The WhatsNext verdict
For Players who enjoy precise action platforming, clever genre shifts, and dry humor: A nimble ninja platformer gradually opens into a time-traveling Metroidvania, with movement and exploration at its core. Tradeoff: The demanding platforming and backtracking may not suit players looking for a short, linear action game.
What it does best
platform
arcade
comedy
The setup
What you are walking into
As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan's survival. Leveraging players expectations as a core game design ingredient, The Messenger is first presented as an 8-bit action platformer with a simple story, that unravels into an epic time traveling tale, eventually revealing itself as a 16-bit Metroidvania game packed with replay value and deadpan humor.
Where it lives
Genre
Vibe
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