A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy

Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps. The most common unifying element to these games is a jump button; other jump mechanics include swinging from extendable arms, as in Ristar or Bionic Commando, or bouncing from springboards or trampolines, as in Alpha Waves. Games where jumping is automated completely, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, fall outside of the genre. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Wonder Boy (known as Super Wonder Boy in Japan and Revenge of Drancon on the North American Game Gear release) is a 1986 video game published by Sega and developed by Escape (later known as Westone). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Jumping puzzles are sequences in computer and video games, particularly in the genre of platformers, where the player is required to use jumping to proceed, often in a manner that requires precise timing or landing in an exact manner. ... Ristar (Ristar the Shooting Star in Japan) is a platform game published and developed by Sega for the Sega Genesis in 1995. ... Bionic Commando (Top Secret ) in Japan) is the name of several video games, the first being an arcade game released by Capcom in 1987. ... Alpha Waves (also known as Continuum) is an early 3D game that combines labyrinthine exploration with platform gameplay. ... The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time was a video game released in 1998, and the first Zelda game for the Nintendo 64. ...

Platform games originated in the early 1980s, and 3D successors were popularized in the mid-1990s. The term itself describes games where jumping on platforms is an integral part of the gameplay, and came into use some time after the genre had been established.^[1][2] However, it is not a pure genre, and is very frequently coupled with elements of other genres, such as the shooter elements in Contra, the adventure elements of Flashback or the RPG elements of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Super Paper Mario. As long as the platform mechanic remains a prominent part of the gameplay, it may still correctly be termed a platformer. Because of this, there are many diverse sub-genres of platformers. The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... A three dimensional object has height, width and depth. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... Gameplay includes all player experiences during the interaction with game systems, especially formal games. ... Shooter games cover a fairly broad spectrum of sub-genres that have the commonality of controlling a character who is usually armed with a firearm that can be freely aimed. ... Contra ) is an arcade game released in 1987 by the Konami corporation. ... This is an article about the computer and video game genre. ... Screenshot Flashback (Sega Genesis) Flashback: The Quest for Identity, often just called Flashback, is a computer platform game produced by Delphine Software, which has since went bankrupt and no longer exists. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is a Japanese action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... Super Paper Mario ) is a platform/role-playing video game developed by Intelligent Systems, a division of Nintendo. ... A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ...

The genre has been the result of a great deal of cross-pollination of ideas between platforms and across national borders. While commonly associated with console gaming, there are many important platform games released to arcades, as well as for handheld systems and home computers. Europe, North America, and Japan have played major parts in the genre's evolution. Platformers are thematically diverse, ranging from cartoony "mascot" games to science fiction and fantasy epics. “Game console” redirects here. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic machine for playing video games. ... A personal computer (PC) is a computer whose price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A video game mascot is usually a specific video game character that is a trademark of a video game company brand and is actively used to promote the company or its products, a symbol of the company, as a face or representative in promotional materials. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ...

Platformers were, at one point, the most popular genre of video game. At the peak of their popularity, it is estimated that between one fourth and one third of console games were platformers.^[3] No genre before or since has been able to achieve a similar market share. As of 2006, the genre is far less dominant, representing a 2% market share,^[4] but still commercially viable, with a number of games selling in the millions of units.

History

The single screen era

This Donkey Kong level was focused on platform jumping

Platform games initially appeared at the beginning of the 1980s, when many video game genres were just beginning to form. Because of the technical limitations of the day, early games were confined to a static playing field, generally viewed in profile. While platformers offered a new kind of gameplay, they still borrowed from earlier games. Frogs, an arcade game released by Gremlin in 1978, was the first game to feature a jumping character, making it the genre's earliest ancestor. Players could not control the direction of the jump, however, nor was it possible to jump between different platforms, only to fall off either side of the one platform on screen.^[5] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the Game Boy game, see Donkey Kong (Game Boy). ... Frogs is a single player platform video game developed by Gremlin Industries in 1978. ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... Gremlin Industries was an early San Diego, California arcade game manufacturer in the 1970s and early 1980s. ...

Space Panic, a 1980 arcade release, is sometimes credited as the first platform game,^[6] but the distinction is contentious, since the player had no ability to jump, swing, or bounce, or fall, and, as such, does not satisfy most common definitions of the genre. However, it was clearly an influence on the genre, with gameplay centered on climbing ladders between different floors, a common element in many early platform games. Screenshot of the Colecovision port Space Panic is a 1980 arcade game designed by Universal. ...

Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Nintendo, released in July, 1981, was the first game that allowed players to jump over obstacles and across gaps, making it the first true platformer.^[7] Donkey Kong had a limited amount of platforming in its first two screens, but its other two have a more pronounced platform jumping component. This game also introduced Mario, an icon of the genre. Donkey Kong was ported to many consoles and computers at the time, and the title helped to cement Nintendo's position as an important name internationally in the video game industry. For the Game Boy game, see Donkey Kong (Game Boy). ... Centipede by Atari is a typical example of a 1980s era arcade game. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Mario ) is a video game character created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto and the official mascot of Nintendo. ...

