4 Types of 2D Platformers to Play (And Where to Find Them!)

[@WhatGameBefore]

Games covered in this video: - Super Mario Bros - Limbo - Ori and the Will of the Wisps - Mega Man - Super Mario Bros 3 - Super Mario World - Super Mario 64 - Braid - Bionic Commando Rearmed - Deadlight - Sonic the Hedgehog - Sonic Mania - Mega Man 11 - Kid Icarus - Celeste - Ghosts 'n' Goblins - Contra - E-SWAT - Metal Slug X - Altered Beast - Another World - Prince of Persia - Flashback - Hue - Sonic CD - Super Metroid - Castlevania - Shantae: Half-Genie Hero - Ori and the Blind Forest - Dead Cells - Iconoclasts

[@mariowario5945]

Enemies in megaman arent just obstacles that can be jumped over, they are roadblocks which require your attention and effort to fight, there is a good balance between combat and platforming in megaman, which is why I consider it an action platformer, and not just a hop and bop, or simple retro platforming game which soully focuses on jumping over obstacles and tricky jumps above all things

[@WhatGameBefore]

You're right, and not the only one to call out the missing action-platformer category. At some point I will need to correct that in a future version of this video!

[@Alianger]

Mine looks a little different (I would add action platformer and collectathon, maybe endless runner too) but this was a well structured and edited breakdown.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Action Platformer has become a bigger category in the last 10 years or so - that's a good shout-out. I'd not heard of collectathon platformers but seeing games like Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot in there makes a lot of sense! I may need to make a follow up video in the future 😀 Thanks for watching!

[@BigOleWords]

Great video man! I would maybe say there's a distinction between the action platformers like Mega Man and the traditional platformer like Super Mario Bros just in terms of how weapons are used. There's also arcade puzzle ups like Donkey Kong, and also beat em ups with platforming elements like Double Dragon.

[@WhatGameBefore]

That's fair. There is probably enough platformers with and without weapons to be their own types. I did stay away from most arcade platformers as they are a mixed bunch, with a lot of one game features from those early days 😀

[@BigOleWords]

@@WhatGameBefore Yeah for sure, I just feel like Ice Climbers and the like are an interesting version of the genre.

[@consvolt-void]

I think precision platformers like Celest and Super Meat Boy and auto runners like Geomatry Dash and 8-Bit Runner should have gotten their own sections. Besides that, great video.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for the feedback - a few people have called out some missing types for games like the ones you mentioned. I should start planning a part 2 of this video 😀

[@theARDISAN]

Thing about this is that some people also apply games like Mega Man into the Precision Platformer type

[@consvolt-void]

@theARDISAN It is true, but they would probably classify more towards other sub-genres due to their different play styles.

[@WhatGameBefore]

I would put Mega Man 1 in a precision platformer genre if I could group these again.

[@Animatorduck]

This guy needs more subscribers

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thank you so much!

[@josefflorianAV]

Great video but a bit misleading with the terms used (of course...what's in a word with genres, but hear me out). I don't consider run & gun, metroidvanias, as well as hack & slash as platformers...although they might have elements of platforming. All of these games you mentioned are primarily action games, but rather than saying platformers, they should be listed as 2D sidescrollers. A run & gun / hack & slash game might involve jumping on platforms, but typically the main skill that comes out is your ability to kill and avoid being killed by enemies. Same goes for metroidvanias, but the element of exploration and backtracking (as opposed to levels) is then added, as well as bosses, which leads us to games like Hollow Knight, or the classic Wonder Boy series. A true 'pure' platformer challenges you on the platforming front mainly. Celeste, Super Meatboy, VVVVVV, Super Hexagon, N, Super Mario Bros, Sonic, and the classic Pitfall, are great examples of platformers. Games like Ori & The Blind Forest sits somewhere between a platformer and a metroidvania. Anyway it's hard to clearly define a genre because there will always be games that do something different, and that's the beauty of it.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Well said! This was an early take of mine on 2D games and I aimed to find groupings of game sub types with platforms. I would counterpoint that the platforms are a necessary part of each game format, even if they're not the central game feature, but a lot of it is personal preference too. Thanks for watching and I apologize if you felt it was misleading!

[@ChicagoRetroGamer]

Awesome video, and really digging the games you highlighted! Cheers and rock on!

