RAD INDIE 3D PLATFORMERS! - Nitro Rad

Been playing a lot of 3D indie platformers as of late, so let's take a solid look at a bunch of them! From long awaited throwbacks like Clive 'N Wrench, to Analgesic's new masterpiece Sephonie!
SOCIAL MEDIA:
/ nitrorad
/ nitroradofficial
/ nitrorad
GAME LINKS:
Clive N' Wrench:
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/10...
Hell Pie
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/88...
Sephonie
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/12...
itch - han-tani.itch.io/sephonie
PsiloSybil
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/16...
itch (Demo) - cancrizans.itch.io/psilosybil...
Toree 3D
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/15...
Super Kiwi 64
Steam - store.steampowered.com/app/19...
itch - siactro.itch.io/super-kiwi-64
CHAPTERS:
0:00 - INTRO
1:16 - Clive N' Wrench
8:49 - Hell Pie
15:10 - Sephonie
22:16 - PsiloSybil
27:08 - Hey!!! Play Toree 3D!!
27:31 - SUPER KIWI 64
30:40 - Conclusion
31:50 - End Slate

[@CeHee123]

Nitro introducing me to obscure games is something I will never stop enjoying.

[@Youngson113]

Suavemente

[@niclaswa5408]

This is why I love Nitro Rad, because he talks about games he’s passionate about, no matter how obscure they are.

[@sebastiantafoya3609]

@@Youngson113 Besame!

[@Gonzas97]

Being introduced to obscure stuff is always enjoyable and interesting

[@nolancho]

Oh shut up! What a stupid thing to say.

[@solidskullz5736]

Good to see that platformers are still thriving. So much creativity and personality goes into them

[@jonathanwilson7949]

Heck yeah best genre

[@Woobuggy848]

I've never been happier to see them return. 😇

[@nolancho]

Oh shut up! What a stupid comment

[@KHAce]

Fun Fact: Toree 3D and Super Kiwi 64 are made by the same developer. He releases new stuff all the time, and they've all been pretty solid. You can get his whole library for under $10.

[@NostalgiaNerd777]

I'm surprised no one brings up that Clive's single and high jump animation is very much like jak's jump from jak and daxter

[@samuel-rw3xt]

I miss jack and Dexter so much dude, it's a shame that it is so hard to emulate

[@101kirbyfan]

​@@samuel-rw3xt isn't there a full fan made pc port for the game now? The first one at least, not the others

[@samuel-rw3xt]

@@101kirbyfan I dunno, I mainly want to play 2 and 3

[@NostalgiaNerd777]

@@samuel-rw3xt dood, same especially when it came to the second one, plus I'm unsure about the ports

[@robertnomok9750]

@@samuel-rw3xt Whats hard about it? Just played trilogy few months back on my pc.

[@Leron...]

As someone who quite literally one month ago spent a solid 45 minutes tracking down a single opal on Rex Marks the Spot in Ty the Tasmian Tiger, I really appreciate that being the clip you used to express the struggle

[@laurentmarcoux2144]

yup also that's obvious but i like how you can see ty jump into the water right before it cuts to the other game

[@Pridetoons]

Thank You Nitro Rad for your coverage of Platformers!

[@BynineStudio]

thanks so much for the plug for Cavern of Dreams, James!!! i can't wait for you and everyone to see the full release. and i'm very excited to see you dive back into retro games! so many interesting things to discover

[@Lupiniunstar]

The demo I got to play during Next Fest was amazing and too cute! I'm so excited for the full game, it's already looking so good.

[@nkw1985]

Please bring it to PlayStation if possible!

[@therunawaykid6523]

Look forward to playing it! I a have loved 3d platformers since I first played the first crash bandicoot on the ps1 in the mid 90’s

[@cyanflower]

not knowing what could potentially lurk in Sephonie's world after what happens in both Anodynes has me really interested in finding out what's going on myself

[@alexevaldez]

Nitro Rad your videos are an inspiration to us indies. I love how you mentioned Clive was being made back in the days with the help of this channel. And right now im brainstorming if I should do a 3d Platformer and then you posted this video.