The following year, Donkey Kong had a sequel, Donkey Kong Junior. The third game in the series was not a platformer, but it was succeeded by Mario Bros, a platform game that offered two-player simultaneous cooperative play. This title laid the groundwork for other popular two-player cooperative platformers, like Fairyland Story and Bubble Bobble, which, in turn, influenced many of the single-screen platformers that would follow. It has been suggested that Donkey Kong 2 be merged into this article or section. ... Mario Bros. ... The Fairyland Story is a classical arcade platform video game released by Taito in 1985 in its arcade form. ... Bubble Bobble is an arcade game by Taito, first released in 1986. ...

Beginning in 1982, transitional games emerged that did not feature scrolling graphics but had levels that spanned several screens that could be traveled between. Pitfall!, released for the Atari 2600, featured broad, horizontally-extended levels. It became the best selling game on the system and was a breakthrough for the genre. Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle was released on the ColecoVision that same year, adding uneven terrain and scrolling pans between static screens. Manic Miner (1983) and its sequel Jet Set Willy (1984) continued this style of multi-screen levels on home computers. Later that same year Epyx released Impossible Mission, which further expanded on the exploration aspect and laid the groundwork for such games as Prince of Persia. This article needs cleanup. ... This article is about the video game. ... The Atari 2600, released in October 1977, is the video game console credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in. ... In Smurf Rescue, even stumbling over a few weeds can be fatal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Manic Miner is a classic platform game originally written for the ZX Spectrum by Matthew Smith and released by Bug-Byte in 1983 (later re-released by Software Projects). ... Jet Set Willy is a computer game for the ZX Spectrum home computer. ... Children playing on a Amstrad CPC 464 in the 1980s. ... Epyx, Inc. ... Impossible Mission is a platform computer game for several home computers. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

The scrolling era

Jump Bug introduced scrolling graphics to the genre very early on

Like so many of the gaming firsts mentioned in this article, the first platform game to use scrolling graphics came years before they were the trend. Jump Bug was a simple platform-shooter, released to arcades by Rock-Ola in 1981, only five months after Donkey Kong.^[8] Players controlled a bouncing car and navigated it to jump on various platforms like, buildings, clouds, and hills. As part of a nascent genre, it was not strongly influenced by existing conventions, nor was it a major influence on games after it. In the years that followed, Jump Bug was largely forgotten, but it offered an early foreshadowing of what was to come, with uneven, independently suspended platforms and levels that scrolled both horizontally and vertically. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article needs cleanup. ... The Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation was, along with Wurlitzer, a top maker of jukeboxes. ... This article is about the video game character. ...

In August, 1982, Taito released Jungle King.^[9] The title featured Tarzan (an unauthorized use of the character that would result in a lawsuit),^[10] with vine-swinging mechanics similar to those in Pitfall!. It also featured a scrolling jump and run sequences that had players hopping over obstacles. In many ways, the gameplay was more simplistic than Pitfall!, but the scrolling proved a compelling addition to the formula. This same year Irem released Moon Patrol, a shooter with light platform jumping elements. It was similar to Jump Bug, but the platforming was not nearly as well developed, consisting of little more than hopping over small obstacles. Taito may mean: Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ... Jungle Hunt is a two-player side-scrolling arcade game produced by Taito in 1982. ... 1914 Edition of Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ... It has been suggested that civil trial be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the video game. ... This article is about the video game. ... Iram of the Pillars (sometimes Irem of the Pillars) is a lost city located on the Arabian Peninsula. ... Moon Patrol is a classic arcade game by Irem that was first released in 1982. ...

In the early 1980s, home consoles did not yet have hardware support for scrolling. This made it very difficult to produce a scrolling effect smoothly on a console. Despite this, Syndey Development released B.C.'s Quest For Tires in 1983 on the ColecoVision, as well as several home computer platforms.^[11] The game features large, smooth-scrolling levels and simplistic platform gameplay in which players jumped over oncoming pitfalls and obstacles, much like Moon Patrol. B.C.s Quest For Tires is a computer game by Sierra On-Line for the Commodore 64, based on the famous comic strip B.C.. The game is an action game taking place on several consecutive levels. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Namco took the scrolling platformer a step further with the 1984 release Pac-Land. Pac-Land came after the genre had a few years to develop, and was an evolution of earlier platform games, aspiring to be more than a simple game of hurdle jumping, like some of its predecessors. It was not only a very successful title (and later ported to many consoles),^[12] but it more closely resembled later scrolling platformers like Wonder Boy and Super Mario Bros, and was probably a direct influence on them. Among its innovations were spring boards and moving platforms. It even had multi-layered parallax scrolling,^[13][14] an effect that would become much more common during the second generation of scrollers. Pac-Land is an entry in the Pac-Man series of arcade video games, released into arcades by Namco, and its American distributor Bally Midway, in 1984. ... Wonder Boy was a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone (formerly Escape). ... Super Mario Bros. ... This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. ...