[@legbender1584]

imagine using switch online instead of emulators🤣

[@WhatGameBefore]

I don't have to imagine - this is me already 😀 There is an audience for Switch Online though over emulators - people without a PC or a Steam Deck, kids who have a switch already but don't know how to get emulators set up, etc. Go with your preference for these retro games though!

[@GreyWolfLeaderTW]

It's interesting to watch this video, even though I'm more into 3D platformers.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks, I appreciate you checking out the video!

[@TigerChainsawVideoGames]

Again, such a well done video! Really enjoyed it. If I had to rank my favorite genres of the platformer from your video I'd go... 1. Exploration. 2. Classic. 3. Run and Gun. 4. Puzzle. Have you played The Final Station? I highly recommend it. It's a great explorative platformer.

[@WhatGameBefore]

I've not seen The Final Station before - it looks cool 😀 it's on the list now!

[@WhatGameBefore]

And thanks for the comment! I'd agree on Exploration being the favorite type out of the 4 - so much variety and so many games to keep you busy 😀

[@Kazzildo]

Nice video. I'm a big fan of 2D platformers. All types can be fun to play, but I love the Metroidvanias, specially after Symphony of the Night. After Hollow Night I became even more interested in indie Metroidvanias and retro style platformers, either with the classic mechanics or introducing more modern ones.

[@WhatGameBefore]

There's so many great 2D platformers out there and it's great they're still being made too in this 3D age! I'll confess that I'm working through more Castlevania games and I've not got to Symphony of the Night yet 😳 I will play it this year! Thanks for watching 😀

[@EngineerDJ_Julius]

how many of you know how much Super Mario World has evolved over the years ??

[@WhatGameBefore]

Mario has for sure evolved beyond 2D and are still great games! Maybe that could be a future video? 😀

[@misterperson7070]

What type is the Monolith game Captain Claw?

[@WhatGameBefore]

I've not played Captain Claw - after having a look at the gameplay I'd say it's a classic platformer. Traversal of the levels seems to be your main goal. Have you played Captain Claw and if so, how did you like it? It reminds me of some early Amiga platform games 😀

[@misterperson7070]

@@WhatGameBefore Yeah that game was really popular where I grew up. I just loved the dialogue in that game, it made for a really immersive experience as compared to other platformers I had played where it felt just like me slaying same monsters in different sprites.

[@RewindArcade]

Thoroughly enjoyed this man, incredible work, especially for your first video ever! I always find it strange that people classify the Ghosts ‘n Goblins series in the Run & Gun/Shmup subgenre since I feel it falls much more into the “classic” platformer one. That’s what’s so interesting about genre discussions though. Everyone has different definitions and stipulations of their own. GnG is also a weird franchise because the first two games are more action heavy, but then slowly focus more on pure platforming, and eventually shift into exploration. Kinda cool to see how it transitioned so much over 35 years. Thanks for the video man!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for watching! Ghost 'n' Goblins has an interesting mix of fighting against the enemies and the level itself so it doesn't fit into either category 😀

[@macmacox]

The Humans and Three Vikings are big influences to the 2d puzzle platformer even more so than braid.

[@WhatGameBefore]

That's fair and Three / Lost Vikings is a great puzzle platformer. I made the choice to only include games I own, and I don't (yet) own that game.

[@vaimast]

Thanks, helpfull video

[@WhatGameBefore]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mangymetal]

Never came to the realization that puzzle+platform was the type of platform i like the most. Thanks for that.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for checking out the video! 😀

[@SaijeMage]

i cant believe abes odyssey was never mentioned in this video

[@WhatGameBefore]

It's a good call out - I didn't mention a lot of great PS1 platformers.

[@SaijeMage]

@@WhatGameBefore great video regardless though!

[@WhatGameBefore]

@@SaijeMage Thanks! I only included game captures for ones I owned, and I'm not collecting for PS1 which is why you don't see it in the video.

[@danielclemente1253]

I would like to add two more 2d platformer sub genres: -precision platformer. -cinematic platformer.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for the comment! Do you have some example games for the new sub-genres?

[@danielclemente1253]

@@WhatGameBefore yeah, super meat boy and Celeste for the precision platformer. Another world and Abe odyssey new n tasty for the cinematic platformer.

[@WhatGameBefore]

@@danielclemente1253 That's fair 😀 Thanks for the feedback!

[@OmegaAceGaming]

Found you via Twitter. I'll be saving and checking out a few of your videos, buddy! It's nice to meet you!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks! I've queued up some of yours too 👍

[@OmegaAceGaming]

@@WhatGameBefore I appreciate it!