[@B05SxBrennan]

Frickin' do it. I need more to play. :D

[@Chiller31916]

Dew it

[@ElioHosri]

i love the new format nitro i would love a 1 hour special

[@skapokonroll]

The Clive 'n Wrench "wall of old game boxes" really caught me off guard because when I saw that there was a game called Wally Wombat, my mind went "oh, a reference to Willy Wombat, Crash Bandicoot's original name" And then you showed a real game called Willy Wombat that I've literally never heard of Also shoutouts to that easter egg for referencing the Pixar PS1 platformers. They're some of my favorites of that generation.

[@therunawaykid6523]

Spiral the dragon, toy tales 2, beasts ltd 😏😏😏

[@golbibulbus5183]

Willy Wombat is only in Japan, so I guess the developers of Clive n Wrench haven't heard of it. So they went with Crash's pre-release name.

[@MasterZebulin]

Also, "Trouble with the trolley, eh?"

[@manicrhymes9552]

@@MasterZebulin Not as bad as "I went boom again"

[@thehyperstar123]

Super Kiwi 64 and Toree 3D were actually made by the same developer, Siactro! I've been following him and I'm looking forward to more projects!

[@_Klonoa_]

Hell Pie was absolutely amazing and I am so glad you are talking about it. It's my favorite of modern platformers along with hat in time and demon turf. Also so happy to see whiplash get mentioned

[@notheotheralex6213]

Mmm, that Super Kiwi 64 aesthetic is very to my tastes. Especially the casually creepy N64 stuff. "Wow game, you sure are eerie." "Yea" "You gonna try to scare me?" "Nah" Definitely one of my favorite vibes.

[@TheIronKoala]

When Mr. Rad talks about 3D platformers you will find me shoveling them into my wishlists like my life depended on it

[@anotherwastedlife]

Sephonie really is a very special game, even if it isn't for everyone. Its story can be so deeply personal at times that I feel kinda bad I don't love it as much as Anodyne 2 - but for anyone who loves indie games and really looks for the artsy side of the medium, you really owe it to yourself to check it out.

[@lunaline9657]

the glide animation in Clive N' Wrench gives me Whiplash vibes. Love it

[@therunawaykid6523]

Yeah with the rabbit and weasel characters

[@tangomushi]

Glad to be here early! Always appreciate you giving the indie scene some attention. TOREE 3D and Super Kiwi 64 (and virtually anything else by this dev) are some of the most authentic, faithful platformers out there, so I'm glad you like them too! Looking forward to another one of these rapidfire indie videos if you ever make another! Great job as always!

[@adamwhaley1819]

So I’ve been watching you for maybe about three years now. I was at a very low point in my life and your channel helped me through it immensely. I went through your entire catalogue at the time, and frequently revisited it. I still do turn your older stuff on if I ever need a casual thing to listen to. From the intro, to the outro music. The way you narrate the videos and especially the games you cover. This whole channel feels downright nostalgic to me. Thank you for everything you do man.

[@analgesicproductions]

thanks for the review, really glad you liked it!!

[@3ndg4m3]

I got to “stiggies and jars” right as I was taking a drink. The fact that I managed not to spray it across the room as I laughed is a point of personal pride.

[@enlongjones2394]

The banjo kazooie music stuttering with the following lines is so good.

[@grant9637]

Sephonie is so good. Analgesic productions can’t make a bad game it seems.

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

Something coming soon that you absolutely need to look at is Return to Yoshis island. And i know you don't cover romhacks, but it straight up looks like a Dreamcast game, and its running natively on the N64

[@NitroRad]

You know if it'll run off an everdrive?

