The Messenger is the game I walked away from PAX East this year swooning over. The NES-style platformer takes clear inspiration from Ninja Gaiden. Thierry Boulanger, the lead programmer and designer, has been upfront about that from the start, but The Messenger is a hell of a lot more than a simple tribute to a great NES title.
While our protagonist may have a lot in common visually with Ryu Hayabusa, his adventure is decidedly more complicated, and his skill set far larger. Along with that the fantastic soundtrack and quirky writing do wonders to differentiate The Messenger from its inspiration.
Source: Destructoid Preview: The Messenger