It is hard to find your way through the forest of games that are trying to look retro but end up being boring and dull, which is why it is nice when we get a refreshing title like The Messenger. If you are an experienced gamer (or just old like me), you probably had the chance to play Ninja Gaiden. Sabotage did find their inspiration for this game there, but they also added some new things.
Can You Climb the Top of the Mountain?
When demons attack his village, a young ninja gets an important task that will determine the faith of the villagers. He needs to climb to the top of the mountain and deliver a sacred scroll. The storyline is silly, but that was the idea in the first place. You will find plenty of humor in the dialogue and the general writing is of exceptional quality. References to pop culture and jokes are an excellent way to keep you interested as you try to help The Messenger save his village.
There are plenty of things you can do with your ninja character, but not all of them are available at once. As you progress through the game, you will learn how to climb walls, as well as other unique abilities, such as boomerang shuriken and cloud-stepping, which is a helping alternative to double jump. There is no classic double-jump in the game and you need to carefully choose your timing and skill, but if you do, cloud-stepping can be extremely useful as it also allows you to hit an opponent mid-air.
A Platformer with a Lot of Action and a Huge Twist
The controls are responsive, which is vital for this type of game. In fact, the ninja warrior will listen and do exactly what you say. The levels are beautiful and creatively designed, which means there is more than one way to pass them. Keep in mind that there are secrets you should discover in every level and you should leave no stone unturned. The game’s difficulty will quickly increase, but you will also get more moves and abilities to use, which secures that The Messenger doesn’t get repetitive.
Get used to the fact that you will die in the game, but as long as you’ve reached the checkpoint, you shouldn’t lose too much progress. In fact, everything is finely balanced so that things do not get too difficult to annoy you, but still challenging enough to feel proud when you defeat the boss. Now, are you ready for the biggest twist?
We won’t tell you a lot, but you should be ready for more than just a linear platformer with plenty of action. At one moment, a time travel aspect will be introduced and you will be allowed to move through different eras. This will add the puzzle element to the mix and, once again, keep the dynamics and replay value of the game high. It is a shame that the developers haven’t introduced more enemies as the opponents are the only thing that gets a bit repetitive.
