Retro Ninja Platformer ‘The Messenger’ Dashes to PS4 Next Week

Sabotage Studio and Devolver Digital announced today that the retro ninja platformer The Messenger is set to land on PS4 next Tuesday, March 19 for $19.99.

In addition, a free expansion dubbed as Picnic Panic is currently in development and is expected to release “this summer”. According to a PlayStation Blog post, the expansion will be a “resolutely silly adventure will test your skills even more as our ninja heads to Voodkin Island in order to thwart Barma’thazël’s wicked plan”. Sounds like an expansion that’s right up our alley, to be honest.

The classic action platformer, that’s reminiscent of old-school Ninja Gaiden games, initially launched for Nintendo Switch and PC in August 2018. Since launch, the title has received tremendous praise due to its modern-day twist with a beloved retro genre, cheeky writing, fine-tuned controls, and fun characters. In the same PlayStation Blog post we mentioned previously, Martin Brouard, co-founder of Sabotage Studio, shared his thoughts on what makes The Messenger truly special:

“While the game is considered fair compared to platformers of the early 90s, it still proves very challenging even to hardcore players with its 45 optional Power Seals to collect as well as its unique New Game+ system. We also designed The Messenger with the speedrunning community in mind from the beginning and we make a point to wholeheartedly support the scene in any way we can.”

In The Messenger, players take control of a young ninja who must traverse a series of hazard-filled stages in order to deliver a mysterious scroll.

See the game in action for PS4 by checking out the gameplay trailer below:

Author’s take: This game has been on my must play list ever since it released back in August 2018. Now that it’s coming to PS4, I think it’s finally time to play it!