1984 continued to be a big year for scrolling platformers. Taito released Legend of Kage,^[15] which offered levels that extended in all directions. Sega released Flicky,^[16] a simple platformer with horizontally scrolling levels that featured their first mascot character. Namco followed up Pac-Land with the fantasy-themed Dragon Buster,^[17] a game notable for introducing the double jump move, as well as a hub level similar to the ones used in later 2D Super Mario games. By the end of the year the scrolling platform game had been firmly established, but it was not until these made their way to home consoles that the genre would be propelled to a new level of mainstream popularity. Taito may mean: Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware. ... Screenshot (NES version) The Legend of Kage is an arcade game by Taito (later ported to several home computer systems) where the object is to rescue Princess Kiri from mystical villains. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Flicky is an arcade game made by Sega. ... Namco Ltd ) is a amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for video games development. ... Dragon Buster is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the discrete measure of characters experience in role-playing games, see Experience point. ...

Super Mario Bros, the best selling video game of all time.

Nintendo's platform game Super Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, was the first console platform game to feature smooth scrolling levels. It also established the hop and bop sub-genre, and became the archetype for many platformers to follow. The title was bundled with Nintendo's systems in North America, Japan, and Europe, and went on to sell over 40 million copies according to the 1999 Guinness Book of World Records. Its success as a pack-in led many companies to see platform games as vital to their success, and certainly contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the 8-bit console generation. Sega attempted to ape this success with their Alex Kidd series, as well as with the Wonder Boy series. The later Wonder Boy games were also notable for combining adventure and role-playing elements with traditional platforming.^[18] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This is a list of video games that have sold over one million copies. ... This article is about the Super Mario Brothers video game for the NES. For other uses, see Super Mario Bros. ... “NES” redirects here. ... Platform games, or platformers, are a very popular genre of video games that originated in the early 1980s. ... The Guinness Book of Records (or in recent editions Guinness World Records, and in previous US editions Guinness Book of World Records) is a book published annually, containing an internationally recognized collection of superlatives: both in terms of human achievement and the extrema of the natural world. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Alex Kidd is a video game character. ... Wonder Boy was a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone (formerly Escape). ... This is an article about the computer and video game genre. ... This article is about traditional role-playing games. ...

Platformers went portable in the late '80s with Super Mario Land and continued to maintain their popularity, with many titles being released for the handheld Game Boy and Game Gear. Because of the small size, technical constraints, and blurring associated with early LCD technology, fast paced action-based platformers were more difficult to execute on handheld systems. Because of this, many handheld platformers leaned toward slower paced play styles and a greater emphasis on puzzles. After the transition of home consoles to 3D, handhelds became a bastion for 2D platform games, and they still remain popular to this day with New Super Mario Bros being a recent example of a very successful traditional platform game, selling more than five million copies in Japan and North America during its first year of release.^[19][20] Super Mario Land ) is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy video game console. ... A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable, electronic device for playing video games. ... For the entire Game Boy series of handheld consoles, see Game Boy line. ... The Sega Game Gear is a handheld game console which was Segas response to Nintendos Game Boy. ... LCD redirects here. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ...

On the NES, as well as on most 8-bit arcade hardware, platform games generally only scrolled in one direction at a time (usually horizontally). This meant designers has to use a very narrow level progression, or break levels up into areas that scrolled in one direction at a time (as was the case in Metroid and Mega Man). The first platform game to scroll in all four directions freely and follow the on-screen character's movement was in a vector game called Major Havoc. Major Havoc was comprised of a number of mini-games, including a simple platformer (the largest of the mini-games), along with a shooter sequence, a landing sequence, and even a Breakout clone.^[21] The first raster-based platform game to scroll fluidly in all directions in this manner is the 1984 classic, Legend of Kage, mentioned earlier. Though the multi-directional scrolling did not seem like a big deal at the time, it would become a distinguishing feature of the next generation of platformers. Nes is: A municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway, see Nes, Akershus. ... This article is about the first game in the series. ... Mega Man firing his weapon while in Shadow Mans stage from Mega Man 3 (NES). ... Vector game refers to any video game that uses a vector graphics display. ... Major Havoc (or The Adventures of Major Havoc) is an upright vector-based arcade game made by Atari in 1983. ... A shoot-em-up (shmup for short in some areas, and also known as arcade shooter, twitch shooter, or sometimes simply just shooter, with shoot em ups being the most popular subgenre of shooter), is a video game where the player has limited control of their character or machine and... This computer game has been incorrectly referred to or categorized with the PC game misnomer. ... Suppose the smiley face in the top left corner is an RGB bitmap image. ... Screenshot (NES version) The Legend of Kage is an arcade game by Taito (later ported to several home computer systems) where the object is to rescue Princess Kiri from mystical villains. ...

