The Messenger

Just a great game. The controls are tight and the checkpoint/save system is frequent enough that you can pick the game up for only 10-15 mins and still make meaningful progress, which I appreciate. The writing is also genuinely hilarious. I'm playing it exclusively on the Steam Deck and I'm having a blast.

2 words : Absolute Cinema.
The combat and platforming itself feel really smooth
The switch-up between 8-bit (past) and 16-bit (future) works really well altering both the sound quality as well as the area you're currently in
It has some great banter between the shopkeeper NPC and the main character for some hilarious dialogue.
Absolute bangers playing throughout the entire game as well.
10/10 game

Hey, take this scroll. You've been tasked playing this game now. Trust me you will not regret it. Had a lot of fun with this title. Well balanced difficulty, lot of humour, nicely fitting music, fun to play and discover. Just be warned, if you don't like linear platformers - you have nothing to worry! After dew hours game shows its true genre providing completely new approach on levels discovered so far. And now go and do THE THING.

A tribute to old-school games that gets the job done. Everything is enjoyable (with a few minor inaccuracies here and there). Be warned, the backtracking can get intense.

Ok, so - I finished it. And... it's complicated. The messenger is an overall good game with fun and innovative gameplay ideas. It's a bit of a raw diamond, that could do with a bit more refinement. I taught level design and balancing in a course for game design, and here are some points that I would pic up with my students:
- Gameplay mechanics: The game uses a series of well tested traversal and combat mechanics for metroidvania games and tweaks them in a way that doesn't make them feel outdated while giving you options, depending on playstile. On the other hand they are not implemented in a way that requires a very precise application or timing, meaning "mashing" works most of the time. Press three buttons at the same time and most likely one of them is going to get you somewhere....
- Balancing.: ... until it doesn't. There are passages that suddenly require the very precise application of mechanics with perfect timing. When you're used to rather easily breezing through 90% of the sections, these skill-gates can seem rather frustrating and can seriously interrupt the pace of the gameplay. Enemies and bosses however feel well designed and balanced - some are a bit challenging but never to a degree where it get's frustrating. Overall the game is rather forgiving (except for certain sections) unlike many of the old 8/16-Bit Platformers it pays homeage to (e.g. ninja gaiden or megaman). However, this makes single sections that really test your patience seem even more out of place.
- Pacing 2.: The overall pacing of the game is unfortunately rather unbalanced and feels... lenghty. I believe the game would have profited from 2-3 fewer areas, alternatively reducing the lenght of each area by about 1/5. This becomes even more apparent when shifting from the linear section of the game to the metroidvania part. The third part of the game also drags out slightly too long.
- Story and Setting: I did really like the story arc, the characters and the dialogue. I loved the shopkeeper and his consorts. There's a lot of humour but also heart in there, with some fun plot twists as well.
- Visuals: Trying not to give too much away, the graphics distinction for the different game-settings was really cool and a great idea, that followed through to the end. Visually the game is also lovingly crafted with well though through design choices. This becomes even more evident in the 16-Bit sections, where it feels developers made an effort to put as much detail into the surrounding environment as they could, making up for the limitations they faced in the 8-Bit parts.
I think summing it up, I really did enjoy the game for the most part. I took my time with it, didn't necessarily follow the hints in the second part of the game and chose to explore by myself. That may have also played into the game dragging on a bit. However, all in all a good game that I can recommend.

Went in with zero expectations, trusting that the game is probably decent if it managed to snatch Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards 2018. Fell in love with it immediately! One of the best metroidvanias I’ve played in years. Especially want to praise the writing and the music.

This game is great! but once the game 'opens up' the luster falls off a bit