Reviewed on: PC
Welcome stranger! Today we’re going to talk about the ancient art of the ninjas! And we’ll talk about them in the most wonderful aesthetic in games: 8 BITS! Yes, we’re going to talk about The Messenger, the game that will let all orphaned fans of Ninja Gaiden and Shinobi satisfy their longing for those wonderful titles. The new title from Sabotage Studio will take us back to the genre’s classics with lots of quality and made with the best of the genre. Let’s get to the review!
The Messenger is proof that indies are growing, and with quality; small studios drink straight from the source and manage to create spiritual successors to classics that deserve every cent invested in them. Here, one of them, The Messenger.
The game is a classic 2D platformer, like the originals whose cartridges we blew on so much; sword strikes, shurikens and a few jump and climb abilities, and that’s it, a Ninja is made!
My ninja way of being!
The world is ravaged by demons and your tribe is one of the last fighting to defend humanity and preparing for the great invasion that will eradicate humanity; you are trained from childhood for the big moment, and who would have thought, it arrives.
Our ninja is different from the protagonists of classic games in which we are “THE” chosen ninja and so on. In this one we are only the Messenger of the “chosen one” and we have a mission (which is also not so modest), to carry a sacred item to a distant place full of fiends along the way. Nothing new, but…
Gameplay
The game makes good use of the references, aesthetics and gameplay of the classics, but in one factor it changes: the game is not hardcore like the oldies; the game has a medium difficulty, but nothing frightening or frustrating, making the experience relaxed for veterans and a great introduction for those who don’t know the genre. The bosses are a big problem: they are easy; veteran players of the genre already know: the boss arrives, things get crazy. Not here: the bosses are medium to easy.
The bosses are easy in gameplay and are at the same time a show of charisma and pixel art; they are wonderful and made with great finish. If the gameplay in them were better used and less repetitive, the game would be even more successful.
The gameplay is fluid: you hit, fly, throw shurikens, all with incredible fluidity; the immersion in the controls is sensational, you master it and throw yourself into the adventure with dedication, and before you know it you’re really floating and killing around. The enemies are not very challenging but can always surprise you by advancing and jumping in your path.
Aesthetics
The icing on the cake! The graphics of The Messenger float between 8 bits and 16 bits, using their characteristics in a primordial way; the color palettes and effects in the scenery, and especially on the bosses, are wonderful, another pixel masterpiece. The settings are very well put together and you stop playing to appreciate the ideas created for them.
The sound is very well done, the soundtrack is well made for all the settings, underwater, in cities or in the little shop. The climbing, walking and fighting effects are very well crafted; the production team really worked well on a point that was complex in the originals.
Verdict
The Messenger is worth every cent invested in it; the game delivers what it promises in an exquisite way. Missing the classics? The Messenger. Want to get into the genre but don’t feel ready for the Clas-si-cs? The Messenger will be an introductory class for the genre that will prepare you for the old masters of the genre.
The game is very good; it falls a little short on its difficulty, but it is a great adventure for everyone. A sure buy.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxRZxKVT58]
SCORE
NARRATIVE: 9
MECHANICS: 9
AUDIOVISUAL: 10
FINAL SCORE: 9.3
Max Xavier
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