Platformer
video games from the early 1980s to the mid 1990s, now all but forgotten by the majority of gamers and developers. Games like Tomb Raider may be seen as modern versions of platform games, and many of the old platformer franchises live on in 3D form.
Traditionally, the platform game scrolls right to left, with the playable character viewed from a side angle. The character climbs up and down ladders or jumps from platform to platform, fighting enemies, and often has the ability to gain powers or weapons. Later on, the term came to describe games where jumping on platforms, as opposed to shooting, was the main gameplay focus. These include games like Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong Country. However, many platform games feature projectile weapons, including the Castlevania franchise.
Chronology of significant platform games
- Space Panic (Universal, 1980)
- Donkey Kong (Nintendo, 1981) - first game featuring Mario (although named Jumpman at the time)
- Pitfall! (Activision, 1982)
- Miner 2049er (Big Five Software, 1982)
- Manic Miner (Bug-Byte, 1983)
- Monty on the Run (Gremlin Graphics, 1985) - ZX Spectrum & CBM 64 classic
- Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 1985)
- Mega Man (Rockman) (Capcom, 1987)
- Haunted Castle (Konami, 1988) - predecessor of the Castlevania series
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (Nintendo, 1990) - highest grossing console game before Pokémon
- Commander Keen (id Software, 1990) - first major PC platformer
- Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega, 1991)
- Donkey Kong Country (Rareware, 1994) - featured revolutionary computer generated graphics
- Super Mario 64 (Nintendo, 1996) - first truly 3-dimensional platform game
See also
