# Messenger (video game)
**The Messenger** is a 2018 action-platformer video game developed by the Quebec studio Sabotage Studio and published by [Devolver Digital](https://www.edgepedia.org/devolver-digital), in which a young ninja delivers a scroll paramount to his clan's survival while a demon army besieges his village[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/). It presents itself first as a linear 8-bit action platformer in the style of [Ninja Gaiden](https://www.edgepedia.org/ninja-gaiden), then, at its midpoint, unlocks time travel, shifts to a 16-bit presentation, and opens into a [Metroidvania](https://www.edgepedia.org/metroidvania) with free exploration of the same areas across two eras[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/). It was first released on August 30, 2018 for Nintendo Switch and PC, and later came to PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox One[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-shuriken-sharp/1900-6416967/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | August 30, 2018 (Nintendo Switch, PC); later PS4, PS5, and Xbox One[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-shuriken-sharp/1900-6416967/) • [4](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/200601-sabotage-studio) |
| Developer / publisher | Sabotage Studio; Devolver Digital[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/) |
| Genre | Metroidvania, beginning as a linear 8-bit action platformer[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/) • [2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/) |
| Signature mechanic | Cloudstep: an additional midair jump each time the ninja strikes an enemy[5](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xboxone/230088-the-messenger/reviews/166884) |
| Structural twist | Midway, time travel between past and future is unlocked, reflected by a switch from 8-bit to 16-bit visuals and music[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/) |
| Reception | Metascore 86 from 42 critic reviews; user score 8.4 from 425 ratings; 95th percentile on OpenCritic[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/) • [6](https://opencritic.com/game/6521/the-messenger-picnic-panic/reviews?page=3&sort=popularity) |
## Gameplay and structure
The opening half is a sectioned, screen-by-screen action platformer most akin to Ninja Gaiden, with double jumps, wall climbing, plentiful checkpoints, and boss fights[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/). Its central movement tool is the Cloudstep, which grants an additional midair jump every time the ninja strikes an enemy with his sword, making aggressive play essential to traversal[5](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xboxone/230088-the-messenger/reviews/166884). Deaths are designed to spur the player on rather than deter, aided by the level design and the checkpoint density[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/).
**The midpoint shift.** About halfway through, the game grants access to time travel between the past and the future, and the genre changes to a Metroidvania: previously linear areas can be revisited and explored for characters and items[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/). The two eras are distinguished by presentation, with the past rendered in 8-bit style and the future in 16-bit, and the switch between them happens instantly[7](https://as.com/meristation/2018/09/10/analisis/1536591667_638708.html). Some paths are blocked in only one era, so the player must know when to change timelines to reach new zones, producing contextual puzzles across the map[7](https://as.com/meristation/2018/09/10/analisis/1536591667_638708.html).
## Art, music, and writing
The dual-era concept is carried through the entire presentation. Tracks often exist in both 8-bit and 16-bit arrangements, reinforcing the time-travel structure through audio as well as visuals[8](https://casualvania.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-nintendo-switch/). Because the player can switch between eras at will, the developers drew every asset twice, once in each console-generation style[9](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-12-en-201904.pdf). Reviewers noted the contrast as central to the design: 8-bit austerity on one side, 16-bit richness on the other, with the shift treated as more than a retro filter[8](https://casualvania.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-nintendo-switch/).
The writing is comedic and self-referential, full of jokes and dialogue that play on game conventions[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-shuriken-sharp/1900-6416967/). Characters such as Quarble, a uniquely devised figure tied to the game's mechanics, show how the studio used the platformer medium to make its systems make sense within the world[2](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/). The sardonic, long-winded hooded shopkeeper is another recurring character[10](https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/5779/The-Messenger/).