[@EnigmaticGentleman]

@@NitroRad The developer said it would (also the tech demo did)

[@TheCartoonGamer8000]

I almost forgot how cool Psilosybil looked. Thanks for reminding me I gotta keep tabs on that thing when it eventually comes out!

[@minimalchill]

This was awesome! I’d love more compilation videos like this. This convinced me to try Clive N Wrench & Hell Pie. :)

[@Geno746]

I'm liking the variety episode. It's cool to see some lesser known games and getting general thoughts. I'd love to see more of these.

[@BloodyMastersword]

2:14 I really love the PS1 and PS2 platformer references, even though I don't get all of them. 😄 There's Sly Cooper, Ratchet & Clank, Jack & Dexter, Sphinx, Spyro 1, Spyro 2, Willy Wombat, Toy Story 2, Banjo Kazooie, Ape Escape, Gex, Monsters Inc., MediEvil, A Bug's Life...

[@NiNtenBricK]

6:46 the nostalgia jumpscare by the random ribbit king appearance certainly got me

[@sailoritaly]

I’ve heard mixed things about Clive n’ Wrench and I was on the fence on getting it. You just convinced me to give it a try. Thanks James!

[@BloodRedFox2008]

For me I'm just debating on if I wanna grab it on PS5 or Switch. On one hand one part of my brain is saying Switch only because it feels like more of a throwback to games I associate with Nintendo consoles like Banjo-Kazooie (though with some Whiplash as well), but at the same time I know the 60 FPS on PS5 will certainly make the game feel smoother. Then again I guess if "retro" is the feel I'm looking for maybe Switch will be better in that regard since the Switch's lower framerate and slightly less detailed textures can make some games feel more retro (for example playing Tormented Souls on Switch makes the game feel even more like a PS2 throwback).

[@dezimo]

I bought it based on this vid and honestly i'm getting the strong vibe that Nitro purposefully avoided mentioning a lot of the more damning issues, most likely because he was worried it'd put people off supporting that dev. Like it feels purposefully misleading this time rather than just a difference of opinion. You might feel differently from me, but just a slight warning that it might be worth tempering expectations.

[@Lupiniunstar]

I love this look at multiple 3D platformers you did here! It gives each of these indie games time to shine. I love your deeper dive videos but I know that's not possible for every game, so it's so great to see you do this to give some exposure to these games. Plus I love hearing your opinions on games, something about the way you talk about and review games just makes me so happy. You always want every game to have some bright spots, and I adore that.

[@tanookiplayer]

Glad to see the indie scene give some love to the 3D platformer genre. I haven't heard some of these games before but I'm interested in trying out Sephonie & PsiloSybil at some point.

[@therunawaykid6523]

I’m sure psilobill will bring back those crash 1 rages

[@nk361]

Just found your channel through this and already LOVE that you have Bionicles in the background, what a nice dose of nostalgia to see them again

[@gamingindication7051]

Something about old style 3D platforms just makes me feel warm and comfortable. Heavy nostalgia and all that!

[@Ospyro3em]

I'm constantly learning of new 3D platformers through this channel and I love it!

[@FreshKitty]

THANK YOU, I instantly added a few of these to my cart and hit buy, you cover these niche games that I know I'll LOVE, you've singlehandedly given me over 100 hours of fun I wouldn't have had in my past and may have just done it again

[@ddd9482]

This video was great! can't wait to see more like this, even though is not a FULL cover I love the fact you show them all to everyone to know, thanks a bunch!

[@genevaheyward2737]

Definitely love these indie game videos ^-^ Happy you got to play Sephonie it's so good

[@sol_ARG]

i honestly like this format way more than i was expecting! great overview of a lot of cool sounding games! i'm interested in hearing more about toree 3d though, i saw that "horror" tag on the steam page screencap👀

[@saturnmunchies]

Sephonie looks so incredible!!! I'm totally trying it out. Thank you for showcasing these games!!

