The Messenger

Among the older games I still had left in my backlog, I tried The Messenger today. It's a retro platformer metroidvania from 2018, with, honestly, a surprising amount of content in it. This short description actually describes the game quite well, as there isn't anything remarkably unique to be found here.

I have to start with the usual disclaimer that while I like metroidvanias, I'm not a fan of platformers, so anything leaning more on the platformer than the action combat side isn't going to sit all too well with me. Such was also the case with The Messenger, and I didn't get too far in the game. While it initially looks like there are quite a lot of enemies in the game and even some boss fights, everything still comes down to your platforming skills. A big feature of the game, at least in the beginning, is that by attacking something mid-air, you refresh your jump. These can be environmental objects, but are often also enemies or projectiles they fire. For that purpose, most enemies respawn after being killed to facilitate the platforming aspect.
You will later also get to experience a sort of grappling hook that propels you forward, as well as portals that lead you to a different version of the same map, and probably a few other things. I didn't get that far, as I got upset at the numerous instant kill traps in the game that set me back quite a bit, and so I quit. I will entirely take the blame for being weak-willed on this, but as mentioned, I'm not big on platformers, so any minor gripe will deter me.

I must, however, praise the amount of hidden and optional content there is in the game, as well as the amount of detail that went into minor aspects. They could have just given upgrades at regular points in the game, but they let us have some choice in what to buy in the store. They could have just respawned us at a checkpoint, but they gave us a little devil who joins us on our journey and eats a portion of our earnings instead. And they could have gone without having every character quip jokes at you, but despite usually being adverse to anything funny, they actually got a few laughs out of me.
On the negative side, I also didn't enjoy the "retro" feel of the game, as the low-resolution graphics weren't amazing, and much of the platforming didn't feel very weighty. Especially the mid-air jump refresh mechanic felt very unsatisfying to execute.

Overall, while I didn't like The Messenger due to my general aversion to platformers and the forced retro aesthetic, which I think hurt not only the graphical quality, but also how the game feels, I can believe this to be a fun platformer for fans of the genre. The main complaint about the part of the game I didn't get to is that it actually turns into a metroidvania, instead of a more-or-less linear platformer. I suppose I can't have an accurate opinion on what I haven't experienced, but having more content isn't bad if you like the game. It's not that long of a game. In any case, I can't give it a personal recommendation, but that doesn't mean you absolutely shouldn't play it.