Messenger Review (Spoiler free)

The Messenger in Review
By Logan Manfredi
***Picnic Panic DLC update video***

         "The last time a time traveler was this badass he became the Governator, and I can only hope this ninja takes a stab at politics when he's done saving the world."

        The Messenger is a beautiful tribute to classic games that have shaped the platformer, Metroidvania, and side-scrolling genres into what they are today, and how it stayed true to that formula without feeling repetitive won my heart. So often today with 2d games I find developers are trying to make their game standout by adding mechanics that can more often than not distract from what at the core makes us love games in the first place, an engaging story with likable characters that make the player keep coming back. That is where The Messenger truly shines, booting the game up for the first time that wasn't what I was expecting, but almost immediately I was met with a story vibrant and humorous enough to reel me in. The shopkeeper delivers a majority of the narrative, and his sense of humor is on par with many of the video game greats. His witty quips and occasional breaking of the 4th wall was the first time, in years, a game audibly made me laugh, and it did it more than once. I found myself more and more eager to find checkpoints just so that I could see what hilarious story or piece of information would be waiting with the Shopkeeper. In-between checkpoints and the witty prose of the shopkeeper is a responsive and rewarding platformer. The controls feel familiar, like something out of a 16-bit childhood, but not repetitive and the level design is that of a modern game.

        When I was in school for game design, the teachers taught us that a good tutorial would inform the player how to play the game, but a great tutorial will show them. The ladder is the case for the Messenger and one of the key reasons I would call it an instant classic. From the first obstacle, the game instills a sense of determination rather than a challenge. Typically when I fall in a pit ten times in a row, I start to question if the level design has trouble conveying difficulty or if I'm just trash at video games. Luckily I was never faced with that question during my playthrough of The Messenger.  Each death was so clearly a learning experience, and the level design lent to that perfectly by edging the player forward with every try. Every time I fell in a pit or landed on a patch of spikes it wasn't to punish me or make the game feel extra challenging, it was slowly teaching me each obstacle merely by doing. Now full disclosure I died about 970 times before completing the game so safe to say there is a ton to figure out, but it never felt like a chore. Unlike most modern games death has consequences to the player beyond a simple game over screen. Consequences made evident by the brilliant addition of Quarble. He is a demon with the ability to control time and a hunger for time shards (the currency used to purchase skills).

     When Quarble saves The Messenger from death, he expects payment accordingly. That's where the cost of death takes its toll. For after each "death" Quarble will follow the player until he has been fed enough time shards and will disappear until the very moment he is needed again. Every obstacle felt rewarding to conquer and made each subsequent obstacle more intriguing by teaching you a new way to look at it. By the end of the third level, I was already noticing multiple ways to complete puzzles by merely using solutions the game had already shown me in the past. Each death felt brutal, but not spirit breaking because I knew of the consequences, and there were multiple times where I found myself on my last leg sweating to make it to a checkpoint and buy the upgrades I'd been saving for.

Here's an example of Quarble in Action from my second playthrough:

(Mild Spoiler warning, like 2 out 10)

        The Messenger is a not so hidden gem that personifies what gaming is all about. A golden tribute to the greats of old and a heavy hitter in today's ever populated indie market. The developers had a passion for this project, and it is evident every step of the way, whether it's poking fun at themselves or the genre as a whole you can tell these people had fun making it and want you to have fun playing it. The Messenger is an absolute blast, and it can not be missed by anyone who enjoys rewarding gameplay and an original comedic story.

5 out of 5 Snails!