Platformer games have been a staple of the video game industry for decades, capturing the hearts of players with their precise controls, imaginative levels, and satisfying mechanics. These games challenge players to navigate tricky terrain, jump between platforms, and overcome various obstacles and enemies to reach the end goal. However, within the platformer genre, there’s an incredible diversity of styles, each offering its own flavor of gameplay. Let’s explore the different styles of platformer games and what makes each unique.
Classic Platformers
Defining Traits: Simple mechanics, straightforward level progression, and nostalgic charm
Popular Titles: Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man
Classic platformers are the originators of the genre, dating back to the 1980s and early 90s. These games typically focus on simple mechanics: running, jumping, and avoiding or defeating enemies. Levels are designed to challenge the player’s reflexes and platforming precision while keeping the experience approachable.
Super Mario Bros. is the quintessential classic platformer, with its tight controls, charming design, and iconic level layouts. Meanwhile, Sonic the Hedgehog emphasized speed and momentum, encouraging players to zip through stages as quickly as possible. These games laid the foundation for everything that came after.
Why Play Them?: If you love pure, straightforward platforming action with a nostalgic vibe, classic platformers are timeless.
Puzzle Platformers
Defining Traits: Emphasis on puzzles, environmental interaction, and creative problem-solving
Popular Titles: Limbo, Inside, Braid
Puzzle platformers blend traditional platforming mechanics with brain-teasing puzzles that require players to think outside the box. Instead of just focusing on jumping and dodging, these games challenge players to manipulate the environment, solve intricate puzzles, and often experiment with unique mechanics to progress.
Braid introduced players to time manipulation mechanics, while Limbo and Inside used haunting atmospheres and physics-based puzzles to create a sense of tension and immersion. These games are often slower-paced, prioritizing creative solutions over twitch reflexes.
Why Play Them?: If you enjoy thinking your way through levels and uncovering clever solutions, puzzle platformers will test your wits and creativity.
Action Platformers
Defining Traits: Fast-paced gameplay, combat elements, and adrenaline-pumping action
Popular Titles: Celeste, Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight
Action platformers take the basic elements of platforming and mix them with intense combat and challenging obstacles. These games often feature tight controls, precise jumping mechanics, and enemies that require skillful maneuvering to defeat. They may also include complex movement abilities like dashes, wall jumps, or grappling hooks, adding layers of depth to traversal.
Celeste is known for its tight controls and challenging levels that require precision and quick thinking, while Hollow Knight combines platforming with Metroidvania exploration and intense combat. Shovel Knight pays homage to the retro era while introducing modern gameplay refinements.
Why Play Them?: If you’re a fan of fast reflexes, precise controls, and overcoming difficult challenges, action platformers offer a rewarding experience.
Metroidvania Platformers
Defining Traits: Non-linear exploration, interconnected maps, and power-ups that unlock new areas
Popular Titles: Super Metroid, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Ori and the Blind Forest
Metroidvania games are named after the iconic Metroid and Castlevania series, which popularized this subgenre. These platformers focus on non-linear exploration, where players traverse interconnected worlds filled with secrets, collectibles, and power-ups. As players progress, they acquire new abilities that unlock previously inaccessible areas, encouraging backtracking and exploration.
Ori and the Blind Forest is a beautiful example of this style, combining fluid platforming with a heartwarming story. Hollow Knight, with its expansive world and challenging bosses, is another modern classic that has kept the Metroidvania genre thriving.
Why Play Them?: If you love exploration, finding hidden secrets, and the satisfaction of unlocking new abilities, Metroidvania games offer endless discovery.
3D Platformers
Defining Traits: Open-ended levels, free-roaming exploration, and dynamic camera angles
Popular Titles: Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Ratchet & Clank
While most classic platformers were 2D, the late 90s saw the rise of 3D platformers with the advent of more powerful hardware. These games brought platforming into a fully 3D space, allowing players to explore open levels from multiple angles and perspectives. The focus is often on collecting items, solving puzzles, and exploring vibrant worlds.
Super Mario 64 revolutionized the genre with its open-ended levels and fluid controls, setting the standard for 3D platformers. Banjo-Kazooie took the formula further by adding character abilities and collectibles that rewarded exploration. Modern titles like Ratchet & Clank combine platforming with action and storytelling, creating a hybrid experience.
Why Play Them?: If you love exploring large, colorful worlds and solving platforming challenges from new angles, 3D platformers offer a fun and immersive experience.
Roguelike Platformers
Defining Traits: Procedural generation, permadeath, and high replayability
Popular Titles: Spelunky, Dead Cells, Rogue Legacy
Roguelike platformers combine platforming mechanics with the randomness and difficulty of roguelike games. Levels are procedurally generated, meaning no two playthroughs are the same. These games also often include permadeath, where dying means starting over from scratch. However, players may retain certain upgrades or abilities, adding a sense of progression over multiple runs.
Spelunky is a classic in this genre, blending platforming with exploration and unpredictable hazards. Dead Cells offers fast-paced action with roguelike progression, while Rogue Legacy lets you pass down abilities to your next character, adding a unique twist to the genre.
Why Play Them?: If you love challenging yourself, testing your skills, and enjoying high replayability, roguelike platformers provide endless surprises.
Cinematic Platformers
Defining Traits: Realistic animations, storytelling focus, and slower-paced gameplay
Popular Titles: Prince of Persia, Another World (Out of This World), Inside
Cinematic platformers focus on storytelling, atmosphere, and realistic animations. These games are often more narrative-driven and emphasize environmental storytelling over fast-paced action. The gameplay is typically slower and more deliberate, focusing on precision and timing to navigate through puzzles and challenges.
Prince of Persia was one of the first games to introduce realistic character animations and fluid movement. Inside and Another World use minimalist storytelling techniques, immersing players in eerie, atmospheric worlds that unfold gradually as you play.
Why Play Them?: If you’re drawn to atmospheric storytelling, fluid animations, and cinematic experiences, these games offer a uniquely immersive journey.
The Future of Platformers: What’s Next?
As technology continues to advance, platformers are evolving in exciting new directions. Indie developers, in particular, have embraced the genre, pushing its boundaries with innovative mechanics and unique art styles. Games like Celeste and Hollow Knight have shown that there’s still plenty of room for creativity within the platformer space.
Looking ahead, we may see more platformers integrating VR, augmented reality, or even AI-driven elements, creating experiences that are more immersive than ever before. Whether it’s through hybrid genres, new control mechanics, or innovative storytelling, the platformer genre continues to evolve, keeping players jumping, running, and exploring for years to come.