THE MESSENGER - Ninja Gaiden Demastered

The Messenger has started showing itself in the past few months. We already saw some very promising gameplay videos during the E3 2018, but the developers unveiled a bit more recently and it's starting to look like what could be one of the best indie games of this autumn.  

Developed by Sabotage Studio and edited by Devolver Digital, this pixel art ninja platformer lets you dive into a nostalgic past reminiscent of the great old days of the Nes, AND the Super Nes, since the game lets you "switch" in-game smoothly between 8-bit and 16-bit style!

The Messenger should be available on 30th August 2018 on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.

HOMAGE TO NINJA GAIDEN

There's always a missing guy who adds his head later.😅

  The Messenger will be Sabotage Studios' first game, and it looks great for a first try! This Quebec-based company was created in 2016, and their main goal is to make "retro" games with "old aesthetics and modern game design"!

Co-Founder of Sabotage Studios, Thierry Boulanger, offers this insight from a press release about The Messenger:

   “Together at Sabotage we set out to make the kind of game that inspired us to get into the industry in the first place, with an over the top story, arcade-style challenges and visually striking pixel art. The Messenger is that game, and we’re thrilled to finally announce and share it with a like-minded audience that loves new games inspired by generations of classic video game greatness.”

Whether in 8 or 16-bit style, the game looks fantastic.

Featuring gorgeous pixel art meticulously done like in the good old late 80s-early 90s, The Messenger offers a very much welcomed improved gameplay, with lots of platforming skills, like:

- A wingsuit, which will be useful for  for gliding down slowly into pits.
- A zippy grappling hook
- Double-jump! You can "recharge it"(??) by hitting background objects with your sword.
– Wall jumping, like in the original Ninja Gaiden! 

Although it seems that the enemies will spawn infinitely, the game will be a bit more fair than the original Ninja Gaiden, with lots of health pickups, checkpoints, and slower enemies in general.(and yes, Ninja Gaiden was TOO hard, stop denying it!)

I have so mushroom in my heart for this game... Yes, I'll let myself out.

FEATURES

• Dynamic, acrobatic gameplay and ultra tight controls worthy of an epic ninja adventure.
• Character upgrades, new abilities, hidden levels, and branching paths to discover.
• Meticulously designed 8-bit and 16-bit sprites, animations, and backgrounds in the spirit of the classics.
• A memorable cast of offbeat villains, bosses, and associates.
• Original soundtrack by renowned chiptune composer Rainbowdragoneyes, handmade using Famitracker.

The lovely 16-bit version of the bamboo forest! (don't know yet how this level is officially called!)

WILLY'S OPINION - I SMELL A MEGAHIT INCOMING

  Yeah yeah, I know, you're tired of seeing 80s-like pixel art games. WELL I'M NOT. While this one seems to be a tribute to the classic ninja games like Ninja Gaiden, it contains enough creative content and improved controls to make it "fresh". Especially the greatest selling point: the ability to jump through two different dimensions, offering different aesthetics, but also level layouts, and therefore, puzzles! 

Graphics seem to be AWESOME (especially the 16-bit part!) and I bet I'll use some of these levels as wallpapers!

Shame about the boring 8-bit soundtrack, though. 
Especially because the melodies are very good. But 8-bit sounds make my ears bleed, sorry!
I've lost count of the number of times I told developers "why do you use 16-bit graphics with 8-bit music"? Well, 50% of the game looks 8-bit, but... 
 Can you imagine how godly it would sound with FM music, or even some Super Nes samples instead?
Anyway, although I heard the developer saying that there's a 16-bit version of the OST, so far, I haven't heard it in any video! 

Reminds me of the "Fat Ass" skit by MadTV.

Unlike some people, I'm VERY glad the game will be (apparently?) easier than the original Ninja Gaiden, which was way too frustrating and unfair most of the time. (unpredictable enemy patterns, the wind physics...god...)


By the way, I love Metroidvania, and I did notice that the developers added the tag "metroidvania" on their Steam page, but this time, I hope we're dealing with a pure classic 80s/90s-like platformer game, for once.

Just a final request: PLEASE BRING THIS GAME TO GOG!
Addendum: CRT FILTER, PLEASE. 😍