The Messenger on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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As a demon army besieges his village, a young ninja ventures through a cursed world, to deliver a scroll paramount to his clan’s survival. What begins as a classic action platformer soon unravels into an expansive time-traveling adventure full of thrills, surprises, and humor.

The Messenger is a retro, platformer and pixel graphics game developed by Sabotage and published by Devolver Digital.
Released on August 30th 2018 is available only on Windows in 10 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese - Brazil and Russian.

It has received 11,860 reviews of which 11,059 were positive and 801 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. 😍

The game is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam, but you can find it for 1.16€ on Gamivo.

The Steam community has classified The Messenger into these genres:

Retro Platformer Pixel Graphics Metroidvania Ninja 2D Great Soundtrack Indie Action 2D Platformer Singleplayer Funny Action-Adventure Difficult Time Travel Adventure Side Scroller Comedy Beautiful Epic

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at The Messenger through various videos and screenshots.

The Messenger screenshot
The Messenger screenshot
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The Messenger screenshot

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
  • OS *: Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or newer (64 bit)
  • Processor: Intel core i5-4210 1.7ghz
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 4400
  • Storage: 1200 MB available space
  • Sound Card: Onboard soundcard or better

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

April 2025
I liked this game a lot. The 1st part hit astronomically well, everything felt great and cohesive. The 2nd half was kinda weak, the backtracking was annoying, the direction was vague and annoying to navigate and just kinda fell flat for me, but it was still an overall great experience. This was another one and done game for me. I played it to death once, greatly enjoyed it, but don't plan on ever touching it again despite how great it was. I watched The Completionist's review of it years ago which inspired me to add it to my wishlist. By the time I finally bought and played this game, The Completionist's career fell apart after he was exposed for engaging in financial fraud. That was one hell of a timeskip
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Jan. 2025
Don't let the graphics fool you, this is a really well made game. It's a combination of NES Ninja Gaiden to a Metroidvania. The simple controls and skill tree is interesting. I had no problems learning and becoming a skilled ninja. Some folks might be turned off by the quirky dialogue, but it gives this game that charm. Especially the more you progress further into the game. As someone who is from the 8-Bit era, The Messenger is a welcoming addition to the modern retro style games I adore. Another great Ninja game I absolutely enjoyed this from beginning to end. The music (and the change into it) is really well done. Sabotage developer, you did good! Thumbs up for The Messenger and highly recommended. Works flawlessly on Steam Deck
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Sept. 2024
I have a deep respect for studios that have carved out their niche and become masters of their craft. Sabotage Studio is a prime example of creating a product that needs no marketing; it's the kind of game that can be sold with just a few words exchanged between friends or a recommendation on Reddit—and just like that, another copy is sold. The Messenger has many strengths, but its crowning achievement is its undeniable charm. The game never takes itself too seriously, which is evident in its bizarre conversations with the shopkeeper and a narrative that endlessly breaks the fourth wall. It brims with playful references to 8-bit games from the Sega Mega Drive era, a lightness of spirit, and a certain slyness in its setting. In many ways, The Messenger can be compared to the 2011 Oscar-winning film The Artist , which didn’t simply rehash silent film tropes but captured the era’s true spirit. Similarly, Stranger Things doesn’t exploit 80s nostalgia but lovingly recreates the mood and feel of the time. These kinds of projects don’t just imitate the originals—they’re better versions, and that’s why they resonate. Mechanically, the game strikes a delicate balance. The difficulty ramps up at just the right pace—not too fast, not too slow. There’s room for exploration, and overcoming obstacles feels rewarding. The game will appeal to casual players who might have been intimidated by the hardcore difficulty of games like Celeste , while still offering plenty to those who enjoy a challenge. All the ingredients are thoughtfully chosen, perfectly balanced, and executed with care. It’s an excellent game, one you can confidently recommend.
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Aug. 2024
Pros: -Artstyle direction is great. -Amazing OST -Fun and rewarding platforming that can get hard but never unfair -Characters aren't too story-driven but makeup with amazing humor. -8bit to 16bit gimmick is brilliant -You get a free DLC Cons: -You're still reading the review and haven't bought the game. Just go buy it, it's honestly an amazing game! 10/10
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June 2024
~ DIFFICULTY ~ 🔲 My 90-year-old grandma could play it 🔲 Easy ✅ Normal 🔲 Hard 🔲 Dark Souls 🔲 Understanding Dark Souls' story ~ GRAPHICS ~ 🔲 MS Paint 🔲 Bad 🔲 Meh 🔲 Graphics don't matter in this game 🔲 Good (nothing special) ✅ Beautiful 🔲 Masterpiece ~ MUSIC ~ 🔲 Bad 🔲 Not special 🔲 Good 🔲 Beautiful ✅ Masterpiece ~ Gameplay ~ ✅ Try not to get addicted 🔲 Very good 🔲 Good 🔲 Nothing special 🔲 Bad 🔲 very Bad ~ Audience ~ 🔲 Kids ✅ Teens ✅ Adults ~ STORY ~ 🔲 Not important in this kind of games 🔲 Bad 🔲 Text or Audio floating around ✅ Average 🔲 Good 🔲 Lovely ~ PRICE ~ 🔲 Free 🔲 Cheap ✅ Acceptable price 🔲 Could be cheaper 🔲 Overpriced 🔲 Complete waste of money ~ REQUIREMENTS ~ ✅ You can run it on a microwave 🔲 Potato pc 🔲 Average 🔲 High end 🔲 NASA computer ~ LENGTH ~ 🔲 Very Short (0 - 4 hours) 🔲 Short (4 - 10 hours) ✅ Average (10-30 hours) 🔲 Long (30-50 hours) (if you go for everything in the game) 🔲 Extremely long (50-100+ hours) 🔲 No ending ~ FUN ~ 🔲 I'd rather watch paint dry 🔲 Hard to enjoy 🔲 Repetitive 🔲 Actually pretty amusing 🔲 The kind of fun you'll remember ✅ Ride of your life ~ REPLAYABILITY ~ 🔲 It's a one-time experience ✅ Only for achievements 🔲 If you wait a few months/years 🔲 tens of times 🔲 Definitely 🔲 Infinitely repayable ~ Bugs ~ ✅ Never heard of 🔲 Minor bugs 🔲 Can get annoying 🔲 ARK: Survival Evolved 🔲 the game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ~ WORTH BUYING ~ 🔲 No 🔲 Wait for sale ✅ Yes
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More games like The Messenger

Frequently Asked Questions

The Messenger is currently priced at 19.50€ on Steam.

The Messenger is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 19.50€ on Steam.

The Messenger received 11,059 positive votes out of a total of 11,860 achieving an impressive rating of 9.07.
😍

The Messenger was developed by Sabotage and published by Devolver Digital.

The Messenger is playable and fully supported on Windows.

The Messenger is not playable on MacOS.

The Messenger is not playable on Linux.

The Messenger is a single-player game.

There are 5 DLCs available for The Messenger. Explore additional content available for The Messenger on Steam.

The Messenger does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

The Messenger supports Remote Play on TV. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.

The Messenger is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Messenger.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 09 June 2025 14:20
SteamSpy data 08 June 2025 16:24
Steam price 14 June 2025 20:40
Steam reviews 12 June 2025 13:55

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Messenger, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Messenger
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of The Messenger concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Messenger compatibility
The Messenger
19.50€ -95% 19.50€ 1.16€
9.1
11,059
801
Game modes
Features
Online players
44
Developer
Sabotage
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Release 30 Aug 2018
Platforms
Remote Play
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