Second generation side-scrollers

Sonic the Hedgehog showed what new technology could do for the genre

The advent of 16-bit home consoles marked an evolutionary step for the genre. By the time the Mega Drive/Genesis and Super Nintendo launched, platform games were the most popular genre in home console gaming and were seen as vital for winning the console war. There was a particular emphasis on having a flagship platform title exclusive to a format, featuring a "mascot" character. In 1989 Sega released Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle. The title was only modestly successful, and Sega realized they needed a stronger mascot to move Genesis units. In 1990 Hudson Soft released Bonk's Adventure featuring a character that would be positioned as NEC's mascot.^[22] Sonic The Hedgehog (first) ingame screenshot Template:Game-acreenshot File links The following pages link to this file: Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) ... Sonic The Hedgehog (first) ingame screenshot Template:Game-acreenshot File links The following pages link to this file: Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis) ... The Sega Mega Drive ) is a video game console released by Sega in Japan in 1988, North America in 1989, and the PAL region in 1990. ... The Super Nintendo Entertainment System or Super NES (also called SNES and Super Nintendo) was a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia, and Brazil between 1990 and 1993. ... Millie, once mascot of the City of Brampton, is now the Brampton Arts Councils representative. ... Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle was a game for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis. ... Hudson Soft is a Japanese publisher and developer, founded on May 18, 1973. ... Bonks Adventure is a 2D platform video game developed by Red Company and released in 1990 for the TurboGrafx-16. ... NEC Corporation (Japanese: Nippon Denki Kabushiki Gaisha; TYO: 6701 , NASDAQ: NIPNY) is a Japanese multinational IT company headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. ...

1990 marked the release of the Super NES, along with the much awaited Super Mario World. In order to fend off the new competition Sega released Sonic the Hedgehog.^[23][24] Whereas Nintendo's offering featured a conservative design, true to the Mario tradition, Sonic showcased a new style of design made possible by the processing muscle of its platform. Sonic featured large fields that scrolled effortlessly in all directions, as well as all manner of uneven terrain, curved hills, and a complex physics system that allowed players to rush through its levels with well-placed jumps and rolls. It proved to be a massive hit, was a successful pack-in with new systems, and cemented the view that platform games would make or break a console. The European SNES design is identical to the Super Famicom. ... For the cartoon, see Super Mario World (cartoon). ... Sonic the Hedgehog is the platform game that launched the career of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic Team. ... Computer animation physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer. ...

The Sonic character was also seen as a new model for mascots in the early 90s, particularly for his perceived "attitude," which characterized him as a rebel from the status quo. This "attitude" would soon become the status quo, as companies attempted to duplicate Sonic's success with their own brightly colored anthropomorphisms.^[25] Very frequently these were characterized by impatience, sarcasm, and frequent quipping to give them personality. These mascots, which included the likes of Gex, Bug!, and Bubsy, have mostly faded from relevance. This article is about the video game character. ... An anthropomorphic character; a cat ascribed human characteristics. ... Character art for Gex Gecko as he appears in Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko. ... Bug! is a video game for the Sega Saturn. ... This game cover for the first Bubsy game shows the eponymous character in a striking action pose. ...

As consoles introduced a new wave of platformers, so did home computers

Although there had long been important platform games on home computers, a second generation of platform games for computers appeared alongside the new wave of consoles. In the late 80s and early 90s, the Amiga was known as a stronger gaming platform than IBM-compatible PCs, thanks to its more powerful stock video hardware and sound hardware,^[26] and the Atari ST was solidly supported as well. Games like Shadow of the Beast and Turrican showed that computer platform games could rival the graphics and sound of their console contemporaries, and Prince of Persia featured an unprecedented level of animation. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... The Original Chip Set (OCS) was a chipset used in the earliest Commodore Amiga computers. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... Screenshot of Shadow of the Beast I (Amiga) Shadow of the Beast (also officially known as simply Beast) is a side-scrolling platform computer game produced by Reflections Interactive and published by Psygnosis in 1989. ... The original Commodore 64 version of Turrican features large levels with detailed graphics. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

In 1990, DOS PC gaming made a breakthrough in the genre. Commander Keen, released by id Software, became the first IBM-compatible PC platformer to feature smooth scrolling graphics thanks to a technique programmer John Carmack had pioneered for EGA graphics displays.^[27] The success of this game via the shareware distribution model prompted many others to attempt more console-styled scrolling platformers on the PC, including Duke Nukem, Jill of the Jungle, and Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure. None of these scrolled as smoothly as Commander Keen, but many were well-received. These games helped fuel the shareware model, which would drive PC gaming to greater relevance in the early-to-mid 90s. Yorp redirects here. ... id Software (IPA: officially, though originally ) is an American computer game developer based in Mesquite, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. ... John D. Carmack II (born August 20, 1970) is a widely recognized figure in the video game industry. ... EGA may stand for Enhanced Graphics Adapter Éléments de géométrie algébrique. ... Look up shareware in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Duke Nukem in the title screen of Duke Nukem 3D Duke Nukem is an action hero created by computer game developer 3D Realms/Apogee Software. ... Jill of the Jungle is a trilogy of platformer computer games released in 1992 by Epic MegaGames. ... Cosmos Cosmic Adventure is a video game programmed by Todd Replogle and published by Apogee Software in 1992. ... Look up shareware in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Other notable platform games from this time period include Earthworm Jim, Zool, Bubsy, and Rocket Knight Adventures. Frequently, console games based on film, television, and comic book licenses would be platformers, such as those based on Aladdin, Jurassic Park, James Bond, and Mickey Mouse. For the cartoon series, see Earthworm Jim (TV series). ... Zool is a British computer game originally produced for the Amiga by Gremlin Graphics as a rival to Segas Sonic the Hedgehog. ... This game cover for the first Bubsy game shows the eponymous character in a striking action pose. ... Rocket Knight Adventures is a 16-bit generation side scrolling platform video game produced and released in 1993 by Konami for the SEGA Genesis console, and designed by Nobuya Nakazato, creator of the Contra series. ... This article is about motion pictures. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... Disneys Aladdin was a video game based off of the 1992 motion picture of the same name, released in the 16-bit era. ... It has been suggested that Jurassic Park (computer game) be merged into this article or section. ... Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse is a video game released for the Sega Genesis produced by Sega of America. ...