## Development
The game's origins trace to a 2007 school project: Sabotage co-founder Thierry, then a games-programming student at Collège Bart in [Quebec City](https://www.edgepedia.org/quebec-city), designed and solo-developed a small 2D game called Darkest Night, an early version of what became The Messenger ten years later[11](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/). After his employer rejected the pitch, he and level designer Dzidzi began prototyping the ninja platformer on evenings and weekends in 2015, mostly experimenting with the cloudstep mechanic[11](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/). The chiptune musician Rainbowdragoneyes (Eric) joined to compose after a chance meeting at a Quebec City show[11](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/).
Sabotage Studio Inc. was officially founded in April 2016 by Thierry and Martin, with Thierry as game director, designer, and writer[11](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/). The project received funding from the Canada Media Fund, and Devolver Digital demonstrated interest after trying the game[11](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/).
## Reception
The Messenger received generally favorable reviews. On Metacritic it holds a Metascore of 86 based on 42 critic reviews, with 95% positive and 5% mixed, and a user score of 8.4 from 425 ratings[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/). OpenCritic places it in the 95th percentile of games scored[6](https://opencritic.com/game/6521/the-messenger-picnic-panic/reviews?page=3&sort=popularity). Destructoid gave it 100, calling it one of the best indies available on the Switch at the time and praising its look, soundtrack, writing, and gameplay[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/). GameSpot scored it 8/10, citing a satisfying and responsive move set, a well-balanced difficulty curve, and clever writing, while criticizing limited enemy variety and an abrupt, unsatisfying ending[3](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-shuriken-sharp/1900-6416967/).
Critics were divided mainly on the second half. [Game Informer](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-informer) described the midpoint genre shift as a massive curveball in an otherwise perfectly paced linear adventure[12](https://gameinformer.com/review/the-messenger/a-tale-of-two-games), while some reviewers found the open structure weaker than the first half, with backtracking through predominantly linear areas[1](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/).
## DLC and the shared universe
The Messenger was Sabotage Studio's debut, and the studio's second game, [Sea of Stars](https://www.edgepedia.org/sea-of-stars) (2023), a turn-based RPG that won Best Indie of 2023 at [The Game Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-game-awards), takes place in the same universe[13](https://sabotagestudio.com/press-release/but-what-a-beautiful-sunset-it-is-sea-of-stars-sunset-edition-marks-the-final-update-for-the-game-available-now/).
## References
1. [The Messenger Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/game/the-messenger/)
2. [Review: The Messenger, Nintendo Wire](https://nintendowire.com/news/2018/08/28/review-the-messenger/)
3. [The Messenger Review: Shuriken Sharp, GameSpot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-shuriken-sharp/1900-6416967/)
4. [Game Companies: Sabotage Studio, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/games/company/200601-sabotage-studio)
5. [The Messenger Review for Xbox One, GameFAQs](https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/xboxone/230088-the-messenger/reviews/166884)
6. [The Messenger Critic Reviews, OpenCritic](https://opencritic.com/game/6521/the-messenger-picnic-panic/reviews?page=3&sort=popularity)
7. [The Messenger, Análisis: excelencia clásica, MeriStation](https://as.com/meristation/2018/09/10/analisis/1536591667_638708.html)
8. [The Messenger Review (Nintendo Switch), Casualvania](https://casualvania.com/reviews/the-messenger-review-nintendo-switch/)
9. [Wireframe issue 12 (April 2019)](https://www.mclibre.org/descargar/docs/revistas/wireframe/wireframe-12-en-201904.pdf)
10. [The Messenger Review, Gaming Nexus](https://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/5779/The-Messenger/)
11. [Story, Sabotage Studio](https://sabotagestudio.com/story/)
12. [The Messenger Review: A Tale Of Two Games, Game Informer](https://gameinformer.com/review/the-messenger/a-tale-of-two-games)
13. [Sea of Stars Sunset Edition press release, Sabotage Studio](https://sabotagestudio.com/press-release/but-what-a-beautiful-sunset-it-is-sea-of-stars-sunset-edition-marks-the-final-update-for-the-game-available-now/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › Individual PC and computer-platform game titles › Platformer and puzzle titles*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license