[@ThiagoSantosAirboy]

Thank you! I’m creating a game and I needed some references. I definitely got it here! Thank you!!!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Glad the content was helpful 😀 Thanks for watching!

[@Xoke-bro]

Great video pal!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for checking out the video!

[@AFriendRemembers]

That's a nice way of breaking them down. Great video

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for checking it out 😀 Spent longer than I'd like to admit figuring out the groupings...

[@tthunder878]

If your into 2d platformers I highly recommend Klonoa as its one of the best platformers of all time

[@WhatGameBefore]

I will have to check out the new Switch release - seen a lot of people playing it recently! Thanks for watching 😀

[@aneess]

to be fair i felt like i was replaying kirby 64 when playing it but it was still fun

[@tthunder878]

I never played Kirby 64 but I will try it if I get the expansion pass, also i think klonoa came out before Kirby 64

[@ypesh]

Excellent video very informative and interesting 🎉

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for watching!

[@thunderm00se88]

Love the video, some great choices and good presentation!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for the kind words 😀

[@strawhatmonty22897]

Found this a year later. Figured you don't care if it's a little late still benefits the algorithm and is feedback. Anyway my 2d platformers of choice lately do include Megaman a little but rn I just bought the klonoa remaster. Having a good time with it. Dead cells n++ ghouls and goblins resurrected and freedom planet have all been played with the last day or so. Freedom planet I played a lot of over the weekend. Played all stars on snes. Tryna beat lost levels so I come back to it here and there to give it a go. Might go save dk from Krool pirate fleet with Dixie and diddy sometime soon. Gave it a break as I'm going for my first run where I get everything and shits hard lol.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks for sharing what you've been playing - that's a lot of games on the go! DK gets into a lot of trouble so it's good to help him out where you can 😀 I'd not heard of Freedom Planet and just checked out the trailer - that looks awesome! I'll definitely get a copy!

[@strawhatmonty22897]

@@WhatGameBefore Hell yea. The story is a little too big for it's britches in freedom planet and a bit corny and anime cringe at points but it basically plays like a if the sega Saturn had a 2d platformer like sonic 3 combined with what I guess is treasure style leveled. I'm sure you've heard of them having played in the 90s but if you haven't they made a lot of the bombastic 2d action games on the genesis and whatnot in the 90s. So it's a nod to games like gunstar heroes (which I believe is made by treasure) and sonic with a mix of other 90s sega inspiration. Most of which probably are treasure titles. Anyway the gameplay feels amazing and it's one of the few 2d platformers to hook me in immediately and keep me playing for a good bit without taking a break from it until I was near end of the game. I've beaten it before on wii u. Bought it on switch recently as playing sonic origins really made me want to play freedom planet again and it has 3 campaigns which I only played 1 of on wii u so I figured I'd go through it again and yea, it's been a blast. Can be brutally challenging sometimes but when I played it on wii u, I had the most fun when it was a particularly tricky boss fight. To which this game has a couple that'll give you a run for your money and a few more that are still decently tough.

[@strawhatmonty22897]

@@WhatGameBefore oh, and thanks for responding. I appreciate that a lot. One of these days I'll complete dk 2 tho lol.

[@WhatGameBefore]

@@strawhatmonty22897 Honestly, I've not finished any of the Donkey Kong Country games 😳 I will finish the first one this year though!

[@strawhatmonty22897]

@@WhatGameBefore I've completed the first one. But I beat the gba version as a kid at least twice. Across emulation and wii u new 3ds and switch I must've beaten it 3 times at least but possibly 4 or 5. Not including the gba version I beat as a kid at summer camp. But only one fully completed playthrough. Beat 2 on 3ds a couple years ago but never 100% it. So I decided to do that towards the beginning of the year. Got 3 worlds in game overed 2 worlds now and a fat break lol. But yea it's definitely worth a full playthrough. It's difficult but I suck at video games and my playthroughs are like 20 some odd hours so if you have skill unlike me it should only take like 8 to 14 for a casual run.

[@garylikesgames]

This was really well done! Consider me a fan!

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks! I've saved a few of your videos to check out tomorrow!

[@garylikesgames]

@@WhatGameBefore oh! Thanks!

[@lynminson5748]

Brilliant.

[@WhatGameBefore]

Thanks!