90
The Messenger pays tribute to gaming classics in a fun, involving and memorable way that will get players to quickly enjoy the experience and get the most of its hilarious plot and marvelous audiovisual environment. This is all reinforced by its in-game transition from an 8 to a 16-bit environment, which might seem a bit confusing at first but will easily be seen as an integral part of the game.
75
There's a lot to love and appreciate, but the sum fell short of greatness for me. [Issue #36 – November/December 2018, p. 18]
90
Packed with clever story surprises and dynamic, richly-constructed gameplay, The Messenger is both a tribute to and affectionate pastiche of 8 and 16-bit game design, storytelling and nostalgia. It belongs in every Switch owner’s eShop library.
10
The Messenger is a great game in every way possible. It has an interesting story, deep characters, and some of the best humor of any indie game. Some people may say that it isn't a true metroidvania, and they are partially right, but it really opens up later in the game. Drawing inspiration from Ninja Gaiden has NES nostalgia, packaged with some of the smoothest gameplay ever. The controls are easy to learn and critical to master. No mechanic is unused, which gives it a fine-tuned quality. Overall, The Messenger is an extremely worthwhile game for anyone from NES lovers to indie game enthusiasts.
10
Esto es un juegazo de los que no se ven todos los días. Divertidísimo de principio a fin, con un gameplay súper pulido que engancha cosa mala y no para de sorprender. El rollo ninja en 2D está llevado de lujo, con un diseño de niveles brillante y momentos que te sacan una sonrisa constantemente. Además, tiene un encanto especial que mezcla humor, acción y nostalgia de forma increíble. De esos títulos que empiezas por curiosidad y acabas recomendando a todo el mundo sin pensarlo. Una auténtica joya.
10
Another of the great surprises of modern pixel nostalgia, The Messenger takes the inspiration of Ninja Gaiden (NES) and takes it to its highest peak, the story, the rhythm, the gameplay, the animations and the aesthetics stand out in every way.
A surprise to see how 8-bit dominates perfectly as well as 16-bit, a great nod perfectly linked to the story. Ninja Gaiden took inspiration from The Messenger again and they released a title recently, but it doesn't live up to the freshness of The Messenger. Bavo
The Messenger
Released On:
Aug 30, 2018
Metascore
Generally Favorable
86
User score
Generally Favorable
8.4
My Score
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
86
95% Positive
40 Reviews
40 Reviews
5% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Aug 28, 2018
100
The Messenger is without a doubt one of the best indies available on the Switch right now. It has a lot of competition with the sudden sea of metroidvania games available, but its stunning look, fantastic soundtrack, and clever writing coupled with the amazing gameplay put it a step above the rest. When I walk away from a game every night only wanting to play more, there's little to complain about.
Nov 26, 2018
90
The Messenger pays tribute to gaming classics in a fun, involving and memorable way that will get players to quickly enjoy the experience and get the most of its hilarious plot and marvelous audiovisual environment. This is all reinforced by its in-game transition from an 8 to a 16-bit environment, which might seem a bit confusing at first but will easily be seen as an integral part of the game.
User score
Generally Favorable
8.4
83% Positive
347 Ratings
347 Ratings
12% Mixed
49 Ratings
49 Ratings
5% Negative
22 Ratings
22 Ratings
May 19, 2026
10
The Messenger is a great game in every way possible. It has an interesting story, deep characters, and some of the best humor of any indie game. Some people may say that it isn't a true metroidvania, and they are partially right, but it really opens up later in the game. Drawing inspiration from Ninja Gaiden has NES nostalgia, packaged with some of the smoothest gameplay ever. The controls are easy to learn and critical to master. No mechanic is unused, which gives it a fine-tuned quality. Overall, The Messenger is an extremely worthwhile game for anyone from NES lovers to indie game enthusiasts.
May 3, 2026
10
Esto es un juegazo de los que no se ven todos los días. Divertidísimo de principio a fin, con un gameplay súper pulido que engancha cosa mala y no para de sorprender. El rollo ninja en 2D está llevado de lujo, con un diseño de niveles brillante y momentos que te sacan una sonrisa constantemente. Además, tiene un encanto especial que mezcla humor, acción y nostalgia de forma increíble. De esos títulos que empiezas por curiosidad y acabas recomendando a todo el mundo sin pensarlo. Una auténtica joya.
Aug 29, 2018
90
Despite the writing, which is definitely an acquired taste, The Messenger is a truly excellent classic platformer and a bloody good Metroidvania.
Oct 4, 2018
85
The Messenger is a very good game that has lots of twists, whether it's in its narration or in it's gameplay. This game seems more aimed at the nostalgic gamer rather than the younger audience with lots of references to games from the 8 and 16 bit era.
Sep 12, 2018
80
The Messenger combines modern gameplay with a mix of graphic styles. The fun, humor and challenging gameplay is amazing, but it wears off a bit when the more open structure is introduced in the second half of the game.
Aug 28, 2018
80
The Messenger takes the best parts of the action-platformers it takes influence from and reinterprets them well. With clever writing, well-designed levels, and balanced difficulty curve, the game continuously hooks you with enticing skill-based challenges and satisfying payoffs. Your character might have an immediate imperative to delivering a world-saving scroll, but the journey there definitely one to savor.
Aug 29, 2018
70
The tedium of the second half of the game, and the increasing frustration brought on by its level design, checkpoint system and challenging platforming somewhat sour the experience though.
Mar 6, 2026
10
Another of the great surprises of modern pixel nostalgia, The Messenger takes the inspiration of Ninja Gaiden (NES) and takes it to its highest peak, the story, the rhythm, the gameplay, the animations and the aesthetics stand out in every way.
A surprise to see how 8-bit dominates perfectly as well as 16-bit, a great nod perfectly linked to the story. Ninja Gaiden took inspiration from The Messenger again and they released a title recently, but it doesn't live up to the freshness of The Messenger. Bavo
Feb 24, 2025
7
PROS
-funny and interesting writing and twists
-good level design
-good bosses
-good style and music
FLAWS
-the game wants to be a metroidvania when it's level design is predominately linear, yes it opens up later but not flawlessly
-backtracking can be a pain in such linear areas
-ending does not live up the hype
-first half of the game is the best one, it does get more boring
-DLC is also boring
Sep 5, 2018
4
I really can't understand this point of the gaming culture where unoriginality, copycats, faux-sequels, and simply poor design gets praised so much. Enough with the nostalgia hype bubble. This game, again, is generic as 100 other games on steam, do programmers make this the sane game-maker tool or something? pfff
SummaryAs a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival. What begins as a classic action platformer soon unravels into an expansive time-traveling adventure full of thrills, surprises, and humor.
Rated E +10for Everyone +10
Platforms:
- PC
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 4
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 5
Initial Release Date:Aug 30, 2018
Developer:
Publisher:
