The Definition of Genre ep.2
The Definition of Platformer
Recently, I completed Ori and the Blind Forest, a metroidvania style game in which one must save the forest after its light has been stolen by a giant evil bird. It’s a beautiful and difficult indie game that everyone should play. Enter shameless plug here. A metroidvania is a subgenre of “platformer.”
Anyway, it got me thinking about what makes a platformer a platformer. Like most forms of media, there are key elements that make platformer stand out from regular action games.
The modern concept of a platform game came to fruition with 1983’s Super Mario Bros. While games such as Space Panic and Donkey Kong appeared years before, Super Mario Bros. would go on to become a million dollar seller and essentially codify the platformer concept. The primary goal of platform games is to travel from point A to point B while navigating through various, er, platforms. Most platform games also include hazards that must be avoided including the classic pitfall. Some games also include enemies and puzzles in order to spice up the mechanics of the game. However, the most important mechanic of any platforming game is the ability to jump. Most 2D games after Super Mario Bros. would go on to include platforming mechanics including Dead Cells, Megaman, etc.
As years went on, many new mechanics and versions of the classic platformer appeared. One of the most notable is the metroidvania. Named after the franchise Metroid and Castlevania, these games emphasize exploration and the accumulation of skills. Early in the game, the player may discover hidden locations or jumps that seem just a bit out of reach. By progressing through the game, they will eventually be able to return to this area and retrieve said goodies. This subgenre essentially changes the goal from “reach the finish line” to “explore the area.”
In 1996, the platform genre experienced the biggest shift it’s had to date. 3D platform games came into existence. With Super Mario 64 in June and Crash Bandicoot in September, new classics were created. With a new dimension added, platforming games took on new mechanics and features previously impossible. Super Mario 64 offered a free camera which was previously unseen in most games. This allowed players to look around and move in complete 3D. This title also created a central hub in which the players could play around in and test abilities before entering a level. Crash, however, offered a more classic feel. While Mario 64 experimented with new ideas, Crash simply translated 2D platforming into 3D mechanics while also incorporating chase sequences and missions with more dense requirements than “reach the end of the level.” Most 3D platformers acted as collect-a-thons in which the player was expected to collect items from around a given level in order to proceed forward. Some of these collectibles contained plot reasons, while others simply existed for the sake of gameplay.
In the end, both games inspired many that followed it including the Jak series, Ratchet & Clank, and many more titles even until today.
However, in the years that followed the life cycle of the Playstation 2, platforming games have lost their flair. Many games include platforming mechanics such as Guild Wars 2, but there are few pure platforming games. The Mario franchise is still going strong, however most classic platformers failed to continue on. Spyro no longer exists as a platforming title. Crash consistently under-performed until the PS4 port released. Ratchet & Clank managed to live far longer than most other titles due to the Ratchet & Clank Future series, but also flopped eventually due to the quality of All 4 One.
However, some newer platform games have gained notoriety. Games such as A Story About My Uncle, Yooka-Laylee, Ori and the Blind Forest, and A Hat In Time have shown that a combination of creativity and nostalgia can convince old and new players to reinvest into platformers.
Most notably, platforming concepts never left the industry. Guild Wars 2 continues to update the MMO with platforming puzzles. Uncharted is the natural evolution of platforming. Most would be hard pressed to find a world with no platforming elements. These elements allow the world to not only look three dimensional, but feel three dimensional. Platforming has even become a mainstay in 2D fighting games, created and codified by Super Smash Bros.
I think my point is that platformers will never be the triple A titles they were in the past, but they’ve influenced nearly every game we play today. And games that introduce new takes on the classic genre will always find themselves into the indie market. Sleep tight.
