Canadian indie developer Sabotage Studio has announced The Messenger, a new ninja-themed platform game coming in 2018. It’s the debut for this Quebec-based company.

The Messenger is a “Metroidvania,” or a cross of Metroid and Castlevania that emphasizes side-scrolling nonlinear play with a mix of role-playing game elements. It also features an interesting twist: Midway through, the hero moves forward in time, and the art style switches to 16-bit graphics, where the gameplay becomes deeper. That gives the game an interesting take in the increasingly popular and crowded retro sector.

The studio started in April 2016, and it is also working on another game for a different publisher. But the details of that project haven’t been disclosed. The Messenger is for PC and the consoles, and the release is targeted for sometime in 2018. The studio has funding from the Canada Media Fund, which provides government money for entertainment startups.

I met with Sabotage founders Martin Brouard and Thierry Boulanger at the recent MIGS 2017 event in Montreal. I saw how it combined retro aesthetics and modern game design. Like other Metroidvanias, it emphasizes replayability so you can find hidden objects and new stories and levels the second time around.

“You go into time travel, and the analogy is like the shift from the NES [Nintendo Entertainment System] to the SNES [Super Nintendo Entertainment System],” Brouard said in an interview. “You go back and try to find the true ending.”

In The Messenger, you play as a young ninja tasked with carrying a powerful scroll, which his clan’s survival depends on. He lives on an island where villagers train to be ninjas to deal with periodic demon invasions. He crosses through a cursed island world and battles the demon army that attacks his village. It has some deadpan humor, like you can see in the video, where a tall robed enemy descends from above, only to be revealed as a very short boss with a long robe. Over time, you pick up modern gameplay mechanics like a grappling hook and a wing suit.

“We’re not trying to please anyone, but we’re targeting people who have real fond memories of retro games with tight controls,” Brouard said.

The 12-person development team has a lot of experience as well as a love for classically inspired arcade games. The game has aspects that are geared toward the streaming and speedrunning communities, with a focus on moment-to-moment gameplay. The Messenger has also already received some industry recognition, as it won the Best Music Award and Best Gameplay Design Award at the Montreal Independent Games Festival in November 2017. Brouard and Boulanger have worked together for 10 years at places such as Frima. They were inspired by games like Ninja Gaiden from the NES era.

“We like to think of ourselves as a punk studio,” said Boulanger, in an interview with GamesBeat.

Image Credit: Sabotage Studio

“I’ve wanted to make a game like The Messenger since I was eight years old,” said Boulanger. “It’s a retro aesthetic. It looks like the games we used to play. But it has modern design.”

The developers are focusing on tight platforming controls, nostalgic art reminiscent of NES and SNES games, colorful over-the-top characters, silly villains, and a catchy soundtrack by musician Eric “Rainbowdragoneyes” Brown.

Disclosure: The organizers of MIGS 2017 paid my way to Montreal. Our coverage remains objective.