Due in large part to its ninja-like protagonist and retro art style, the upcoming The Messenger from Devolver Digital has often been seen as a spiritual successor to the beloved Ninja Gaiden series, and now the actual creators of its main inspiration got their hands on the game for themselves.

Ahead of the game's release later this week, publisher Devolver Digital has released a new video for The Messenger not only showcasing some new gameplay, but gameplay from the hands of Ninja Gaiden director/producer Hideo Yoshizawa and composer Keiji Yamagishi.

The video, which was taken during BitSummit 2018, highlights Yoshizawa and Yamagashi as they got their chance to play The Messenger, with the creators giving their own thoughts on how the game has lovingly taken elements from their influential Ninja Gaiden titles and built its own unique experience on top of that.

The Messenger will release for Nintendo Switch and PC on August 30th, 2018. For a closer look at the game ahead of its release later this week, you can check out the new video below featuring Yoshizawa and Yamagashi playing the title below. You can also read our recent hands-on impressions of the game from PAX East here.