After viewing the Teaser Trailer for The Messenger, it’s easy to see the influence that Ninja Gaiden had on the debut game from Sabotage Studio.
But Ryu Hayabusa’s 8-bit adventures weren’t the only inspiration for the Quebec-based team. The Messenger will also include special portals that propel players to a 16-bit future that’s arranged as a more open MetroidVania-style world:
As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival.
Leveraging player expectations as a core design ingredient, The Messenger is first presented as an 8-bit action platformer with a simple story only to turn into an epic time travelling tale, eventually revealing itself as a 16-bit Metroidvania packed with replay value and deadpan humor.
If you’d like to learn more about The Messenger, the game’s Creative Director, Thierry Boulanger, and Executive Producer, Martin Brouard, recently sat down for a wide-ranging interview with Polygon. The pair discussed their efforts to bring The Messenger to life, as well as a desire to make the game appealing to both newcomers and speedrunners:
“That’s what we’re targeting here. Taking these memories and making them something polished in terms of gameplay and controls. It’s hard to go back to Ninja Gaiden after the playing The Messenger, in my opinion.”
“Not revealing everything is important to us, because there still need to be surprises, but people need to know this isn’t just some clone. We’ve put a lot of love and craft into it, and we need to make sure people get their hands on it.”
The Messenger will be available for the PC and consoles sometime this year.