The decline of 2D

At the end of the 16-bit era, some very successful platform games were released, including Yoshi's Island and the Donkey Kong Country titles, but the release of new hardware caused players' attention to gradually shift away from traditional 2D genres.^[28] The Saturn, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64 nevertheless featured a number of successful 2D platform games. Mega Man 8 and Mega Man X4 helped revitalize interest in Capcom's blue bomber. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night revitalized its series and established a new foundation for later Castlevania games. Oddworld and Heart of Darkness kept the sub-genre born from Prince of Persia alive. The Nintendo 64 had the fewest 2D platformers — only Yoshi's Story and Mischief Makers — and both met with a tepid response from critics at the time.^[29][30] Despite this, Yoshi's Story sold over a million copies in the US^[31] and Mischief Makers rode high on the charts in the months following its release.^[32][33] For the television series, see Donkey Kong Country (TV series). ... It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, was Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ... Mega Man 8, known as Rockman 8 Metal Heroes ) in Japan, is a video game released by Capcom in 1996 and 1997 for the PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the original NASA meaning, see capsule communicator. ... Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (SOTN) is a Japanese action-adventure game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo and published by Konami for the Sony PlayStation video game console. ... Oddworld is a comprehensive fictional universe presented in video game form, created by game developers Oddworld Inhabitants under the direction of Lorne Lanning. ... This article or section needs to be wikified. ... Yoshis Story ) is the Nintendo 64 sequel to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario World 2: Yoshis Island. ... Mischief Makers (or Yuke Yuke! Troublemakers in Japan) is a side-scrolling 2D platform/puzzle video game developed by Treasure, and published by Enix (in Japan) and Nintendo (in America and Europe) for the Nintendo 64 released in 1997. ...

The difficulties of adapting platform gameplay to 3D led some developers to compromise by pairing the visual flash of 3D with traditional 2D gameplay. These games are often referred to as "2.5D."^[34][35] The first such game was a Sega Saturn launch title, Clockwork Knight released in December, 1994 in Japan (and subsequently as a launch game in the U.S.). The game featured levels and boss characters rendered in 3D, but retained 2D gameplay and the used pre-rendered 2D sprites for regular characters, similar to Donkey Kong Country. Its sequel improved upon its design, featuring some 3D effects such as hopping between the foreground and background, and the camera panning and curving around a corner. 2. ... It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ... Super Mario Brothers, a launch title for the NES A launch title is a video game that has been made available to consumers synchronously with its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the consoles launch. ... Clockwork Knight is a side-scrolling platformer video game, released as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in Japan on December 9, 1994; in the U.S. in 1995. ... Flag Ship from the video game Gorf A boss is a particularly challenging computer-controlled enemy in video games. ... Clockwork Knight 2 is a side-scrolling platformer video game released for the Sega Saturn in 1995. ...

The formula has been repeated many times. Pandemonium and Klonoa brought the 2.5D style to the PlayStation. More recently, Klonoa 2 and Viewtiful Joe have continued this tradition. Pandemonium is a platform game, published by Crystal Dynamics, for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PC, and Nokia N-Gage. ... Klonoa (クロノア, Kuronoa), sometimes referred to as Klonoa of the Wind (風のクロノア, Kaze no Kuronoa) is an anthropomorphic video game character created by Namco and Klonoa Works, and has starred in several games bearing his name since 1997. ... The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Klonoa 2: Lunateas Veil is a PlayStation 2 video game by Namco released in 2001. ... Viewtiful Joe is a video game developed by Capcoms Capcom Production Studio 4 design team Team Viewtiful. The other games in the series, including the PS2 port of the first game, have been made by Clover Studio. ...

The third dimension

Alpha Waves had players bounce on platforms in 3D as early as 1990.

The term 3D platformer usually refers to games that feature gameplay in three dimensions and polygonal 3D graphics. Games which have 3D gameplay but 2D graphics are usually included under the umbrella of isometric platformers, while those that have 3D graphics but gameplay on a 2D plane are called 2.5D, as they are "somewhere between 2D and 3D." Image File history File links Alpha_waves. ... Image File history File links Alpha_waves. ... A simple platform sequence from the game Wonder Boy Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles. ... 2. ... Pseudo-3D is a term that means that something uses 2-d graphics to simulate three dimentional graphics. ...

