The Messenger
Carry a scroll through a cursed world as a ninja whose airborne attacks restore jumps, linking combat and traversal in an adventure that expands into time travel.
- AI score · out of 10
- 8.6 / 10
About this game
The Messenger begins with a ninja carrying a scroll after his village comes under attack. You cross platforming stages using Cloudstep: hit a target while airborne and earn another jump. Keep finding targets and you can chain those jumps, turning an attack into the next step of your route. New abilities, upgrades and branching paths broaden the journey as it develops into a time-travel adventure. Hidden optional rooms offer further movement challenges and Power Seals to destroy. The presentation draws on both 8-bit and 16-bit pixel-art styles, accompanied by chiptune music. Moving through a scene, striking a target and choosing where to jump next remain the concrete actions tying the adventure together.
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Nintendo Switch
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
For players who enjoy turning a combat move into a route through the air.
Cloudstep can make each target a movement opportunity, appealing to players who like planning and executing connected actions. The expansion into branching exploration adds a different kind of attention beyond reaching the next platform.
Strengths
- Attack-triggered jumps connect fighting and movement, giving targets a useful role beyond removing enemies.
- Optional challenge rooms provide a place to pursue more demanding movement without making every detour compulsory.
Weaknesses
- Players seeking a consistently forward-moving sequence of stages may be less interested in the growing emphasis on branching exploration.
Who it is for: Platforming fans who enjoy linking attacks and jumps, and who welcome exploration alongside movement practice.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension New abilities and branching paths can give progress an exploratory pull, while optional rooms separate extra challenge from the main journey. | Reviewed | 7.8 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Cloudstep rewards seeing a target as both something to strike and an opportunity to extend a route. | Reviewed | 8.9 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Contrasting pixel-art eras and chiptune music may make the time-travel premise especially appealing to players interested in older game aesthetics. | Reviewed | 9.0 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension TV, tabletop and handheld support offer different ways to set up a session according to the space available. | Reviewed | 8.5 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Sabotage Studio
- Publisher
- Devolver Digital
- Release date
- 2018
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Action · Primary genreAdventure
- Tags
- Real-time CombatReplayableFast-pacedDodgePlatformingLinear LevelsSolo-friendlyThird PersonMain Story Under 10 Hours3D Graphics
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- Side view
Release editions
- Windows PCWorldwide2018
- Nintendo SwitchWorldwide2018
Game gallery
Sources
- www.nintendo.comSource revision: 1
- www.nintendo.com