[@NintendanGX]

I highly recommend the Spark the Electric Jester games. The first one is a Sonic/Kirby inspired 2D platformer, but Spark 2 and 3 are fully 3D platformers, with a focus on high-speed platforming. Spark 3 especially is such a fun game, that it makes me wonder what Sonic Team's excuse is.

[@Laekith]

Wym "what Sonic Team's excuse is", Frontiers is amazing. It's basically Spyro 1 but with Sonic and with MGR boss battles

[@NintendanGX]

​@@Laekith Sonic Frontiers is an okay game with a lot of Jank, questionable design choices at every corner, bosses that are flashy but mostly lacking in substance, an unbalanced combat system that can be gamed by spamming the most effective moves ad-nauseum until you face the 1 or 2 enemies that require a couple of stomps or cycloops or spammable counters, and infinite, farmable collectibles that cheapen the value of exploration. Exactly how is it anything like Spyro 1? Spyro 1 had clever level design that'd often loop in on itself, with finite treasure to find and collectibles in hard-to-reach places that incentivised exploration. Sonic Frontiers is nothing like Spyro 1, with its open patches of land that'll have Sonic constantly crashing into invisible walls and constantly interrupting the game's flow. Spyro's levels were varied, unique, and fun to complete, whilst Sonic Frontiers has 2 debatably good levels at the start, then an awful third level with forced, monotonous 2D segments that prove Sonic Team have no faith in 3D game design and need to shoehorn 2D in as a crutch, an empty 4th level that's only used as a setpiece until they threw in collectible music notes, and a 5th level that's literally part of the first and 4th's geography. Not to mention the awful Cyberspace levels that recycle content from past games, half of which poorly accomidates Frontiers' controls and physics. That should answer your question. Sonic Frontiers doesn't do any one thing particularly well, save for the spectacle of the combat. The actual quality of the combat system is leagues behind the best of its genre, like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta and Ninja Gaiden. As an open-world/sandbox game, it's already been beat by Xenoblade Chronicles, Breath of the Wild, Elden Ring, Gravity Rush and Sega's own Yakuza games. As an open-ended platformer, it lacks the fun movement mechanics and intricate level design of the 3D Mario games, the Banjo games, the Spyro games, Jak & Daxter, Snake Pass, and just about any other collectathon platformer you can think of. And as a 3D Sonic game, it still can't match the level of quality from 20 years ago, which puts into perspective just how little Sonic Team have grown or improved since then. Yes, it certainly isn't 06, or Boom, or Forces, but when that's the bar for quality, and when it fails to compete with the best of its industry, it's just pathetic. Sonic Team are incompetent game designers, plain and simple. The fact that you'd even compare this game to Spyro is just insulting to Spyro and good game design. Frontiers isn't a bad game necessarily, but it's clear to me you still haven't developed any standards for quality games. You need to broaden your horizons. And if you'd actually played the Spark games, we wouldn't even be having this conversation.

[@RacgoonGamer967]

I love your video reviews of platformers, Rad. It's so relaxing and enjoyable to watch. They're my ASMR.

[@Tekkenandgaming]

Awesomely done as always man, keep it up with the great videos. Love for platforming games!

[@D3th10rd]

I'd love to see more of these Rad Combo videos, finding a collection of these hidden gems to share and give attention to cause all of these games look amazing and I look forward to trying them out!

[@gertgamma4485]

Really loving the format for this!

[@hellbreakfast1590]

AHHH I'M SO EXCITED TO TRY THESE GAMES! Especially Sephonie! It seems so sweet! Thanks for your coverage, watching you through the last few years (my wife was the one that got me started, watching your stuff on the tv, until I finally actively sought out your channel on this account so I could watch at my computer!) I trust your reccs!

[@coconutwater99]

This is a great format thank you for giving exposure to these great games

[@VonFirflirch]

The little side bar at the end of every showcase is VERY welcome :D

[@kiricappuchin]

Sephonie looks beautiful. The mechanics, story, music, art, accessibility options galore.. its something I dont see very often in 3D platformers. I'd have to check it out sometime.