The first attempts to bring platform games into 3D used 2D graphics, and an isometric perspective. These games are nearly as old as the genre itself. The first games to simulate a 3D perspective and moving camera emerged in the mid-80s. Trailblazer, released to various computer systems in 1986, used a simple linescroll effect to create a forward scrolling pseudo-3D play field where players manipulated a bouncing ball to leap over obstacles and pitfalls. In 1987, Squaresoft released 3D World Runner, a forward-scrolling action game that had players leap over obstacles and chasms. In 1990, an Estonian developer called Bluemoon released Kosmonaut, a forward-scrolling driving/action game similar to Trailblazer, which consisted almost entirely of difficult platform-jumping obstacle courses.^[36] While the gameplay took place in three dimensions, and the graphics were polygonal it is considered pseudo-3D because it used a fixed viewpoint. The game was later remade in 1993 as SkyRoads, which experienced much wider popularity. Look up isometric in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Trailblazer is a video game that requires the player to direct a ball along a series of suspended passages. ... Pseudo-3D is a term that means that something uses 2-d graphics to simulate three dimentional graphics. ... Square Co. ... 3-D WorldRunner ) is a video game developed by Square in 1987. ... In 3D computer graphics, polygonal modeling is an approach for modeling objects by representing or approximating their surfaces using polygons. ... Bluemoons creation of SkyRoads was a polished-up remake of the game Kosmonaut. ...

The earliest example to be found of a true 3D platformer is a French computer game called Alpha Waves, created by Infogrames in 1990 for the Amiga, PC, and Atari ST computers.^[37] It featured full-screen 3D graphics, true 3D movement, and a movable camera, all firsts for the genre. The environments were abstract, with simple gameplay focused on hopping from trampoline-like platforms. The game was released in North America by Data East, under the name Continuum. Much like Jump Bug before it, while it is believed to be the first of its kind, it is not widely recognized as especially influential (though it is sometimes regarded as a precursor to Jumping Flash!).^[38] While its appearance was quite dissimilar from the popular 2D platformer of the day, it was billed as a platform game on its packaging,^[39] suggesting that it was seen as an attempt to bring the genre into 3D. Alpha Waves (also known as Continuum) is an early 3D game that combines labyrinthine exploration with platform gameplay. ... Infogrames Entertainment SA (IESA) is an international holding company headquartered in Lyon, France. ... This article is about the family of home computers. ... A personal computer (PC) is a computer whose price, size, and capabilities make it useful for individuals. ... The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was commercially popular from 1985 to the early 1990s. ... Data East (データイースト dēta īsuto) was a Japanese video game company, also known as DECO (Data East Corporation, データイースト株式会社 dēta īsuto kabushikigaisha). ... Jumping Flash! is a platform game released in 1995 for the PlayStation. ...

In 1994, a small developer called Exact released a game for the X68000 computer called Geograph Seal. The game was a fully 3D polygonal first person shooter hybrid with a pronounced platform jumping component. Players piloted a frog-like mech that could jump, and then double jump or triple jump high into the air, as the camera panned down to help players line up their landing. In addition to shooting, jumping on enemies was a primary means of attack.^[40] This was the first Japanese 3D platformer, but it was never ported to another platform nor released outside of Japan, so it remains obscure in the West. The Sharp X68000, often referred to as the X68k, was a home computer released only in Japan. ... A first-person shooter (FPS) is a computer or video game where the players on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character, and there is some element of shooting involved. ... Is a last name. ...

The following year, Exact released their follow-up to Geograph Seal as an early title for Sony's new PlayStation console. Jumping Flash!, released in April 1995, is generally regarded as a direct continuation of the gameplay concepts in Geograph Seal,^[41] and was likewise a mix of first-person shooting and platforming, with similar controls and camera-work. The frog-like mech was traded in for a more cartoony rabbit mech, called the "Robbit." Beyond this, the level design had an even greater focus on platform hopping, and it was released in Europe and North America as a launch title, helping it gain a much higher profile. The title was successful enough to receive two sequels, and is remembered as the first 3D platformer on a console. The Sony PlayStation ) is a video game console of the 32/64-bit era, first produced by Sony Computer Entertainment in the mid-1990s. ... Jumping Flash! is a platform game released in 1995 for the PlayStation. ... Super Mario Brothers, a launch title for the NES A launch title is a video game that has been made available to consumers synchronously with its respective video game console, meaning they are the only available games at the time of the consoles launch. ...

