As connoisseurs of barbecue tour the southern United States of America, they will be surprised to learn how differently “barbecue” is defined in different locations. In the Carolinas, barbecue is the whole hog with a vinegar-based mop. In Texas, barbecue is hearty beef cut with a salt and pepper rub. In Missouri, barbecue is select rib cuts with a sweet and tangy sauce. The truth is that each of these alone cannot define barbecue; they all work together to help complete and expand the existing definition.
When gaming fans consider platformers, they often think of Nintendo and they are not wrong to do so. Super Mario Brothers and Banjo-Kazooie have shaped the landscape of the genre. Even games that Nintendo was only affiliated with, like Mega Man, became iconic for the medium. But if all gamers think about are these games, they have an incomplete definition for what a platforming game is and can be. This list identifies some entries that round out the meaning of a platformer.
10 Sonic The Hedgehog
If there was any true competition to Super Mario Bros, it was Sega’s Sonic The Hedgehog. Sonic’s bright red shoes, blue skin, and quiet-but-sassy attitude immediately gripped Sega Genesis owners.
Sonic‘s contribution to platforming didn’t stop there and it hasn’t stopped today. Sonic combined the usual elements of jumping and running with the addition of mind-blowing speed. Gamers all over know to expect a fast-paced, heart-pounding experience. And, like in the Super Mario Brothers series, Sonic The Hedgehog would introduce players to a whole cast of friends and enemies.
9 Cuphead
Cuphead plays like a game that embraces modern technology and hardware required for platformers and rejects just about everything else. It’s undoubtedly a platformer, with all of the dodging and fighting that players would expect.
But that’s about it. The music, animation, scenery, and story all feel like they are from an early age of cartoons. And this is intended as a compliment; modern games should not ignore the styles and sounds of the past that people loved. Also, it would be wrong to fail to mention the off-the-chain boss fights.
8 Crash Bandicoot
This is a franchise that started with Naughty Dog and has changed hands a few times. It now rests with Activision Blizzard. Any other video game series would see this as a sign of internal struggle. In the case of Crash Bandicoot, the reality is that everyone just wants a piece.
And why not? The titular character is an adorable mascot involved in an Indiana Jones-esque journey in the colorful Wumpa Islands. As far as games it inspired, those who played Uncharted after playing Crash Bandicoot might even believe they are playing the same game with a different skin.
7 Ratchet & Clank
Like the previous entry on this list, Ratchet & Clank fully embraced the 3D era of gaming and unabashedly took platforming to the next level. Players will need to conquer the physical aspects of play if they want to be successful.
But while the world argues through memes about the upcoming consoles and their technology, a full-scale technological revolution makes its way into Ratchet & Clank in the form of weapons, vehicles, and Ratchet’s robotic sidekick, Clank. A more traditional platformer does damage by landing on heads or collision, this series does damage with electrocution and military-grade hardware.
6 Rayman
Whatever group pitched the idea of a protagonist with no (attached) arms and legs over at Ubisoft likely had to rehearse the speech in front of a mirror enough times to convince others that they weren’t losing their minds. Then they probably had to do it a few more times to convince themselves of the same thing.
The gamble paid off and the game turned into one of Ubisoft’s best franchises. The art style is colorful and manic, which perfectly suits the speedy gameplay. The reaction of the characters without the restriction of attached limbs gives the game a hilarious and over-the-top vibe that fans love.
5 Prince of Persia
Since 1989, Prince of Persia has been pushing the envelope for platformers. Gamers never know what to expect with a Prince of Persia title, and that is a feature, not a case of lost identity. Doing things differently than other games of the time is a hallmark for what this series means to its community.
For example, most video game worlds can only explore their past with a solid prequel, but in Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, the character had the power to reverse the flow of time within the game. The game spawned a series and a movie based on the concept that survival didn’t need extra lives so much as a chance to rewind the hands of the clock.
4 Super Meat Boy
It is clear the developers of this platformer understood its competition. Look at the initials of Super Mario Brothers and Super Meat Boy; both are SMB. Both also start with the word “Super,” but that’s about it as Super Meat Boy has a very unique and brutal identity.
Sure, gamers might need a tip or two to get through Super Mario 64, but Super Meat Boy teaches its players by killing them over and over again. The saving grace is infinite lives. The player controls a mound of meat through levels of sawblades and enemies while trying to avoid becoming…well, dead meat.
3 Trine
Trine debuted in 2009 and has continued to produce regular installments ever since. Combining a fantasy genre with platforming was only the tip of the iceberg of the revolutionary way Trine translated platformers.
Trine also inserted puzzle-solving in a more prominent way than others had before. Other unforgettable puzzle games are out there, but most of them shy away from the action that comes along with a platformer.
2 Castlevania
Count Dracula has villainized the innocent in both literature and the movies. But despite his legendary villainy in these arenas, perhaps more hours have been spent hunting down the fictitious antagonist in video games than any other avenue.
Castlevania fans have loved the combination of medieval lore with the exciting action of platforming around thematic enemies. The story-telling element is appreciated, even if it does mean that Count Dracula comes a bit too close to victory for comfort.
1 Ori
Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps are among the newest entries to the genre, but these fantastic games redefined platforming the instant they were released. Gamers that go through the world through Ori’s eyes learn to appreciate more than just the signature movement style.
Ori uses a variety of different attacks against unconventional bosses. The flow of the games is silky-smooth and elements of safety and danger lurk around every corner. Mixed with a tragic but beautiful story, it’s not a stretch to say that the Ori series has set a new bar in platforming that will stand for years to come.
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