Games like The Messenger
If The Messenger is your kind of game, the closest matches are Cyber Shadow, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound and Katana ZERO — picked from the ranked list below. Each pick is ranked by what players of this game also play, shared genres and tags, and review-mined similarity — not a generic popularity list.
Get personalized picks →The Messenger is a 2018 action indie title from Sabotage, published by Devolver Digital, available on Steam for $19.99 and verified for Steam Deck play. The game casts players as a young ninja delivering a crucial scroll through a cursed world as a demon army closes in on his village. What begins as a straightforward 2D platformer gradually evolves into a metroidvania-style exploration game with time-travel mechanics that span two visually distinct eras. Reviewers highlight the clever way the narrative unfolds through the game's mechanics, and players describe the tonal shift between its pixel-art periods as one of its most memorable qualities. The game runs approximately medium length and offers a challenging solo experience with a well-regarded soundtrack. It holds a 92% positive rating from over 4,600 Steam reviews.
About The Messenger: 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.
Players who liked The Messenger also play
Steam players who put hours into The Messenger also tend to own these titles — a signal called collaborative filtering. imho.run cross-references millions of library ownership patterns to surface games whose real audiences overlap, regardless of whether their genre tags match.
Cyber Shadow
WHY THIS
Top pick for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
The world has been taken over by synthetic lifeforms. A desperate plea for help sets Shadow, the sole survivor of his clan, on one last mission to uncover what started the path to perpetual ruin.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound
WHY THIS
Second-strongest match for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
A brand-new side-scrolling entry to the NINJA GAIDEN series from the team behind Blasphemous, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound redefines the classic platformer saga in a spectacular, thrilling and challenging ninja adventure.
Katana ZERO
WHY THIS
Third-strongest match for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
Rusted Moss
WHY THIS
Ranked #4 for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Rusted Moss is a twin-stick shooter metroidvania where you sling around the map with your grapple, blasting your way through witches and rusted machine monstrosities alike. This wasteland once harboring mankind has since fallen, and Fae long forgotten now knock on humanity's door...
La-Mulana 2
WHY THIS
Ranked #5 for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
The long-awaited sequel to La-Mulana, La-Mulana 2 follows Lumisa Kosugi as she explores the ancient ruins of La-Mulana. Desperate to find the cause of the recent slew of monsters appearing from the ruins, Lumisa discovers the "other" La-Mulana: the ruins known as Eg-Lana.
Horace
WHY THIS
Ranked #6 for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
"The best platformer of 2019."Horace is a huge platforming adventure which pushes the boundaries of the genre with a profound story of a small robot learning of life, the universe and Douglas Adams. Made by videogame lovers for videogame lovers!
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight
WHY THIS
Ranked #7 for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight is the fourth installment in the beloved Momodora series of 2D platformers. Unleash ravaging combos against a variety of formidable monsters and deftly dodge your way through a cursed land to seek audience with the Queen and dispel the evil that threatens all life.
Blasphemous
WHY THIS
Ranked #8 for The Messenger fans by collaborative filtering across millions of Steam libraries. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Blasphemous is a brutal action-platformer with skilled hack’n slash combat set in the nightmare world of Cvstodia. Explore, upgrade your abilities, and perform savage executions on the hordes of enemies that stand between you and your quest to break eternal damnation.
Reviewers mention these as similar to The Messenger
Surfaced from review text: when other players write 'if you liked X, try Y', we catch the name and resolve it back to a Steam game.
Rogue Legacy
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Rogue Legacy is a genealogical rogue-"LITE" where anyone can be a hero. Each time you die, your child will succeed you. Every child is unique. One child might be colorblind, another might be a dwarf with vertigo. But that's OK, because no one is perfect, and you don't have to be to succeed.
Guacamelee! Gold Edition
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Guacamelee! is a Metroidvania-style action-platformer set in a magical Mexican-inspired world. The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore, and features many interesting and unique characters.
California Games (C64/DOS/Atari/Lynx/NES/SMS/Genesis)
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play.
Ask anyone who considered themselves a true gamer in 1987 and the chances are they will fondly remember California Games. Now on Steam for the very first time, you too can enjoy six radical and awesome events: the half-pipe, roller skating, surfing, BMX, footbag and the flying disc.
SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis Classics
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with The Messenger.
SEGA’s collection of Mega Drive & Genesis Classics comes to a new generation, now updated with even more features: online multiplayer, achievements, mirror mode, rewind, save states, VR and more! Over 50 classic games in one great package. Get into the classics!
Metroidvania Maker
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Create, play, and share custom Metroidvania worlds with a built-in world editor, co-op play, and player-made adventures.
NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action with The Messenger.
Using Unreal Engine 5 to significantly enhance graphic expression, this is the definitive version of "NINJA GAIDEN 2," featuring additional playable characters and enhanced battle support functions.
Nine Sols
WHY THIS
Reviewers of The Messenger cross-mention this title as a similar play. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Nine Sols is a lore rich, hand-drawn 2D action-platformer featuring Sekiro-inspired deflection focused combat. Embark on a journey of eastern fantasy, explore the land once home to an ancient alien race, and follow a vengeful hero’s quest to slay the 9 Sols, formidable rulers of this forsaken realm.