Bug! extended traditional platform gameplay in all directions

Bug!, a Sega Saturn game that was released in 1995, offered a more conservative approach to true 3D platforming. It allowed players to move in all directions, but it did not allow movement along more than one axis at once — the player could move left to right, or forward and backward, but not diagonally left and backward at the same time. Its characters were pre-rendered sprites, much like the earlier Clockwork Knight. The game played very similarly to 2D platformers, but it was considered a true 3D title, and even let players walk up walls and on ceilings. It was a moderate success and had a sequel, Bug Too!. Image File history File links Bug_for_sega_saturn. ... Image File history File links Bug_for_sega_saturn. ... Bug! is a video game for the Sega Saturn. ... It has been suggested that Arcade Racer Joystick be merged into this article or section. ... Pre-rendered graphics, in computer graphics, is a video footage which is not being rendered in real-time by the hardware that is outputing or playing back the video. ... Clockwork Knight is a side-scrolling platformer video game, released as a launch title for the Sega Saturn in Japan on December 9, 1994; in the U.S. in 1995. ...

In 1995, Delphine Software released a 3D sequel to their popular 2D platformer Flashback. Entitled Fade to Black, it was the first attempt to bring a popular 2D platform game series into 3D. While it retained the puzzle-oriented level design style and step-based control and bore a strong resemblance to its predecessor, it does not meet the criteria of a platform game, and was billed as an action adventure.^[42] It used true 3D characters and set pieces, but its environments were rendered using a rigid engine similar to the one used by Wolfenstein 3D in that it could only render square, flat corridors. This eliminated any hopping from suspended platforms. Fade to Black would set the stage for other series, such as Metroid and Duke Nukem, that would gradually shift away from the traditional platform formula while retaining many of its gameplay conventions. Delphine Software was a French video game company. ... Screenshot Flashback (Sega Genesis) Flashback: The Quest for Identity, often just called Flashback, is a computer platform game produced by Delphine Software, which has since went bankrupt and no longer exists. ... Fade to Black is a video game, released in 1995 by Delphine Software International. ... Action-adventure games (British English: arcade adventure) are video games that combine elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. ... Wolfenstein 3D (commonly abbreviated to Wolf 3D) is the computer game that started the first person shooter genre on the PC. It was created by id Software and published by Apogee Software on May 5, 1992. ... This article is about the game. ... Duke Nukem 3D is a first-person shooter computer game developed by 3D Realms and published by Apogee Software. ...

There was a great deal of pressure on Sony, Sega, and Nintendo to release mascot platformers before the 1996 holiday season. Sony chose to adopt an existing project by developers Naughty Dog, a small developer at the time, who had recently released the questionable Way of the Warrior. The move paid off; their game, Crash Bandicoot, beat Nintendo's new console to market in North America and was released in time for the holiday in Japan. Crash would remain Sony's unofficial mascot for the next several years before going multiplatform in the following console generation. Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $66. ... This article is about the video game company. ... Nintendo Company, Limited (任天堂 or ニンテンドー Nintendō; NASDAQ: NTDOY, TYO: 7974 usually referred to as simply Nintendo, or Big N ) is a multinational corporation founded on September 23, 1889[1] in Kyoto, Japan by Fusajiro Yamauchi to produce handmade hanafuda cards. ... Naughty Dog is an American video game company founded by Andy Gavin and Jason Rubin in 1986. ... Way of the Warrior is the title of an ultra-violent fighting game released for the ill-fated 32-bit 3DO CD-ROM system by Boston studio Naughty Dog. ... This article is about the first game in the series. ...

Sega did not fare as well. They had tasked their American studio, STI, with bringing Sonic the Hedgehog into 3D. Their project, titled Sonic Xtreme, was to feature a radically different approach for the series, with an exaggerated fisheye camera and multi-directional gameplay reminiscent of Bug!. Its development was rocky, due in part to conflicts with Sega of Japan and a rushed schedule, and the game never made it to market. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Picture of Jade Gully level. ... Fisheye 15 mm (type: equisolid angle), 35 mm-film, cropped by slide-frame. ...

Reshaping the genre

Super Mario 64 replaced the linear obstacle courses of traditional platform games with vast worlds.

In 1996, Nintendo released Super Mario 64. Until this time there had been no established archetype for bringing platform games into 3D. Mario 64 set a new standard and would be imitated by many 3D platformers to follow. Its gameplay allowed players to explore open 3D environments with greater freedom that any previous attempt at a 3D platform game. Nintendo reintroduced the analog control stick to their controller (analog sticks were standard with some early consoles like the Atari 5200 and the Vectrex, but had since been abandoned), allowing for finer precision needed because of the free perspective. Players no longer followed a linear path to the ends of levels, either, with most levels providing objective-based goals. There were, however, a handful of "boss" levels that offered more traditional platforming, and showed what a more direct conversion to 3D might have been like. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Super Mario 64 ) is a top-selling platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ... An analog stick from the GameCube game controller An analog stick, sometimes called thumbstick, often mistakenly referred to as a joystick, is an input device for a controller (often a game controller) that is used for two-dimensional input. ... The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply Atari 5200, is a video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari as a replacement for the famous Atari 2600. ... The Vectrex is an 8-bit video game console developed by General Consumer Electric (GCE) and later bought by Milton Bradley Company. ...

