The Messenger Reviews
The Messenger establishes itself as an excellent tribute to old-school platformers, then proceeds to rapidly up the ante with a series of outstanding gameplay twists. I'm deeply impressed by The Messenger's ambition and polish. It's a must-own for any retro enthusiast.
The Messenger is without a doubt one of the best indies available on the Switch right now. It has a lot of competition with the sudden sea of metroidvania games available, but its stunning look, fantastic soundtrack, and clever writing coupled with the amazing gameplay put it a step above the rest. When I walk away from a game every night only wanting to play more, there's little to complain about.
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The Messenger's intricate platforming and charming world make for a surprising journey that must be played
On top of that, it layers on an onslaught of laudatory elements, whether it's a winning, humorous tone, the excellent linear level design, or the marvels of the late-game exploration. When I first sat down with The Messenger, I thought it'd be hard for it to live up to my brilliant, childhood memories of Ninja Gaiden on NES. It didn't just meet those expectations, it annihilated them. The Messenger is a straight-up brilliant addition to the Switch and if you have any affinity for platformers of nearly any shape or size, go play it right this second.
The Messenger is more than a mere homage to games from 80s and 90s and especially, Ninja Gaiden; because through its stunning looks, clever writing, fantastic soundtrack and amazing gameplay, it has created its own identity and turned out vastly superior to all of those titles. It's a quality game that makes you want to get back to it as fast as you can and play more. The Messenger is a must-play and no one should miss it
Review in Persian | Read full review
The Messenger is a prime example of how to study the fundamental rules of a genre that has been replicated a million times before. To then follow these rules, bend them and eventually break them into something of its own calibre of quality is something quite special indeed.
The Messenger is one of the most successful contemporary takes on 80s and 90s platforming I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Where many games attempt to cash in on easy nostalgia plays and fall short of impressing anybody, The Messenger wholeheartedly embraces the design philosophies from the era of its inspiration and uses them as a framework for experimentation rather than a set of guidelines to be ignored as often as they're followed.
The Messenger is not just a brilliant love letter to the 8-bit and 16-bit games that inspired it. It's proof that even in a market saturated with retro-style platformers, there are still clever ways to approach the genre. It is one of the most well-designed games I have ever played on both a gameplay and storytelling level. Sabotage really created something special here and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
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 easily one of the best indie games in recent years where you can see the passion of the developer in nearly every aspect of the gameplay, complete with some unique twists along the way.
Games that are so clearly terrific and special in many ways, but that have a degree of difficulty that makes me concerned not everyone will get a chance to appreciate it, always pose a scoring challenge for me. Unlike, say, a roguelike where some mild progression and sheer luck can give you good runs every once in a while here there are no tricks, shortcuts, or luck to be had. Your options are merely to “git gud” or to stop playing. It’s an approach I find admirable, and given the generally generous spacing of checkpoints I think it’s as fair as it can be without completely compromising. If you’re up to the challenge, or to give it a serious try, this is absolutely a rewarding experience and one that pays off more and more the further in you’re able to go. The evolution of its visual style and gameplay are something I’ve simply never seen before and I think will inevitably be copied, they’re so impressively done. What will be far tougher to have any hope of replicating, and what really sets The Messenger apart, is the game’s tremendous sense of humor and poking fun at itself. The result is one of the most deserving titles of “the hype” I’ve seen in quite some time.
Just go out and buy this amazing game now. It’s brilliant, funny, well made and nostalgic. Its soundtrack is to die for, it’s gameplay simple yet technical and the whole presentation on offer deserves the highest praise. Its characters and dialogue are well written and comical, it points fun at itself, at video game culture and it’s delightful.
A game made by people who love the medium in which they work, they have not hesitated to reflect it on the screen and that love shows. A magnificent level design, an outstanding graphic finish and a combination of retro and current gameplay make the game of Thierry Boulanger one of the best indies you will find on your PS4.
In a year full of fantastic indie titles, it manages to live up to their precedent while arguably surpassing them. You can compare it to what’s come before, and you can look forward to what might come next from Sabotage Studio, but more than anything you should take some time to play The Messenger as soon as possible, here and now.
If you have not experienced The Messenger yet, there is no better time than now. Its unique and witty take on a tried and true genre is challenging and fun with nice replayability. Never frustrating and always asking you to improve your platforming abilities, the 2D platformer is one of the best of recent years.
The Messenger executes the perfect experience of play, narrative, and style.
An instant classic, The Messenger is one you will not want to miss.
Sabotage created a game filled with nostalgia in a very positive way. This is one of the best game of the year so far! Every gamer who's played retro classics like Ninja Gaiden or Strider, should give this one a try.
There's a chance the trial & error nature of the bosses will put off some people, and the run-time is certainly long for the genre, but The Messenger is a staggeringly good game and a shining example of a big risk paying bigger dividends.