



Games where the player is given a firearm and emphasis is put on such weapons are known as " run-and-gun" games, with some famous examples being Contra and Metal Slug. However, the presence of this trope isn't necessary for a game to be considered a platformer, as games such as Metroid, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Castlevania, and the Mega Man series are still characterized as platformers because they have a dedicated jump button and jumping is still a large part of the gameplay. popularized the idea of defeating enemies by jumping directly on them, and many other platformers have followed suit. 1984 saw the release of Pac-Land, a game that would serve as inspiration for the game that would popularize the platformer, Super Mario Bros. Jump Bug was the first game to use side-scrolling levels. Many early platformers had a single static screen, with a common goal being to either reach the top of the stage or collect all of a certain item. In the traditional 2D platformer, play progresses from left to right, and many of the older games only allowed movement in one direction.Įarly platformers evolved out of arcade games like Space Panic (1980) (which had platforming through climbing ladders, but no jumping) and Donkey Kong, released a year later, which added the ability to jump between platforms and over obstacles. Bottomless Pits and other kinds of pit traps are common hazards. Climbing, swinging, and other acrobatic maneuvers may also be utilized to get around. As a rule, Player Characters in a platformer can jump really high, and are usually able to change direction in mid-air to correct their trajectory. Rocko, Nicktoons: Attack of the ToybotsĪ Platform Game or Platformer is a subgenre of Action Game characterized by gameplay dominated by jumping between platforms of varying heights while avoiding enemies and obstacles.
