3.5/5 ★ – nldemo's review of The Messenger.

The Messenger puts on a masterful display of writing, music, and time travel mechanics while struggling a little bit with level repetition and clunky platforming mechanics. To be honest, I only played this title because the prequel is coming out soon and it is one of my top three anticipated games for the upcoming year. Although the Messenger looks interesting from the trailers, I was warned about the excessive backtracking - an essential component in any Medroidvania - which if not done well, can make or break a title in my eyes. In this case, I felt it was just a bit too heavy handed with the backtracking, but let's first start off with the good... The writing in the Messenger is top notch and entertaining. Being a platformer first, there is very little dialogue outside of the shopkeeper, but it is definitely there if you exhaust all the options the game offers you. There is some very cheeky humor, 4th wall breaking, and entertaining twists - a few of which I will spoil at the end of the review. The shopkeeper also has optional stories which often include interesting morals and even a heartwarming story about the director/developer and how he was encouraged to make his own game... and I'm glad he did! There is also a cute little NPC named Quarble who saves the Messenger from death. Quarble loves poking fun at the player every time you die, and then stealing income from the player as payment for keeping you alive. A totally fair exchange, but it does get a bit played out towards the end and I'm left wondering if they could have done anything to make that remain interesting through the many, many deaths you will certainly have. The soundtrack and audio work in the Messenger is simply amazing. Each unique zone has its own track, but I never found myself using the jukebox feature because I truly enjoyed listening to the music on each stage. The map takes you everywhere you'd expect and them some - including a bamboo forest, underground, frosty peaks and even to hell itself. I won't spoil some of the more interesting locals, but I will say that even when you think you've seen it all - the game still has a few more to throw at you. One of the most interesting features is how the graphics and the soundtrack upgrade & downgrade as you instantly time travel between an 8-bit past and 16-bit future. The time travel is limited to specific portals which conveniently show up as puzzle elements in the level design, so there are no paradoxes to worry about here. It's really just a sit back and enjoy the sights scenario that nicely ties into the plot. Lastly, the audio becomes muffled whenever the player swims under water, just as it would in real life, which I found to be a really classy touch. The Messenger is clearly inspired from classic games like Ninja Gaiden, and if you search on youtube you can even see the devs of NG playing and commenting on the Messenger - a pretty cool treat (https://youtu.be/ctijWWXznFg)! However, the Messenger does not limit itself to pandering and really does use lots of modern techniques to keep gameplay interesting. The player gets many upgrades on the journey - some optional - including a wing suit, hookshot, and shuriken. All which feel great to use on their own, but can feel a little cramped when trying to use them all together in quick succession. The shopkeeper also offers permanent upgrades you can buy in the shape of a skill tree, such as increased health or damage. Disclaimer - I played this entire game with joycons in Switch handheld mode. Your experience may vary if using a real controller. Several times in my playthrough I felt like I knew exactly what I needed to do to get through a platforming segment, but found myself struggling to input the necessary controls. Lastly, the backtracking. There are two components to backtrack for - mandatory music notes, and optional power seals for unlocking the final ability. Of course, I did both and if I could change anything about the game I would simply reduce the power seal count and add additional fast travel points or connecting paths through the mostly linear stages. It can be pretty frustrating to know I have to get to screen 6 on a map, but I need to first warp to screen 1 and re-traverse from there. Aside from those, I have very little complaints! The game was short and sweet - clocking in at about 15 hours for my 100%, but it unfortunately felt a little too long. The corrupted future was a good example of this - a neat concept that simply lasted longer than it needed to. Overall, I am glad I played this title and I'm even more jazzed for Sea of Stars. I hope they knock it out of the park! The Messenger is absolutely swimming [in 7's]. Spoiler time ! Read on only if you've already played the game, or will never play the game and don't mind being spoiled. You've been warned! . . . Earlier I mentioned some really fun story twists. For me, it really stood out that the game is a loop and you eventually become the champion that passes on the messenger scroll... only to become the new shopkeeper and relieve him from his duties! It was also quite entertaining when they call out that the scroll was a map the entire time, and question you for carrying it the entire journey without ever looking at it. I just wish there was a little bit more pointing to Sea of Stars lore, but maybe that will manifest in the Picnic Panic DLC.