Platform games

[The Boston Crab]

Platformers are one of the only 'true' gaming genres but despite loving a small number, I don't really like the genre.

Inside might count, for something very different in mood and aesthetic.

[BeardFaceMan]

Bruce Lee on the Commodore 64 has never been topped.

[nugget]

I'm another one who's never been a massive fan of platformers. I loved Braid though on PC, probably because it's more about solving puzzles than running around jumping on things.

[Kelvin]

Shovel Knight, of course. Great charachters, funny script, with elegant level design inspired by the best NES platformers, but more refined. I'm inclined to say its a bit too easy, but other than that, the game itself is excellent.

Is Megaman considered a platformer? It must be, surely. If so, the Megaman Legacy Collection features the original 6 megaman games, all of which are varying degree of very good or great. Since they get very samey by the latter games, though, I'll recommend 2 as the only one you must play.

[magval]

Guacamelee 2 has some Nails platforming sections, you're dodging, using special moves, dimension-switching, wall hugging, flinging off of switches and the like. If you're unsure, just get the first one, which was also tough and also had platforming challenges. The other halves are brawling and exploring, which are done equally well in both games (with exploring being by far the easiest half. The idea is generally you go back and explore to *find* the actual platforming challenges.)

I vastly prefer it to Hollow Knight when it comes to the platforming element in particular because of the far wider array of moves and techniques, but more importantly the fact that platforming-related deaths just set you back to the start of the challenge with no health loss. You can just keep on attempting them until you pass, in a Celeste-ial manner, rather than having to fight your way there, try X times until you actually die, then have to make your way back, fight a ghost etc.

Hollow knight is potentially a better game, overall, and certainly very different in tone, but Guacamelee(s) is(are) easily the better platformer(s).

Guacamelee and The Last Of Us are the only two games of the last ten years that I think about nearly every day. It's a fantastic bastard fucker, and the platforming (particularly top of the tree for those who've played it) is unforgettable.

[Hecate]

Megaman

You played 20XX, Kelvin? It's really good - https://store.steampowered.com/app/322110/20XX/

[the]

The Shinobi games are great ninja platformers.

The arcade original Shinobi is fab (and eventually managed to one-credit it a while back).

Revenge of Shinobi and spin-off Shadow Dancer are great on the Mega Drive. Been playing a lot of SD recently. You get to set your dog on people.

Shinobi III is revered too, though I've yet to get into that one.

[Kelvin]

You played 20XX, Kelvin? It's really good - https://store.steampowered.com/app/322110/20XX/

No, but I'll look into it, thanks.

[Jet Set Willy]

Confession time; I rarely manage to reach the second screen on both Jet Set Willy and Donkey Kong.  I am bad at the bleep bloops.

Dude.

[St_Eddie]

Revenge of Shinobi...

Renege of Shinobi is a great game but there's a jump in the dock level, which requires the special jump power, in order to clear a particular jump (correct me if I'm wrong), which just seems like poor level design and the labyrinth at the end is terrible.  Aside from that, it's bloody brilliant.

Dude.

Well, you shouldn't be so darn tricky, mate.

[madhair60]

Embarrassing thread full of wrong opinions. "Avoid Spyro 1". Yeah, alright, I'll avoid the only good, pure one before they poisoned it with utter drivel like "do some hockey" or "go on a skateboard".

[the]

Renege of Shinobi is a great game but there's a jump in the dock level, which requires the special jump power, in order to clear a particular jump (correct me if I'm wrong), which just seems like poor level design and the labyrinth at the end is terrible.  Aside from that, it's bloody brilliant.

Is there a long gap that requires you to do the double-jump? I can't remember, but if there is and you've got that far without being able to perform it, that's your hard cheese.

I agree about the labyrinth though. Luckily C+VG and Mean Machines both printed a guide when it was still on import.

...

Pac-Land is another game that requires you to work out how to do a floating jump (repeatedly tap forward while in mid-air), otherwise you won't get past the springboard bits.

Pac-Land is a great early arcade platformer if you want a bit of purity. It was a bit of a trailblazer, I think Super Mario Bros owes a bit to the visual aesthetic and feel of Pac-Land.

It's so ridiculously cheery too.

[Kelvin]

The original Turok is a top tier platformer, of course.

[BeardFaceMan]

Bubble Bobble, thats a platformer, right? Yeah, Bubble Bobble. Got to level 74 in an arcade in Porthcawl once, I think that was the first time in my life that I smiled.

[Lemming]

Woke up earlier with a thought suddenly entering my head: BLINX THE TIME SWEEPER.

I haven't played it in so long that I can't say for sure whether it's any good, but I really liked it when it came out.

[the]

Bubble Bobble, thats a platformer, right? Yeah, Bubble Bobble.

Single-screen platformer as opposed to a scroller, but yes. Quite possibly my favourite game of all time.

It has a hundred times more depth and strategy to it than appears on the surface. A masterpiece of design.

Got to level 74 in an arcade in Porthcawl once, I think that was the first time in my life that I smiled.

Good stuff, that's about my best one-credit showing as well (on MAME), though that was using the warp that appears if you can get to level 50 without dying. Without that, I think level 67ish. About 3.1 million was my top score, haven't been at that level for a few years though.

[bgmnts]

Woke up earlier with a thought suddenly entering my head: BLINX THE TIME SWEEPER.

I haven't played it in so long that I can't say for sure whether it's any good, but I really liked it when it came out.

I enjoyed it when it came out.

[Hecate]

Renege of Shinobi

Followed by the acclaimed sequel Small Claims Court Appeal of Shinobi

[St_Eddie]

Embarrassing thread full of wrong opinions. "Avoid Spyro 1". Yeah, alright, I'll avoid the only good, pure one before they poisoned it with utter drivel like "do some hockey" or "go on a skateboard".

I agree with this.  I too love the purity of the first Spyro game.

Is there a long gap that requires you to do the double-jump? I can't remember, but if there is and you've got that far without being able to perform it, that's your hard cheese.

No, no.  What I'm saying is that there's a jump which requires the use of the 'increased speed' special power.  If you've used one of your special powers previous to reaching that point, then you're only option is to kill yourself and start the level over and you wouldn't even know that you'd need the 'increased speed' power until you reach the jump in question.  Like I said, poor game design.

The original Turok is a top tier platformer, of course.

Heh.  That does remind me though; Jumping Flash! for the PSOne is one of the few decent first person platformers.  They nailed the design on that; your view automatically tilts downwards once you've jumped and you use your shadow as a means of judging where you'll land.  Your robotic rabbit character also jumps very high into the air (as is a robotic rabbit's wont to do), giving you plenty of time to align yourself.

[Consignia]

Steamworld Dig 2, hasn't been mentioned yet, right? Because I'd say that for sure. One of my fave's of the last year.

[the]

No, no.  What I'm saying is that there's a jump which requires the use of the 'increased speed' special power.  If you've used one of your special powers previous to reaching that point, then you're only option is to kill yourself and start the level over and you wouldn't even know that you'd need the 'increased speed' power until you reach the jump in question.  Like I said, poor game design.

That would be this jump then.

It is a bit heartless, but I don't think it's poor design. I can think of plenty of games that present you with a 'how the bloody hell do you get past this without dying?' moment, until you work it out.

And it is a tough game (especially if you don't chicken out and use the infinite shurikens cheat, which to my shame I used to).

[Kelvin]

Steamworld Dig 2, hasn't been mentioned yet, right? Because I'd say that for sure. One of my fave's of the last year.

Is that a platformer? There's not much actual precision platforming involved, and if that's a platformer, then so are all the metroid games. Even the first person Prime games contain competent platforming sections. And of course Super Metroid and Prime 1 are both brilliant.

I agree that Steamworld Dig 2 is really good, though. It's possibly the best game I've played so far this year.

[Consignia]

I don't really know about if it's strictly a platformer, but it has jumping and platforms to land on. I'm not too bothered by the consensus of the classification, but I think if you 2D Mario games, you'll like Steamworld Dig 2 as well.

For what it's worth, I personally think Metroid games are platformers.

[Kelvin]

Yeah, sorry. I didnt mean to come across like a pedantic git.

[Bhazor]

Endless runners are always shit. Unless it's Fotonica. Which is the shit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abxd5d0MEM0

[Consignia]

Yeah, sorry. I didnt mean to come across like a pedantic git.

Sorry from my part, I wasn't trying to say anything other "play Streamworld Dig 2 everyone, it's awesome". Apologies if it came across as curt.

[madhair60]

Of course it's a platformer.

[Kelvin]

Of course it's a platformer.

Do you remember when you described Super Mario World as 'a bin full of bubbling cum', and 'like getting stung on the anus'?

You don't get to comment on platformers ever again.

[Bhazor]

Your mum is a platformer.

[Consignia]

Is a bin full of bubbling cum a bad thing? Sign of virility, I guess.