The Messenger: PS4 and PS5 Platinum Trophy Guide

PS4 / PS5

The first half of The Messenger teaches you the Cloudstep; the second opens up the map and asks you to use it in both eras. Learn the bosses and collect the seals on your first playthrough. Save the deathless attempt for a run where you know the rooms leading to the Queen of Quills.

PS4 launched March 19, 2019; native PS5 followed January 23, 2025. Picnic Panic adds two separate trophies.

Base list: 41 trophies including Platinum; 2 more from Picnic Panic.
Collectibles: 45 Power Seals in the base game.
Deathless route: From the beginning through Queen of Quills; not the whole story.

Get comfortable with Cloudstep and the intro

Get through the intro without jumping into the water. Then use early enemies and projectiles to get the Cloudstep rhythm: strike in the air, wait until the extra jump is available and use it where you need height. If you are rehearsing for the deathless attempt, practice with the same upgrades you plan to use there.

Check for Enter The Ninja after the intro and note the riskiest jumps.

Collect seals by map and era

Once time travel opens up backtracking, sweep one region at a time. If a seal room is inaccessible in the 8-bit version, try the nearest route into the other era. Clear the room challenge and destroy the seal; visiting the room or dying before striking it does not count.

Compare your recorded seals against the total of 45 before ending the cleanup.

Cross Dark Cave before taking the candle

Do not hand the Astral Tea Leaves to the village elder before this trophy; that awards the candle called Power of True Sight. Reach Dark Cave from Catacombs and cross without the item. Use a room-by-room route as a reference and pause at screen transitions to orient yourself before the next jump.

Verify that the candle is not in your inventory before entering.

Finish shop purchases and dialogue

Keep track of the shopkeeper conversations on happiness, stories and the inner child. Recheck the dialogue options as you progress in addition to buying upgrades. Once you have the last seal, return to the shop chest to try the Windmill Shuriken and keep a single throw moving for the trophy’s required duration.

Check the remaining purchases, including Swim Dash if you have not unlocked it.

Start a fresh deathless run to Queen of Quills

The count starts at the beginning and ends when you beat Queen of Quills. Use New Game Plus if you want the benefits from a completed run, then ignore the seal detours. Learn which openings are safe for an attack and which are better spent dodging: one death invalidates the attempt.

Stop after Queen of Quills and check that No Argument Here unlocked.

Trophies to watch

Walking On Air

Execute 15 Cloudsteps without landing or clinging to a wall

Use a stretch with repeat targets, without touching the floor or clinging to a wall between jumps.

I Swear It's My First Time

Make it through Dark Cave without the 'Power of True Sight'

Cross Dark Cave before giving the tea leaves to the elder.

Wheelin' And Sealin'

Destroy all Power Seals

Finish one region at a time and revisit rooms accessible in the other era.

No Argument Here

Make it from the beginning of the game to beating the Queen of Quills with zero deaths

Make a fresh attempt without detours, from the intro through Queen of Quills.

Frequently asked questions

Is Picnic Panic mandatory?

No. Its two trophies count toward the overall 100%, but not the Platinum. All 45 Power Seals belong to the base game.

Must I finish the entire story without dying?

No. No Argument Here is checked when you beat Queen of Quills, but it includes the intro and everything before the fight.

Does the PS5 route change the requirements?

The linked native PS4 and PS5 sets have the same requirements. Track unlocks on the version you are playing.

Sources

Trophy lists

Buying the game

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Open the interactive guide