News
Sabotage Studio Announces The Messenger
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC (JANUARY 4, in the year of our Lord 2018)
- Sabotage Studio, an indie studio that specializes in combining
retro aesthetics and modern game design, today announced that
The Messenger, a new action platformer with generation-leaping
visuals, will be available for Windows PC and console later this
year. First presented as an 8-bit action platformer, this epic
ninja tale takes the hero forward in time, supported visually by
a shift to 16-bit, where the adventure and gameplay mechanics
become much deeper than players would expect.
In The Messenger, you play as a young ninja tasked with carrying
a powerful scroll, upon which his clan’s survival depends,
through his cursed world. As he battles the demon army that
besieged his village, what appeared to be a simple homage story
and love letter to 8-bit platformers, slowly develops into a
clever time traveling tale, revealing itself as a 16-bit
Metroidvania game packed with deep replay value and deadpan
humor. Do you have what it takes to decipher the secrets of The
Messenger?
The Messenger is designed and developed by a talented team of
industry veterans with a love for classically-inspired arcade
games and gaming experiences optimized for streaming and
speedrunning communities. The Messenger has also already
received industry recognition among the indie game community
having recently won the Best Music Award and Best Gameplay
Design Award at the Montreal Independent Games Festival in
November 2017.
“The Messenger is Sabotage’s first game and a love letter to the
beloved retro-console games from the late 80s and early 90s,”
said Martin Brouard, Co-Founder of Sabotage Studio. “The early
feedback we received at the Montreal Independent Games Festival
and the Montreal International Game Summit has been
overwhelmingly positive. Now we can’t wait for the rest of the
world to experience The Messenger later this year!”
“I’ve wanted to make a game like The Messenger since I was eight
years old,” said Thierry Boulanger, Co-Founder of Sabotage
Studio. “Together at Sabotage we set out to make the kind of
game that inspired us to get into the industry in the first
place, with an over the top story, arcade-style challenges and
visually striking pixel art. The Messenger is that game, and
we’re thrilled to finally announce and share it with a
like-minded audience that loves new games inspired by
generations of classic video game greatness.”
Key Features Include:
• The Way of the Ninja: Challenging retro-inspired gameplay with
tight platforming controls put players on the path of becoming
an ultimate ninja master.
• Nostalgic Art Design: Travel seamlessly through time with
shifts between authentic 8-bit and 16-bit pixel art environments
and gameplay reminiscent of fan-favorite NES and SNES games.
• Colorful, Over-the-Top Characters: The Messenger features a
memorable cast of (often silly) villains, bosses and low-level
goons.
• Catchy Soundtrack: Renowned musician and audio wizard Eric
“Rainbowdragoneyes” Brown is responsible for all of The
Messenger’s audio, most importantly its trademark chiptune
soundtrack. The entire soundtrack was made using Famitracker,
providing an authentic and timeless NES vibe.
• Play, Play and Play Again: Replay the game with all upgrades
from previous runs to discover hidden levels and new story arcs.
No word on a physical copy version of this game on this system at this time.
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