The Messenger

A fantastic linear action platformer that turns into a quite good metroidvania half way through. Movement and combat feel extremely snappy, responsive and satisfying - clearly a lot of time went into making moving around here as fun as it could possibly be, and you definitely feel like a badass by the end of the game chaining together hook-shots, slashes, shuriken's and leaps. Cleverly, there isn’t any traditional double jump in this game, instead you get a second jump if you can slash an enemy or object while airbourne, which essentially makes the most common platforming ability way more skill based and means you can sustain airtime for extended periods.

The music and pixel art are some of the best in the industry with the linear platformer section mimicking 8 bit visuals and music, and then flipping to 16bit for the metroidvania half (plus sections where you quickly flip between both, meaning every area has two sets of visuals and music). My biggest complaints are the lack of enemy variety and the fact that it loses its way somewhat when it becomes a metroidvania. The first half is full of tightly designed, fun and fairly balanced action platforming stages that honestly are more enjoyable than any of the classics that its paying homage to. The second half has you backtracking through those areas, with a few new sections to explore, and the novelty of seeing 16 bit renditions of the visuals/music. Some amazing sequences are in this section of the game, but going through levels you’ve beaten doesn’t feed a sense of exploration that many metroidvanias need to stay engaging. It's a relatively minor hiccup though, because the smooth movement and incredible presentation are always there.