The Messenger [split topic]

[Poobum]

Finished The Messenger plus DLC. Love the Shovel Knight collection so was very happy to discover this. Took some effort as I am bad at games that require any skill, coordination, accuracy, or memory. Struggled with a couple of over long bosses but overall went straight into my favourites ever. The 8-bit 16-bit time travel is genius and fun. It's just enough metroidvainia with out being too metroidvainia, ala Ori, and moving about is just fun, ala Ori, though with a simpler moveset. Some of the most consistently good music ever in a game. Just a cute and charming game. Also now I can go back to Sea of Stars and appreciate it more, abandoned it at the Pirate crew.

Gris. A much needed contrast. No fail states, nice little puzzles and probably the most beautiful looking game I've ever played. The crystal castles in the sky level was especially stunning, in visuals and the ethereal music. The upside down puzzles did hurt my brain a little though.

[Kelvin]

Finished The Messenger plus DLC. Love the Shovel Knight collection so was very happy to discover this. Took some effort as I am bad at games that require any skill, coordination, accuracy, or memory. Struggled with a couple of over long bosses but overall went straight into my favourites ever. The 8-bit 16-bit time travel is genius and fun. It's just enough metroidvainia with out being too metroidvainia, ala Ori, and moving about is just fun, ala Ori, though with a simpler moveset. Some of the most consistently good music ever in a game. Just a cute and charming game. Also now I can go back to Sea of Stars and appreciate it more, abandoned it at the Pirate crew.

If you enjoyed The Messenger and Shovel Knight, you might also enjoy the excellent Bloodstained Curse of the Moon, which is to NES Castlevania what Messenger is to NES Ninja Gaiden.

Multiple characters, alternate routes through each level, and some cool new game+ options. There's a sequel as well, but I've only played the original.

The trailers all use obnoxious video effects, so I'll just link an IGN review instead:

[madhair60]

Bloodstained pisses on The Messenger

[Poobum]

Yeah Bloodstained is on my list along with Axiom Verge for the Castlevania/Metroid type experience.

[madhair60]

Axiom Verge I found hard going. Bloodstained, all of it, is peak for me, a marvellous throwback to Castlevania that hits just the right spot difficulty-wise to challenge me but keep me going.

I should go back to The Messenger, I just didn't find it that inspiring at the time. Not bad by any means just a bit plain. Cyber Shadow, now that kicked ass.

[Poobum]

To be fair pre Tomb Raider 2 and FF7 my playing history was quite limited so I'm quite gaming illiterate, so the likes of The Messenger is all new fresh stuff to be. Love the look of Cyber Shadow, I go buy.

[Kelvin]

Bloodstained, all of it, is peak for me, a marvellous throwback to Castlevania that hits just the right spot difficulty-wise to challenge me but keep me going.

Did you play Bloodstained CotM 2? I'm not sure sure why I never picked it up in hindsight.

[madhair60]

Did you play Bloodstained CotM 2? I'm not sure sure why I never picked it up in hindsight.

yes, it too is superb. It's more of the same for sure but it's very good.

[Kelvin]

yes, it too is superb. It's more of the same for sure but it's very good.

Kelvin thumbed up this post.

[Poobum]

I'm loving Cyber Shadow. Got to the Scrambler and got all mardy that it was impossible, then I learned the timing and beat him quite easily. Feel like a big boy. Would you believe I beat Malenia? Because somehow I did.

[Video Game Fan 2000]

I enjoyed the Messenger, I think the correct way to damn it with faint praise is to say its not as good as Ninja Haggleman 3. its still good

Curse of the Moon is good to but not the most memorable of these, the train level stands out.  felt like there could have been more of it because was there was great.

Axiom Verge is phenomenal, it does suffer from a few things - most notably that its big gimmick around glitch is just a visual effect and not even a particularly good or original one, but its well made and the sound track is excellent. Up there with Ender Lillies and Hollow Knight.

[madhair60]

surprised to see the Axiom Verge heavy praise, does it get better at some point because the opening couple of hours are boring as fuck to me. is there some moment where it changes things up at all?

[Video Game Fan 2000]

surprised to see the Axiom Verge heavy praise, does it get better at some point because the opening couple of hours are boring as fuck to me. is there some moment where it changes things up at all?

after boss 2 or 3 you have to start traversing the areas more and they deviate wildly in look and sound to the metroid homage established in the first part of the game. i thought the effect was pretty amazing and i really felt like i was organically exploring an alien landscape

but if the basic stuff like power ups and enemy design doesnt grab you, nothing will make you like it after the second half. its very much a right place/right time game, it was the first metroid vania of that particular type that had a big scale, consistent visual look, and pumping soundtrack. maybe the sountrack is half of it, like Hotline Miami. a decade on its obviously been far outclassed in movement and design quirks

it escalates extremely familar things in a very particular way and thats either gonna tickle you or not

[Poobum]

I've mostly liked Axiom Verge. The music is great, the levels varied and fun. The glitch mechanic is fun to experiment with, wish it was more of the focus as the shooting gets a little boring and very few gun variants seem worth it. What really let's it down is the poor boss fights, bullet spongey and mechanically simple. Cyber Shadow's bosses are far more fun, each one a learning process that is satisfying to master and succeed at. Am finding it tough though, happy just to get to the next checkpoint, am loving it though and learning.