The Messenger is a 2018 action-platform game created by indie developer Sabotage Studio and published by Devolver Digital. The player controls the eponymous ninja, who is appointed by a great hero to deliver a scroll. As the Messenger explores levels and defeats enemies, he gains a currency called Time Shards used to purchase useful upgrades and abilities. The game begins as a linear adventure featuring elements of time travel, with the audio and visuals changing from an 8-bit style to 16-bit to represent the ninja's journey from the past to the future. In the second half, The Messenger becomes a Metroidvania-style game where the player revisits previous levels to find key items.
The lead designer Thierry Boulanger created an early prototype of The Messenger in 2008. He hoped to create a game with a ninja as a protagonist, and pitched the concept to the Sabotage Studio co-founder Martin Brouard. Boulanger took inspiration from games such as Ninja Gaiden and Chrono Trigger, and fundamentally altered the game many times. The soundtrack was created by Eric "Raindbowdragoneyes" Brown, who created each song individually in the 8-bit and 16-bit styles. Sabotage Studio crunched to finish development to avoid competing with AAA games for press attention. The Messenger was first released for Windows and Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2018. Versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One were released in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The Messenger sold over 50,000 copies within a week and received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviewers praised the dialogue, controls, music, and art, while they were divided on the pacing. It received several award nominations and other accolades, and won the "Best Debut Indie Game" award at The Game Awards 2018. A downloadable content expansion called Picnic Panic was launched on July 11, 2019, and prequel called Sea of Stars was released in August 2023.
Gameplay
The Messenger is a side-scrolling action-platformer inspired by the Ninja Gaiden series. Players control a ninja known as "The Messenger" as he goes on a quest to deliver a scroll on behalf of a great hero. The Messenger can run, jump, attack with his sword, and perform a technique called "Cloudstepping", which allows him to perform an extra jump in mid-air after attacking an enemy or object.
As the game progresses, the Messenger gains new abilities such as climbing walls, and a "rope dart" used to propel himself through obstacles and enemies. By collecting Time Shards earned by defeating enemies or exploring, the player can purchase additional upgrades such as being able to destroy projectiles. If the player dies, a demon named Quarble will appear and revive them at the last checkpoint that they reached. Afterwards, Quarble will follow the player around for a short amount of time, automatically taking any Time Shards the player collects as payment.
The game initially presents itself as a linear level-based adventure split across two eras; the past, which is presented with 8-bit graphics and audio, and the future, which uses a 16-bit presentation. Later on, The Messenger becomes a Metroidvania-style game, in which the player revisits both eras in any order and direction in order to find key items. In this section, the player can use special warps to move between the past and present, changing the layout of each level and allowing them to access new areas. In addition to the main story, green medallions are hidden inside the levels as optional objectives, and players gain a reward by collecting all 45.
Plot
The Messenger begins in a village of ninjas, who foretell a prophecy of a "Western Hero" saving them from the evil demons. When the village is attacked by the Demon King, the Western Hero arrives and repels him. He gives a scroll to a ninja, appointing him as "The Messenger" and tells him to travel east and deliver it to the top of a mountain. During his journey, the Messenger is aided by a mysterious blue-robed shopkeeper who provides him with upgrades.
The Messenger arrives at the top of the mountain and encounters more blue-robed figures, who send him 500 years into the future to defeat the Demon King's general, Barma'thazël. The Messenger defeats Barma'thazël and circumnavigates the world, arriving at the ninja village from the west and saving it from another attack by the Demon King. Deducing that he has taken on the role of the Western Hero, he passes on the scroll to a soldier and appoints him as the new Messenger. He returns to the shopkeeper and is inducted into the blue-robes as a merchant providing the soldier with upgrades.
