Theplatformergenre is one of the great staples of gaming. Many players' first foray into video games was a platformer. Whether it was being entrenched in thebattle between Mario and Sonicfor supremacy, or your favorite streamer playing a game that enticed you, platformers appeal to practically everyone.
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Many platformers get their well-deserved flowers. Others, however, release with little to no fanfare, either from the public or critics. While they may have a small number of dedicate fans, they go largely overlooked by the masses receiving nowhere near the status of their contemporaries.
10Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero?
The Prinny pals from Disgaea get their own game. It’s the pals, plural, because Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? does not feature a single Prinny, but a thousand. Every time a Prinny loses, one of their friends pick up the mantle and continues on.
The game is a standard 2D platformer, but adds a lot of options for variety, thanks to its items. You can get standard things thatrestore your health, or even a tank that shoots lasers to help defeat the multitude of foes.
9Sanabi
Sanabi is a dystopian platformer with a cyberpunk edge and frantic action. You play as a retired vet searching for answers after a blackout causes the population to disappear. And you must also deal with corporate corruption.
The main hook of Sanabi is, well, its hook. Namely, a prosthetic arm that allows the protagonist to reach heights and depths most people can’t. The hook is simplistic, but provides a lot of versatility, allowing you to hook onto enemies as well as terrain, giving you a lot of freedom in movement and combat.
8Loopmancer
While most platformers like to have 2D or pixel graphics, Loopmancer employs a 3D art direction with more realistic graphics. Featuring a beautiful, futuristic world, you play a detective who is killed during an investigation into a reporter’s disappearance. You awaken at your apartment as you are presented with a new case: a reporter’s disappearance.
True to its name, Loopmancer is all about death and reincarnation. When you die, you get a chance at new abilities and weapons to help you overcome whatever foes stand in your way.
7Hue
Hue seeks to add a bit more color into the world ofdrab platformers. If you’ve played games like Limbo then, aesthetically, Hue may seem familiar. However, as you play through it, you’ll realize it’s quite different. This is thanks in part to its color mechanic.
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In Hue, you find color shards throughout the game that allow you to change the color pallet of the world whenever you want or need. This allows new areas to open up or previously unsolvable puzzles to have a solution to them.
6Mischief Makers
When you think of the platformers on Nintendo 64 you think Mario 64 or some other3D gamethat shows off the tech. Rarely do you think of a 2D platformer, yet that’s what Mischief Makers is. In fact, it was the first ever one on N64.
You play a robotic maid on the hunt to rescue her creator. She can shake nearly every object in the game, leading to it dropping loot or changing its properties. It can become a weapon or a different type of platform, leading to a variety of different outcomes.
5They Bleed Pixels
They Bleed Pixels was released a little too early to be fully appreciated. These days, players dive headfirst intooverly challenging gameslike Elden Ring, and the difficulty of They Bleed Pixels was one of the biggest criticisms.
You play a girl transforming into a monster, haunted by her dreams of blood and guts. Every night she enters the world, doing her best to survive and destroy any enemies that block her path. It’s a fairly bloody game and makes no bones about reveling in the gore.
4Yoshi’s Woolly World
Yoshi’s Woolly World is a fantastic addition to the Yoshi series, though it’s a shame not many people can play it. It launched on the maligned Wii U, and eventually found its way to the 3DS, but received little fanfare, despite selling over a million copies.
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Woolly World changes the Yoshi formula by having Yoshi lay balls of yarn instead of eggs when eating an enemy. This gives him various options to utilize the yarn, like immobilizing enemies or creating platforms for gaps that he couldn’t cross any other way.
3Neon Abyss
Neon Abyss harkens back to the days of Contra. It’s a colorful rougelite shooter-platformer with run and gun gameplay. You make runs that are customizable in terms of difficulty and character to collect items andpower-upsto assist you in defeating enemies and, eventually, the final boss.
The action is fast-paced, while the power-ups and special abilities of the characters keep the gameplay fresh for any and every run. Even something like hatching pets can keep things engaging as you tear through dungeon after dungeon.
2Gunpoint
Gunpoint has you play as a spy named Richard Conway who typically takes easy freelance missions to steal information or tech. Unlike other spies that can be something of a bullet sponge, Conway dies in a single gunshot, so he must avoid the guards at all costs.
Luckily, he’s equipped with gadgets to help him avoid detecting. He can jump up great distances, scale walls, and even rewire circuits to help distract or hinder guards. He’ll need all the help he can get as he seeks to clear his name in a murder investigation.
1Life Goes On: Done To Death
Death is only the beginning as the game is built around that very concept. The game requires you to sacrifice knights to solve puzzles and progress. While this may sound bleak, Life Goes On wraps it all up in over-the-top comedy to keep things light.
In contrast to other platformers, where dangerous hazards may cause you to pause, Life Goes On wants you to jump headfirst into it. The charm of the comedy, coupled with the unique approach to progression, and whimsical music creates a package that is something truly special.
