I really wanted to talk something about the weight of expectations as a lead-in to a proper recap of The Messenger, but I'm a couple months late to recording my thoughts on my playthrough, so instead I'm just putting together a pretty quick "I liked it" post for posterity.
It's a good, cheeky, fun action game with some incredible schmovement, intense bosses and a few really cool twists and turns. Action is snappy and there's a point where the game shifts gears into something I really wasn't expecting that bumped my opinion of it considerably. Incredibly natural in its progression, clearly crafted by a team who adores platforming greats of the 90s (it's no secret that the lead dev was heavily inspired by Ninja Gaiden), and not without some pretty dastardly (if optional) challenges. It's all punctuated by stunning 2D environments and an OST-of-the-year caliber soundtrack from rainbowdragoneyes.
I think perhaps the biggest point in The Messenger's favor to me, though, is its beating heart. It's probably a bit much for folks who are weary of the action-comedy-as-a-construct, often dipping into meta-humor and dialogue I'd refer to as juvenile (though not crude), but it does so with sincerity. Of course you could argue that sincerity does not an entertaining game make, but everything else in the game is crafted with such purpose it's really hard for me NOT to give the dialogue the benefit of the doubt and just roll with it for the sake of, I don't know, vibing with the vision. (Now I'm ranting about intangibles.) Anyway, it's a very imaginative adventure that's been rolling around in its creator's mind for eons, and even if I had some faults with dialogue here and there it's a pretty inconsequential part of an intriguing setting and story.
It's really not to be missed if you're AT WORST tolerant of some pretty tough gameplay -- you may end up spending a ton of time trying to hash out a boss fight or nail tricky platforming sequences -- but could be a harder sell if a lot of the trial and error isn't quite your thing. Even still, it's pretty forgiving about its checkpointing, so a little perseverance will see you through the critical path before too long.
tl;dr an excellent, robust indie game with a lot of style and substance to match.
It's a good, cheeky, fun action game with some incredible schmovement, intense bosses and a few really cool twists and turns. Action is snappy and there's a point where the game shifts gears into something I really wasn't expecting that bumped my opinion of it considerably. Incredibly natural in its progression, clearly crafted by a team who adores platforming greats of the 90s (it's no secret that the lead dev was heavily inspired by Ninja Gaiden), and not without some pretty dastardly (if optional) challenges. It's all punctuated by stunning 2D environments and an OST-of-the-year caliber soundtrack from rainbowdragoneyes.
I think perhaps the biggest point in The Messenger's favor to me, though, is its beating heart. It's probably a bit much for folks who are weary of the action-comedy-as-a-construct, often dipping into meta-humor and dialogue I'd refer to as juvenile (though not crude), but it does so with sincerity. Of course you could argue that sincerity does not an entertaining game make, but everything else in the game is crafted with such purpose it's really hard for me NOT to give the dialogue the benefit of the doubt and just roll with it for the sake of, I don't know, vibing with the vision. (Now I'm ranting about intangibles.) Anyway, it's a very imaginative adventure that's been rolling around in its creator's mind for eons, and even if I had some faults with dialogue here and there it's a pretty inconsequential part of an intriguing setting and story.
It's really not to be missed if you're AT WORST tolerant of some pretty tough gameplay -- you may end up spending a ton of time trying to hash out a boss fight or nail tricky platforming sequences -- but could be a harder sell if a lot of the trial and error isn't quite your thing. Even still, it's pretty forgiving about its checkpointing, so a little perseverance will see you through the critical path before too long.
tl;dr an excellent, robust indie game with a lot of style and substance to match.