Alright, what a ride.

Where to start? It's one of the best games I've ever played, period. The content here is unlimited and platform lovers like me will have a great time for sure, twist after twist, the game will take you throughout this journey, surprising you each time, for the good or for the bad.
To summarize, The Messenger transforms itself every time. It starts 8-bit, then becomes 16-bits, it starts as linear platforming, then becomes Metroidvania.

That last one could be a problem tho, cuz it seems they wanted to do too much in just one game. Changing the game's main dynamic out of nowhere can catch people off guard, that was my case since I dropped the game on the first try a few years ago after that twist, I don't know for sure what happened but seems my interest just went away slowly.
Knowing that maybe I was a little unfair, I tried again and bought it on Steam (first was an EpicGames giveaway), and now I'm glad I did it, although the backtracking, the notes collectathon and the prophecy thing were really underwhelming, there is so much great content waiting for the player on the lastest sections, and I needed to reach the trailer music's stage, AKA my fav track before playing the actual level, turned out it was a banger of a level also.

Regarding the gameplay, it's satisfying, I found myself struggling a bit while using several movement elements quickly in short sections, but maybe it's skill issue(?)
The bosses are a great part of the game and very dynamic overall, the difficulty among then was not the most balanced thing tho, with the Final Boss being a bit easy to me with just 2 attempts, I died a lot more in the Mushroom Queen fight. (That final boss is also a great twist and a nice surprise tho)

The graphics are part of the game's core, besides being extremely beautiful, it is directly attached to the lore, the past-future thing with the art transformation is FIRE, I don't know if there is any other game that did something like this.

The game's lore overall is nice and it works with the rest of the game, but not enough to keep you attached to it, the other elements are far more instigating. I like the humor used here as well, it's different than the usual generic, but it's balanced to the point of not getting you annoyed.

SOUNDTRACK RULES. What was that guy thinking? Bro just casually dropped one of the best symphonies in the entire gaming history. Yeah this is another element that they knocked out of the park, and for me it became the reason I fell in love with the game, this is the second game OST ever that I'm buying, the first one was Undertale. Rainbowdragoneyes needs to come back for a possible sequel.

I'm now enjoying the free DLC which is as good as the main game, I shall soon post a separate review.

When a game makes a reference-based joke early on and then flat out says "those who know will understand", and I don't understand, it's pretty clear the game's not meant for me.

Gorgeous-looking, but with a backward-looking writing and mechanics I can't vibe with, an hour was enough. This is less a review than just logging my personal preference.

Would have been cool if this game was amongst that, and perhaps I'd learn to appreciate it further in, but when the game itself is telling me it ain't for me, who am I to argue?

As someone who loved Sea of Stars enough to Platinum it, I'm sad that The Messenger didn't win me over in the same way. Instead I was mostly really annoyed that this game's plot connections to Sea of Stars were the exact opposite of a cinematic payoff. Sure, all the shared locations and music were really cute, but all of the villains that stepped through a portal and walked out of the plot of Sea of Stars all just come back as pretty generic demon monsters and that's a little irritating.

It genuinely adds nothing to know that the Demon King was once four reoccurring minibosses and a Dweller glued together by the Fleshmancer for the shits 'n' giggles. The villain who would later become Barma'thazël has his memory wiped so nothing about this character carries over between games beyond his facial hair. Could've just let me defeat all those guys in the RPG I was playing earlier instead of playing Keep Away.

Narrative connection gripes aside, it is what most people say - The Messenger's first half is probably the best Ninja Gaiden clone you'll ever hope to play with a gorgeous sprite art and soundtrack, an absolute delight of a 2D platformer that plays well and gives the player enough of a toolbox to do sick endless jumps through their environment...and then it decides to be a mediocre Metroidvania and just piss away your time with obnoxious backtracking as you comb the map for shiny things while Quarble is eating your time shards and making rude calls to your mother.

The Metroidvania part really is the iron shackle chained to The Messenger's ankle that drags the whole game down. The level designs in this game are not a one-size-fits-all for both pure 2D Ninja Gaiden bliss and explore-y, backtrack-y Metroidvania-ing. Scarce checkpoint placement that's forgivable for a tough action game becomes an absolute slog if I have to explore the same long stretch of map over and over again for a fetch-quest. Howling Grotto and Searing Crags in particular were revisited a good 4-5 times during my Platinum run and I was starting to get really bored of gliding through the same air vents over and over and over.

It's a shame too, because after you choke down the second half's backtracking like a leftover turkey sandwich and get all the magical MacGuffins, you're rewarded with an amazing final level that times the environmental hazards to the music, reminding you of the game that The Messenger could've been from start to finish.

Despite all of that, I'd say it's a decent game. It has extremely high highs but then trips and sprains its ankle for a couple hours because it needed that cool little hook to set it apart from its retro contemporaries. I stuck around long enough to Platinum it too; I just miss the cool game that it was until it decided to become tedious.

After playing Sea of Stars, I had to check in on this one and it really delivered! Instead of Chrono Trigger this one pays tribute to Ninja Gaiden and other side-scrolling action titles of the 8- and 16-bit eras with banging music and buttery controls. Nice challenge level as well, it nails that fine line betwen retro challenge and outright sadism. When the game has somewhere to go, it's 5 stars no question. When it becomes a metroidvania-esque open-world riddle-solving game, it's... not quite as good. It's more than a little disruptive to be moving forward with so much momentum and then just let it all dissipate. You have this great upgrade tree, and once you fill it—which 100% of players will do in the first half of the game without even trying—that's it. Around the same time you also notice that there's about 20 enemy types total in this entire 15-hour game, which imo is a missed opportunity. But fortunately it all comes roaring back together towards the end with some real showstopping setpieces and fun bosses. And then you see in the credits that it was made by a very small team and the whole thing becomes even more impressive.

me surpreendeu muito (e de maneira positivíssima). eu lembro que em 2019 meus amigos me enchiam o saco pra jogar esse jogo e que era muito bom e tals e sempre deixei ele no canto, até que comprei ele em 2023 e mesmo assim só fui zerar 8 meses depois. mas foi uma das minhas melhores experiencias com jogos indies, quiçá até mesmo jogos em geral, o jogo tem um humor muito bom com muitas vezes até quebrando a quarta parede e uma gameplay iradíssima. inclusive a gameplay é tão boa que platinei o jogo. muito facil, a nao ser por uns trofeus especificos. agora passarei a recomendar esse jogo para todos que eu conheço.

Frustration, this game gave me a lot of frustration. Yet I kept playing it, because the controls felt so nice.

My thoughts:
(+ = (mostly) positive; - = (mostly) negative)
+- Gameplay;
I'm very mixed about how I experienced this game. The controls are super tight and when you get good at it you can fly though the levels. But at the same time there are parts that are so hard it feels unfair. The dark souls games never made me this salty...
The metroidvania part of this game is pretty bad. The hints are too vague to solve without using hints or a guide. Also the fast travel options are too much spread out, meaning when you're going the wrong way you've lost a lot of time while at the same time gaining a headache.

+ Music;
Nice catchy tracks that switch between 8bit and 16bit.

+ Graphics;
Same as the music, nice unique areas that switch between 8bit and 16bit.

+ Story/Characters;
Simple and funny, perfect for a game like this.

Recommend?
Idk, I'd say no but I've played worse games I'd recommend which deserve it less.

DISCLAIMER:
This review is entirely for my own sake. You are welcome to read it but it may or may not contain spoilers for the whole game.

NOTE: The playtime includes the Picnic Panic DLC. I should also mention I played this after finishing Sea of Stars, which might affect my understanding and enjoyment of the story, world and lore.

I went in expecting a basic side-scrolling platformer. I got exactly what I expected, PLUS a completely unexpected whole metroidvania on top.

Starting with the simple levels, the game felt quite basic. Cloudstepping was interesting and fun, the dialogue quips with the bosses were entertaining; but what stood out the most was the Shopkeeper, very funny but also deep and interesting stories (it was also curious to find elements of those stories in the overworld)

I knew there was going to be a way to go back to old levels because I kept seeing secrets that I couldn't reach with my current skills, so once I got to the new artstyle I assumed I would be able to repeat levels with all skills unlocked. Imagine my surprise when the game kept going until it seemed to reach an ending by revealing the loop.

I was even more surprised when the game revealed it's real twist by turning the game into a metroidvania. Making everything an interconnected map with collectibles and with a different level layout for both artstyles.

Finding collectibles was fun, but the reward for getting them felt underwhelming. As did most of the upgrades, making currency feel relatively useless.

The story was slightly deeper than it seemed in the first chapter, but still quite simple. It doesn't really take itself too seriously. I did, however, very much enjoy the parallels with Sea of Stars. Hearing returning tracks, seeing familiar enemies and particularly re-exploring the Sunken Shrine andacquiring its Music Note. It was nice to see where all the clues were planted for the sequel.

Speaking of unserious, the DLC is as silly as it can be. It's still as fun as the base game, plus more minigames (funnily enough, this game is the first time I learned how punch-out actually works) and the reward for getting all DLC collectibles is a bit more interesting, or at least it would be if I wanted to play New Game +.

Overall, this game is not the best platformer, nor is it the greatest metroidvania, but it is fun enough and along with the humor it is most definitely enjoyable and recommended.

"Érase una vez un hombre que no sabía leer. Este hombre trabajaba para una persona muy rica. Un día, su amo le dijo que le leyese una cosa, a lo cual le respondió que no sabía leer, por lo cual fue despedido inmediatamente.

Entonces, salió a la calle para buscar una tetería en la cual relajarse y aceptar las malas noticias. No pudo encontrar ninguna, así que se preguntó si alguien más le interesaría que hubiese en aquella ciudad tan pequeña, y abrió una. Tuvo mucho éxito, por lo que abrió más y se volvió rico en el proceso. Un día, su contable le dijo que revisase un documento, a lo cual respondió que no sabía leer.

El contable, que no podía creer lo que estaba leyendo, dijo: "Si se convirtió en millonario sin saber leer, imagínese donde estaría si supiese".

"Ah, sé exactamente dónde estaría", dijo el hombre rico. "Sería un criado".

FIN."

I've been meaning to play this for a while after being very pleasantly surprised by my love for Sea of Stars. I'm glad I've played The Messenger now because it is fantastic. As a platformer, it has a really good pace and the level design has a really great flow to it. Getting a mid-air jump whenever you hit something feels really great. The soundtrack is downright mystifying and it has a great look with good level variety. Eventually, you get a time travel ability that allows you to switch between 8-bit and 16-bit graphics. This is an idea so good, I don't know how it hasn't been used before.

That's not the only twist that this game has to offer though. When you get to what feels like the end of the game, it turns into a Metroidvania. Of course, platformers and Metroidvanias can often go hand in hand but it is impressive that these levels that had a fast pace to them initially suddenly invite you to slow down and be mindful of navigation and how the levels connect. The level design works really well for both types of gameplay. The new items and abilities aren't the most exciting but they do offer a satisfying progression of movement. The bosses are all great and don't really repeat mechanics much. The writing in the game can get a bit tiring with the overly self aware humour but the story can be fun as it coincides with the gameplay twists. I guess I need to pay attention to Sabotage Studio now because both of their games have been winners now.