[@grant9637]

Sephonie has become one of my favorite games of all time. I highly recommend it

[@J_Ciner]

Really loved this video! It's always so fun hearing you talk about really cool indie games and I love that this gave you an opportunity to cover stuff that might have otherwise fallen by the wayside

[@eyezacb2775]

So hype for some more indie recommendations. Picked up Demons turf after your video on it and I'm absolutely loving it!

[@wasuh464]

Hyped for this next year. Definitely do this style video more often too. You put me on a lot of platformers i'dve otherwise missed entirely. This is a great way to get most of them at least some sort of spotlight. Hope for a pt2!

[@boomfanfic-a-latta8996]

All of these NitroRad videos on 3D Platformers, especially Indie ones like this or old N64/PS era platformers, really inspire me and make me want to make my own 3D Platformer :D

[@77winkster]

I think this format for a video is excellent! I would love to see some of your recommendations bundled up like this every once in a while. Maybe one for horror indi games!

[@fritslec1277]

I hope to see way more of these videos! It can be difficult to stay in touch with all indie games of genres that interest you nowadays, and videos like these really help and are very fun too watch :). You talking about games you enjoy is just always a good time!

[@CosmicTornado1]

I’d love to see a video of even more of these. Videos like these are great ways to find good recommendations

[@tyche_ml]

Thank you for this video, it really brightened my day to be reminded of Sephonie. :) All those Analgesic games really stick with one.

[@guyunderwood2297]

I like the variety format and the info boxes at the end of each chapter were top class.

[@GHorta-dp2km]

Hi nitro Rad! I love the variety of this video and would love to see more like it! Your long videos are nice, but it feels like this sort of format gives a lot of attention to games that wouldn’t otherwise get it.

[@CarelessFoolFallsFlat]

Oh yeah, these are scratching my nostalgic itch real good, though I gotta say that Sephonie manages to be interesting in a whole new way than most of these. Totally up to see you make another!

[@ace94d]

Fun to watch, love to see the Toree 3D and Super Kiwi 64 love! I'd definitely enjoy another 3D platformer compilation like this, it is one of those things you feel like an expert of and where getting to hear it is great for recommendations. Thanks for the vid!

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

Your 3D platformer vids always manage to make me feel like a happy kid again!

[@carterh2342]

Thanks so much for making this man. I loved this format of video. Lots of games I have to wish list and go have a good time with

[@ps2lover666]

Man I love this format so much, rapid-fire recommendations are so valuable to me

[@scabzilla]

I'd definitely love to see more of these jam pack style videos ❤ Absolutely gonna buy Hell Pie right this second!

[@bigaquafan]

I would love another video like this! You have been my main source on all things 3D platformers. That's my jam and peanut butter lol thank you for all you do!

[@mathewmcgee8029]

Heck yeah, do lots of indie videos. I loved this and will be getting a bunch of these because of you!

[@RFieth]

I would absolutely watch another one of these. Basically every game covered here went instantly on my Wishlist.

[@americanduckling]

Personally i love this format; i definitely hope to see more "check out these games" type videos from you, whether they're platformers or otherwise

[@Shadowsamaman]

Dude! Definitely gotta do another video like this in the future! I never knew about any of these except Clive n Wrench so I'll do some looking into them. Thank you!

[@tageorder1354]

Amazing video nice change of pase! Loved the format definitely going to check some of these out!

[@respecttheyoshi]

Thanks for clueing me in to Big Catch and Cavern of Dreams, dude. As someone who avoids a lot of social media, I don't get to see a lot of smaller projects like this unless they get shown by people like you, or during the HubWorld event that got ran some time back.

[@CorthosFellrin]

The love for indie games in this video is great. They needed the coverage for sure. And you used Rad in your title? See It's not a bad name. Great video dude! You should do more of this! :)

[@NikoJr.]