Some argue that many modern 3D platformers, especially those influenced heavily by Mario 64 are not platformers at all, or at least are not really an extension of 2D platformers.^[43] Super Mario 64 brought a change in the goals of some platformers. In most 2D platformers, the player only had to reach a single goal to complete a level, but in many 3D platformers, each level had to be combed for collectible items such as puzzle pieces (Banjo-Kazooie) or stars (Super Mario 64). This allowed for more efficient use of large 3D areas and rewarded the player for thorough exploration, but they also often involved more elements of action-adventure games, and less jumping on platforms. However, not all 3D platformers were like this. Crash Bandicoot and Sonic Adventure featured more linear action-oriented obstacle courses, similar to the traditional platform model. Super Mario 64 ) is a top-selling platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ... Banjo-Kazooie is a 3-D platform/adventure video game for the Nintendo 64. ... Super Mario 64 ) is a top-selling platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ... This article is about the first game in the series. ... Sonic Adventure ) is a video game created by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998 in Japan by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast. ...

As platform games settled into this new free-roaming model, it became necessary for developers to program a dynamic, intelligent camera. This was a non-issue with 2D platformers, which were able to maintain a fixed viewpoint. The addition of a free camera also made it more difficult for players to judge the exact height and distance of platforms, making jumping puzzles more difficult. Some of the more linear 3D platformers, like Tork and Wario World use scripted cameras that allow for minimal player control. Others with more open environments, like Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie needed intelligent cameras that follow the players movements.^[44] These intelligent cameras are not perfect, and require the player to adjust the view at times when the view is obstructed, or simply not facing what the player needs to see. Other games like Sonic Adventure use a combination of scripted angles and free control, which has presented its own unique problems. There has not been an agreed-upon solution to the camera problem, and most games in the genre are prone to at least some of these issues.^[45] Jumping puzzles are sequences in computer and video games, particularly in the genre of platformers, where the player is required to use jumping to proceed, often in a manner that requires precise timing or landing in an exact manner. ... Wario World is a video game developed by Treasure Co. ... For an article on the series, see Banjo-Kazooie (series). ... Sonic Adventure ) is a video game created by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998 in Japan by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast. ...

Platformers into the present

Psychonauts was not a commercial hit, but its creativity earned it critical acclaim

3D platformers never managed to achieve the kind of popularity or relevance that 2D platformers held. Much of this is simply the result of a diversified market. Final Fantasy VII was a major commercial breakthrough for RPGs, first person shooters were steadily rising in popularity, and more complex action-adventure games like Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid were capturing consumers' money. Even so, Tomb Raider became one of the best selling series on the Sony PlayStation and many of the Nintendo 64's best sellers were first and second-party platformers, like Super Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong 64.^[46] Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... As a hit-driven business, the great majority of the video games industrys software releases have been commercial failures. ... Final Fantasy VII ) is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix), and the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy video game series. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A first-person shooter (FPS) is a computer or video game where the players on-screen view of the game world simulates that of the character, and there is some element of shooting involved. ... Action-adventure games (British English: arcade adventure) are video games that combine elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. ... Resident Evil, known in Japan as biohazard ), is a survival horror video game by Capcom and is the inaugural title in the Resident Evil series. ... This article is about the original Metal Gear Solid released for the PlayStation. ... For the movie staring Angelina Jolie, see Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. ... The original PlayStation was produced in a light grey colour; the more recent PSOne redesign sports a smaller more rounded case. ... The Nintendo 64 ), often abbreviated as N64, was Nintendos third home video game console for the international market. ... Super Mario 64 ) is a top-selling platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. ... Banjo-Kazooie is a 3-D platform/adventure video game for the Nintendo 64. ... Donkey Kong 64 is a 3D platformer video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64. ...

By the sixth generation era, platformers were no longer seen as hot system sellers. Sega finally produced a 3D Sonic game, Sonic Adventure, on their new Dreamcast console. It used a hub structure like Mario 64 but featured more linear, action-oriented levels, with an emphasis on speed. Although the game was a hit, it was not enough to save the Dreamcast from an early discontinuation in 2001.^[47] The sixth-generation era (sometimes inaccurately referred to as the 128-bit era; see section below) refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at the turn of the 21st century. ... Sonic Adventure ) is a video game created by Sonic Team and released on December 23, 1998 in Japan by Sega for the Sega Dreamcast. ... The Dreamcast , code-named Dural, Dricas and Katana during development) is Segas fifth and final video game console and the successor to the Sega Saturn. ...

Nintendo launched their GameCube console without a platform game, but in 2002, they released Super Mario Sunshine, the second 3D Mario game. While the title was well-received at its time of release, it has since received criticism regarding such factors as its low number of levels, the lack of variety in its locations, and its level design, which featured an abundance of open space making for a much slower pace.^[48][49] Others found its relaxed pace soothing, but it remains one of the less popular games in the series. It featured difficult platform areas that were similar to the Bowser levels from Super Mario 64 with a focus on traditional platform jumping. The Nintendo GameCube , GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the sixth generation era. ... Super Mario Sunshine ) is a 3-D platforming video game develope