Cheaper alternatives
Games in the same vein priced at least 40% below The Messenger at current Steam store prices.
Garry's Mod
WHY THIS
Priced ~75% under The Messenger on Steam right now. Shares Indie with The Messenger.
Garry's Mod is a physics sandbox. There aren't any predefined aims or goals. We give you the tools and leave you to play.
Lethal Company
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under The Messenger on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
A co-op horror about scavenging at abandoned moons to sell scrap to the Company.
Left 4 Dead 2
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under The Messenger on Steam right now. Shares Action with The Messenger.
Set in the zombie apocalypse, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-operative action horror FPS takes you and your friends through the cities, swamps and cemeteries of the Deep South, from Savannah to New Orleans across five expansive campaigns.
People Playground
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under The Messenger on Steam right now. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Shoot, stab, burn, poison, tear, vaporise, or crush ragdolls in a large open space.
Fallout: New Vegas
WHY THIS
Priced ~50% under The Messenger on Steam right now. Shares Action with The Messenger.
Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas. Enjoy your stay!
Free alternatives
Free-to-play games that recommended players of this title also tend to enjoy.
Doki Doki Literature Club!
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Messenger.
The Literature Club is full of cute girls! Will you write the way into their heart? This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Life is Strange - Episode 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action with The Messenger.
Episode 1 now FREE! Life is Strange is an award-winning and critically acclaimed episodic adventure game that allows the player to rewind time and affect the past, present and future.
Ultimate Custom Night
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Welcome to the ultimate FNAF mashup, featuring 50 selectable characters and custom difficulties!
Bongo Cat
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Messenger.
Bongo cat needs your help. Bongo cat needz more hatz!!! Every time you press a key, Bongo cat will punch your taskbar. Type, click, play, work to collect more points. Which hats will you find?
ENA: Dream BBQ
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Messenger.
Experience surreal environments and inexplicable characters as ENA in a new wild world.
The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Indie with The Messenger.
Sonic the Hedgehog...was murdered!? Get to the bottom of the mystery in this brand-new adventure!
Indigo Park: Chapter 1
WHY THIS
Free-to-play pick from the same recommendation pool — no purchase to try it. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Explore the abandoned childhood wonder of Indigo Park! Guided by Rambley the Raccoon, help restore power to the destroyed amusement park while you run from the reason it shut down.
Narrow it down
Head-to-head comparisons
Plays great on Steam Deck
Valve-Verified or Playable picks from the similar pool — ready to go on Deck out of the box.
Cyber Shadow
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
The world has been taken over by synthetic lifeforms. A desperate plea for help sets Shadow, the sole survivor of his clan, on one last mission to uncover what started the path to perpetual ruin.
NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
A brand-new side-scrolling entry to the NINJA GAIDEN series from the team behind Blasphemous, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound redefines the classic platformer saga in a spectacular, thrilling and challenging ninja adventure.
Katana ZERO
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Katana ZERO is a stylish neo-noir, action-platformer featuring breakneck action and instant-death combat. Slash, dash, and manipulate time to unravel your past in a beautifully brutal acrobatic display.
La-Mulana 2
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
The long-awaited sequel to La-Mulana, La-Mulana 2 follows Lumisa Kosugi as she explores the ancient ruins of La-Mulana. Desperate to find the cause of the recent slew of monsters appearing from the ruins, Lumisa discovers the "other" La-Mulana: the ruins known as Eg-Lana.
Horace
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
"The best platformer of 2019."Horace is a huge platforming adventure which pushes the boundaries of the genre with a profound story of a small robot learning of life, the universe and Douglas Adams. Made by videogame lovers for videogame lovers!
Blasphemous
WHY THIS
Deck Verified — runs on Steam Deck out of the box. Shares Action and Indie with The Messenger.
Blasphemous is a brutal action-platformer with skilled hack’n slash combat set in the nightmare world of Cvstodia. Explore, upgrade your abilities, and perform savage executions on the hordes of enemies that stand between you and your quest to break eternal damnation.
Frequently asked about The Messenger
- Is The Messenger verified for Steam Deck?
- Yes — The Messenger is Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve has confirmed it runs well on the Deck with full controller, text legibility, and default configuration support.
- How much does The Messenger cost?
- The Messenger is listed on Steam at 19.99 USD (current store price; Steam sales may reduce this temporarily).
- What games are most similar to The Messenger?
- Based on Steam play patterns and shared genres/tags, the games most often recommended alongside The Messenger are Cyber Shadow, NINJA GAIDEN: Ragebound, Katana ZERO.
- Who developed The Messenger?
- The Messenger was developed by Sabotage and published by Devolver Digital.
imho.run ranks Steam game alternatives using a mix of collaborative filtering (ALS / iALS / EASE / LightGCN), content scoring over genres, categories, Steam tags, developers, and publishers, plus AI-extracted vibes mined from review text. The page above is generated in seed mode anchored on The Messenger.
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