The Messenger: A Tale of Two Games

Please note:  The following contains a spoiler about the nature of "The Messenger" game. This spoiler was included in the trailer for the game, but if you want to go in cold, here is the TLDR version: I really enjoyed the first half of the messenger, and on its own it is worth playing. 

The Messenger wears its inspirations on its sleeve.  If you're old enough to have played Ninja Gaiden on the NES, you will feel right at home here.  This side scrolling action platformer takes what you remember of Ninja Gaiden, adds more modern conveniences like checkpoints and power ups, and give you about 5 hours of tough but not impossible gameplay.  The story is a time traveling, slightly mind bending tale with a ton of 4th wall breaking jokes sprinkled throughout. It's lighthearted, and has some amusing moments.   Then... well... last chance to back out now if you want to play The Messenger completely spoiler free.

Well, then the game has a faux ending.  Turns out there is still much to be done, but now the game switches gears to be a metroidvania clone. The linear levels you just played through?  Turn out they have many branching paths (you are now given access to a map).  Using a time travel mechanic, you can now access parts of levels you did not have access to before. On a superficial level, this is amazing. The game is turned completely onto its ear. The 8 bit style the game is rendered in, is upgraded to 16 bit when in the future.  Music sounds fuller, graphics are better, and a wider color spectrum is used. It's a fantastic effect.

The games previously directed gameplay now opens up, and you're given vague "prophecies" to guide you in the general direction of where you should go. Unfortunately, combing through levels I've already played through (even new sections of the level) is not my idea of fun. In true Metroidvania style, you need to find new power ups in order to access different areas and get the "keys" to finish the game. After tracking 2 of the keys down, I lost my momentum with the game and ultimately stopped playing.

I think if I hadn't enjoyed the first half of the game so much, I would have found the change of pace in the second half refreshing. In actuality I found it jarring and did not enjoy I was being asked to play a game I had not signed up for.  That being said, I'm glad I gave this a shot (as of this writing, it is included in my XBOX PC Game Pass subscription).  Perhaps when I'm in the mood for a Metroid style game, I'll fire this one back up, but for now I'm satisfied with what I played.