2:15 That "Trouble with the Trolley, Eh?" reference is appreciated

[@COOKERZILLA]

the collection video format works good- appreciate the cuts to footage without trying to be a meme... its great to SEE the game your talking about when comparing things to the past

[@potomax]

Really hope this will become a recurring thing, this was super enjoyable!

[@ethendorreviews975]

Sephonie looks crazy cool I've been meaning to play the Anodyne games for a while now too so I might force myself to finally play those this year

[@anguset]

I seriously hope you don’t burn out on this topic soon, there’s so much here that’s new to me, I feel like you’re providing a window to another world

[@bromeliad9683]

Great video. The game that most interests me in this batch is Sephonie, because the whole concept of that game seems fascinating.

[@DGTheMii]

Another great one I'd recommend is Super Bear Adventure. It's currently only on mobile devices (it has controller support), but will be getting a switch port later this year.

[@brianriff8550]

This is such a good vid! i love the variety of games you picked, it's such a fn collection of different vibes and styles. If you wanted to, I'd love to see this become a series! Just, highlighting whatever cool 3d platformers you've found that you wanna put a spotlight on.

[@funny_bunny]

Another great video! Loved the new format! Can't wait to see the next videos!

[@FastTquick]

Great to see coverage for a lot of 3D platformers released these days. I’ll definitely check out Clive & Wrench and Hell Pie when I get the chance one of these days. I would like to see a review of Pizza Tower for a change. Especially since it has a cameo of a character from an obscure platformer that was reviewed on this channel.

[@PeacockLover127]

I have been CRAVING to play some 3d platformers recently and this video could not have come out at a better time.

[@sarazganjar4571]

I love the new format! I'm definitely trying some of these 😊

[@mattlandry]

Awesome video! I love the format. Nitro rad always makes me love video games more (if that's even possible). Great work!

[@drewby4701]

Excellent video, my dude!! Thanks for the recommendations!

[@TheTrueFool]

Can't wait to check out some of these games! I hadn't heard of Tinykin until you talked about it in your best of 2022 video and I ended up buying it ande loved it.

[@aroncarbajal4922]

Thanks for covering these games man i already got toree and i'm so excited to play it

[@ryancarless7921]

Love the video, these games look fun especially the Clive and Wrench game. Classic platformer design

[@hendosboxofmystery1359]

I'm so glad you covered tori 3d, I was obsessed with that game for a while after I found it on the switch

[@anthonymorin400]

Thanks for Hell Pie! didn't know I needed that in my life!

[@Cocoricoow]

Toree is extremly good how simple it is ! The sequel is really good as well, also, thank you for putting the games link in the description !

[@macklin4839]

must have missed this on my subscriptions page. i’ve been looking forward to this vid!

[@Jescribano1]

This was a very fun watch! Hope it does well and you can justify making more!

[@Ennbeard]

I *love* these kinds of videos. AND with how reasonably priced all of these games are my wallet ALSO loves these videos! Thanks, indie devs! I basically just finished and immediately went to steam to grab every game here except two (one of which I already owned). Last time (I think your top 10 for 2021) I immediately grabbed Blue Fire, Eastward, and Demon Turf.

[@smitie1405]

Thanks for the very useful video. Will look for Clive and Wrench and the devil pie game.

[@commercialchase8442]

The way the music cuts out from 28:25 to 28:37 made me laugh my ass off. Amazing work as always!

[@Saxdude26]

Everytime I see James talk about or showcase Strangers Wrath, it makes me happy. And everytime he gives indie games some spotlight, that amplifies tenfold!

[@kuroir4854]

Ngl man i really love the content you do. The passion you have for platformers reminds me of the peaceful days of being younger and playing them, been going back and collecting a few digitally and physically recently and it's really taken me back to simpler times. Would love to see you cover the Spark The Electric Jester trilogy at somepoint

[@debrec4266]

This is amazing. I love when you talk indie game, and I hope you make more when you can.😊