Various names were used in the years following the release of the first established title in the genre, Donkey Kong (1981). Due to the relative simplicity of the controls, this kind of game works well on mobile devices and has become popular in recent years. Simple logical puzzles to resolve and skill trials to overcome are another common element in the genre.Ī more modern variant of platform games (generally 3D scrolling), called "runners", have the main character always moving forward at high speed while the player must direct it properly to not make it fall or crash against obstacles, and manage to reach checkpoints on time. Usually the level order is pre-determined, but some games also allow players to navigate freely throughout the game world, or may feature different paths to take at certain points.
Most games of this genre consist of multiple levels of increasing difficulty, that may also be interleaved by boss encounters, where the character has to defeat a particularly dangerous enemy in order to progress. Through the various areas of the game world, player may be able to collect items and powerups that can come in handy for different situations, and give the main character new abilities for overcoming adversities. Many platform games contain environmental obstacles which kill the player character upon contact, such as lava pits or bottomless chasms. Falling from considerable height often causes damage or death. In some games, the trajectory of a jump is fixed, but others it can be altered in mid-air. Jumping is central to the genre, though there are exceptions such as Nintendo's Popeye (1982). The most common movement options in the genre are walking, running, jumping, attacking, and climbing. Typical platforming gameplay tends to be very dynamic and challenges a player's reflexes, timing, and dexterity with controls. These games are either presented from the side view, using two-dimensional movement, or in 3D with the camera placed either behind the main character or in isometric perspective. Platform games are still being commercially released, including some which have sold millions of copies.Ī platform game requires the player to maneuver their character across platforms, to reach a goal, while confronting enemies and avoiding obstacles along the way. By 2006, the genre had experienced a decline in popularity, representing a 2% market share as compared to 15% in 1998.
Donkey Kong, released in 1981, established a template for what were initially called "climbing games." Donkey Kong inspired many clones and games with similar elements, such as Miner 2049er (1982).ĭuring their peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s, platform games were estimated to consist of between a quarter and a third of all console games, but have since been supplanted by first-person shooters. The genre started with the 1980 arcade video game, Space Panic, which includes ladders, but not jumping. Games where jumping is automated completely, such as 3D games in The Legend of Zelda series, fall outside of the genre. Other acrobatic maneuvers may factor into the gameplay, such as swinging from vines or grappling hooks, jumping off walls, air dashing, gliding through the air, being shot from cannons, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines.
Platform games are characterized by levels that consist of uneven terrain and suspended platforms of varying height that require jumping and climbing to traverse. SuperTux is a platform game based on Super Mario Bros.Ī platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment.
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