct gameplay genres ensures that it casts a rather wide net. Whether you're a die-hard retro gaming fan or a genre newbie eager to dive into the deep end, Sabotage's debut title is one adventure worth embarking on.
Overall, The Messenger is a really solid game for fans of the platformer and Metroidvania genres. Had the first half of the game been a little more condensed, and the second half not been too dragged out, the game could've been near-perfect. Even so, if you have even an appreciation for retro or old-school games, you can't go wrong with The Messenger.
The Messenger is an essential for lovers of the design of the classics of the NES and SNES, with a high level of difficulty and a story full of irony, sarcasm and above all memorable characters.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Even with a shaky back-half, The Messenger is still an adventure worth seeking out. The agility focused platforming provides a satisfying challenge, the writing is surprisingly clever, and the graphical shifting is more than just a simple gimmick.
Despite the writing, which is definitely an acquired taste, The Messenger is a truly excellent classic platformer and a bloody good Metroidvania. There's enough of a twist on both genres to make it stand out in an increasingly crowded market. It looks great, in both the 8-bit and 16-bit sections, and the music sounds like it's ripped from the best NES game never made.
Even if it tends to be a bit frustrating in its second half, as it opens up a bit, The Messenger is still a magnificient and really great to play independent action platformer with some clever ideas and a lovable personnality.
Review in French | Read full review
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The Messenger succeeds in just about everything it does. It's a masterful retro throwback with challenging action-platforming and a charming story to tell. At the same time, its mastery of revealing itself over its ten-hour runtime and pushing the player forward is something that every modern game could learn from.
The Messenger is a finely crafted homage to the kind of game that first introduced many avid gamers to a lifelong hobby.
The Messenger's intricate platforming and charming world make for a surprising journey that must be played
But even so, The Messenger features an understanding of design, from the 8-bit to the 16-bit to the modern era, that make it more than a throwback.
Arguably the finest 2D action-adventure of 2018, a year that has seen an influx of well-crafted Metroidvanias.
If there's any real "downside" to The Messenger, it's that its music and effects can be repetitive, but well... that's nitpicking. At its core, this game is damn-near perfection of the 2D action-platforming genre. Humorous writing, great boss fights, well-thought-out level design, and challenging but not painful execution make The Messenger a must-have for any Switch owner.
The Messenger is yet another quality indie title that comes to Nintendo Switch this year: if you've grown up playing Ninja Gaiden or any Castlevania game (both pre and post Symphony of the Night), this is the adventure you've been waiting for.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Sabotage Studio's debut title, The Messenger, is an impressive evolution for the platforming genre. It takes risks that at times work in its favor but also create frustrating mechanics for players to look past. The melding of 8-bit and 16-bit aesthetics into a love letter for the NES era of platformers is nothing short of genius, but the style outweighs the gameplay in some areas, including the difficulty level.
The Messenger leans on classic platformers from the 80s and 90s, but comes with plenty of its own tricks to make it feel like a wonderful twist with plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor.