Learn About Platform Game: 7 Examples of Platform Games

A platform game, commonly referred to as a “platformer,” is a style of video game where the player makes a character move through an environment with a series of action-based moves, like running, jumping, or swinging from ropes. Platform games originated in the early 1980s, with characters performing actions on a single screen and moving onto a new screen once they completed the level. Later in the decade, scrolling movement allowed a character to continue moving through an environment with the rest of the setting appearing on the screen as they move vertically or horizontally.

The name “platform” game refers to the series of platforms that a character can run and jump onto in many of these games. In a platform game, the player’s avatar may need to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, avoid obstacles, gather coins, reach a destination, and/or complete other level objectives. Platformers are often considered a subgenre of action games, but many of its elements can appear in other genres like adventure, strategy, and puzzlers.

Platform games involve a character moving through an environment to accomplish an objective, garner a high score, or simply make it through alive. Since this genre of game has evolved considerably over the years, many of these games may look different. However, platform games generally share the following features.

1. 1. Interactive environment: A game’s environment design or level design determines a lot about what a character can do. Specifically, platform games are designed to challenge the player as their character progresses through a game with intricate obstacles like spiked platforms, fatal pitfalls, or canyons filled with fire.
2. 2. Third-person perspective. Many platform video games are designed in the third-person perspective, which means the player can see the character they’re controlling on the screen in front of them. First-person games, however, are played from the character’s direct point of view. In recent years, more games have experimented with first-person perspective to create a more immersive experience.
3. 3. Vertical and horizontal movement. Most platformers are two-dimensional side-scrollers, meaning that the player sees a side view of their character as the screen moves with them horizontally or vertically. Newer platform games expanded to three dimensional perspective, allowing for more dynamic movement and exploration.
4. 4. Controlled jumping. One of the main features of a platformer game is that the player controls the character’s ability to jump. Jumping is often necessary in these games to maneuver through the environment and move on to the next level.

There are a number of different styles of platform games for a variety of consoles, ranging from the retro to the modern. Here are a few examples of popular platform games.

1. 1. Castlevania: Castlevania was one of the first major platforming games for the Nintendo console (referred to as the NES). This 2D platformer follows a vampire hunter as he searches for vampires in Dracula’s castle. It is divided into 18 stages, where the character must complete each level before running out of health to make it to the end and face off against the final boss.
2. 2. Crash Bandicoot: This 3D platforming game features a bandicoot (a large marsupial) named Crash as he traverses different landscapes to reach the final level and defeat the mad scientist bent on world domination.
3. 3. Donkey Kong: Donkey Kong originally began as an arcade game before moving to game consoles. In the game, the Mario character tries to scale an obstacle-laden ladder and save Princess Peach, while the ape Donkey Kong drops barrels on him from above. It was the first platform game to incorporate jumping.
4. 4. Mega Man: Mega Man is another popular franchise known for its platforming style and challenging level design. The game follows a half-robot half-man character named Megaman as he defends the world from an evil robotic scientist. This science fiction game series was created by Capcom.
5. 5. Mirror’s Edge: Mirror’s Edge is a 3D platformer that provides the player with a first-person perspective, allowing them to see through the eyes of the character as they maneuver their way through dizzying heights and challenging obstacles.
6. 6. Sonic the Hedgehog: Players in this franchise game (originally launched by SEGA) control a lightning-fast blue hedgehog named Sonic. The main goal of these games is to quickly make it to the end of the level while collecting rings and defeating enemies along the way.
7. 7. Super Mario Bros: The Mario brothers franchise game originally began as a multiplayer arcade game featuring the titular character, Mario (and sometimes his brother Luigi), as he navigates through different worlds and landscapes. Later Mario titles for the Nintendo 64 (N64) console were designed as 3D platformers (such as Super Mario 64).

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