The Messenger | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Sabotage Studio |
Director(s) | Thierry Boulanger |
Producer(s) | Martin Brouard |
Designer(s) | Phillippe Dionne |
Programmer(s) | Sylvain Cloutier |
Artist(s) | Jean-Luc Savard, Michael Lavoie |
Writer(s) | Thierry Boulanger |
Composer(s) | Rainbowdragoneyes (Eric W. Brown) |
Engine | Unity Engine |
Platform(s) | PC confirmed, Consoles to be announced |
Release | 2018 |
Genre(s) | Retro Action-Platformer |
Mode(s) | Single-Player |
The Messenger is an upcoming retro action-platformer indie video game from the french Canadian video game studio Sabotage based in Quebec City. the studio specializes in games with retro aesthetics and modern game design, and likes to leverage player's expectations as a core ingredient.[1]
Gameplay
The game presents itself as a simple tribute to 8-bit retro action-platformer in which you play as a Ninja-like warrior sent on an important mission to deliver a magical scroll atop a distant eastern Mountain. During his adventures, the player will unlock new abilities like climbing walls, throwing magical shurikens, gliding and also a Grapling Hook. The game also uses a mechanic called "Cloudstepping", a sort of double-jump skill. The cloudstepping mechanic adds an element of skill and timing to the traditional double-jump: Rather than simply allowing you to gain extra air time anywhere you like, cloudstepping forces you to chain a mid-air leap off an aerial attack. Strike something with your sword in mid-air and you can immediately press the jump button to perform a second leap.[1] At some point in the game, the player unlocks the power to travel into the future effectively transforming the game into a 16-bit era metroidvania game, where new paths unlocks through the finding of secret passages and artifacts.[1]
Developement
Sabotage Studio is an indie development studio based in Quebec City founded by Thierry Boulanger and Martin Brouard in 2016[2], The Messenger will be their first game to come out but the team is made up of video game veterans that all worked together for several years and came together to create this project that brew in Thierry Boulanger's mind since he was a child.[1]
The music is composed by Rainbowdragoneyes (Eric W. Brown). Each track is being made in both 8-bit and 16-bit styles.[1]
Reception
Even though the game has not yet been released it has has won several awards. It won the Start-Up Numix in 2016[3]. It also won Best Music and Best Gameplay during the Montreal Indie Game Festival of 2017[4]. Jeremy Parish (Polygon) wrote a feature article on the website saying “The Messenger stands apart from decades of Ninja Gaiden wannabes by presenting players with the tightest controls I've ever encountered in a game of this style.”[1] The game was presented to PAX South 2018 where several outlets praised the game as their best of show including Techraptor and Frank Howley
References
- ^ a b c d e f Parish, Jeremy (2018-01-04). "The Messenger takes Ninja Gaiden on a cross-generational journey". Polygon. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ "Sabotage Studio". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-01-18.
- ^ "Numix 2016 Palamares". Numix Awards.
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(help) - ^ MIGF. "MIGF - Montreal Independent Games Festival - Awards". migf.ca. Retrieved 2018-01-18.