After what seems like an endless number of false starts and delays, Shiny’s Messiah finally made it onto the shelves early in the 21st century. Fitting, as the action is actually set in the very same time period.

Messiah is an unusual premise, and no mistake. What could be loosely described as an action/adventure title, features no bulging bicep-festooned tough guy, nor an unfeasibly proportioned buxotic bimbo as it’s main character. Our hero, or anti-hero depending on your outlook, is a ... more >>

After what seems like an endless number of false starts and delays, Shiny’s Messiah finally made it onto the shelves early in the 21st century. Fitting, as the action is actually set in the very same time period.

Messiah is an unusual premise, and no mistake. What could be loosely described as an action/adventure title, features no bulging bicep-festooned tough guy, nor an unfeasibly proportioned buxotic bimbo as it’s main character. Our hero, or anti-hero depending on your outlook, is a cherubic child, complete with kiss-curl and wings as white as fresh snow. Do not however be fooled by this kid’s innocuous appearance. Bob, for this is the name by which he is known, has been sent down to Earth to sort out the wheat from the chaff, the good, the bad and the ugly, to coin a couple of phrases. Bob’s sole weapon is his ability to inhabit the body of any living thing he comes across, be it human or animal form. Like I said before, unusual is the word. With your help, Bob can then use their bodies, their weapons, or even their bare hands to strangle, cripple, impale, and incinerate the cities of sinners sent to stop you from finding Satan himself.

What you can expect from Messiah are superlative graphics and compulsive gameplay. Shiny didn’t spend so many years working on this title just to bring us indistinct visuals and ‘action slacks’, and it shows. Faktur City, the godforsaken place which Bob is charged with cleaning up, is an arresting sight in itself, and the action and puzzle-solving will have you engrossed for hours.
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