2D Platformers / Metroidvanias

I play them because they have precision and simplicity, and are a joy to play in a way that many 3d platformers are not.

Which isn't to say that I enjoy all of them! Just that, on the whole, I'll enjoy, say, a 2d (or 2.5d) Mario more than a 3d one.

Also, I'll take any excuse to shout out for Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom, which is better than Hollow Knight and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. BLUE SKIES IN GAMES

I play them because Super Mario World is the pinnacle of videogaming, and I keep hoping I'll find something that comes anywhere near close.

When they're done properly, when the controls are right, the momentum is just right, the levels designed properly, they're just pure joy to play. It's all about control - once you've played Symphony of the Night a few times it's far from challenging, but it just feels so damn silky smooth and controllable that it's fun to just negotiate the map.

Having not played a 2D Nintendo platformer for years, than starting New Mario Deluxe on Switch, you realise just how far ahead of everybody else they are. They just understand how these games should feel.

Love the first two Sonic games, the rest tried to add too much stuff in and slowed them down a bit - kind of missed the point for me. I've got Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze in the pile, seems very competent indeed from the ten minutes I've had.

MolarAm🔵 I have both of these in the pile. Trying to decide which to play first.

It definitely has its moments. It's been a while, but I do remember some really aggravating sections, there's a lot of sitting on moving platforms which is a massive bugbear of mine. it drops quite regularly though, defo worth the fiver it drops to every now and again.

I think one of the reasons (particularly for platformers) is that you can perfectly see where you're going and jumping. In 3D games this can be pretty awkward. While replaying Super Mario 64 recently--which is an awesome game--I frequently had issues with camera and perspective. It could be difficult to figure out how far and large the next platform is, to figure out how to control my jump mid-air, and the camera sometimes moving around mid-jump didn't help at all. Jumping on a Goomba, one of the most fundamental actions in a Super Mario game, is just much easier in the 2D games. ​I always thought SM64 would be one of the games that would benefit most from stereoscopic 3D.

In 2D platformers that's simply no issue whatsoever, it is as clear as day. And the less time you need figuring out depth perception and moving the camera around instead of just jumping there because it's obvious, the better. Platformers are probably the most obvious genre where moving to 3D causes issues, unlike shooters like Doom whose 2D precursors are probably best thought of as top-down shooting games.

You move so quickly from getting to learn the game to just doing it all intuitively, which I think plays a major role in feeling gaming bliss. Another thing is that you actually see everything around you, no matter which direction you're facing. It's like having a 360-degree awareness of things which you just can't have in 3d games unless you set your FOV to 360 which is super awkward to put it mildly.

Agree with you marcp that having great control can make just jumping around feel good. I'm strongly feeling this in 30XX and Bloodstained's Zangetsu mode.

Many thanks, I was looking for that indie game that Konami shamelessly stole and just couldn't recall the name, turns out it was Splosion Man and Capcom's (not Konami's) MaxPlosion. Going to look into that further.

Love 2D platformers, though I haven’t played any in a while. I own multiple games and own a bunch I’ve not even played yet. Super Mario World was my first intro to then, and is probably still my favourite of the lot. Have re-played it many times before. Would love for a remaster with full widescreen and 1080p (if not 4K) - keep everything else the same. Would love this to happen with Super Metroid too, except maybe adjust the super-floaty jump on that one.

Big fan, finished Axiom Verge the other night and loved it. Which then lead me down the rabbit hole and I found Environmental Station Alpha. Not played it yet, but it's a similar theme. The downgrade in fidelity could be too much to take though I think.

Incidentally I've been playing Horace recently. It's very enjoyable. Quite charming and funny to.

In my mind, a true metroidvania should have simple, fast traversal and combat, enemies are only really there to get in the way a bit and slow you down, to make backtracking easier. It's more about exploration than combat (which is why I think HK is a bit different)

It's a really vague term though

I can highly recommend The Eternal Castle Remastered. Which it isn't. Remastered that is, though it almost fooled me. It's great.

I'm pretty certain that nobody used the term 2D platformer until 3D platformers already existed and became popular. Prior to this they were just platformers, a name that stuck from the days when games like the original Mario Brothers featured a static screen with coloured blocks hanging in black space.

As such, 2D platformers don't really exist as a distinct genre, it's a loose generalised term that might cover anything featuring a character jumping, what about some other games that meet those criteria? Is Contra a platformer? How about Metal Slug? Is Turrican a platformer?

Maybe it needs to be more specific, 2D pixel graphics and jumping = 2D platformer. But what if somebody made a first person game in the classic Doom engine where you have to try (and probably fail) to climb and jump various pits... But hold on, Doom already featured jumping, is this a long lost member of the 2D platformer tribe?

Perhaps you just know it when you see it. What is Yoshi's Story for the N64? What is Klonoa for the PS1? If they're 2D platformers where does Jumping Flash fit in? Ah, 3D platformer. But what about Klonoa?. 2.5D Platformer! What the Hell is 2.5D? There is a Z axis in Klonoa yet it's not 3D? Klonoa has been measured and it has exactly half a Z axix. What if a sly, sneaky 3D game hides it's Z axis? What if a dirty, con merchant of a 2D game fools you into seeing a Z axis that isn't really there? Like Nebulus (A.K.A Tower Toppler).

In videogames, traditional genre demarcation is dying. 2D platformer works for the time being when a certain number of people still know what you are talking about. Making distinctions based on how a game was rendered will probably become as nonsensical as a library categorising books based on paper stock and binding type. Past that point, loads of games from what we considered distinct groupings will probably just get rolled up into 'fantasy adventure', 'action adventure', 'thriller', 'horror' etc. But no romance, there was never any romance in videogames.

Your definition of 2.5D is incorrect. You can't have a 2D plane and also a Z axix, everything called 2.5D is 3D with a fixed camera but it's still 3D.

Unless you're focusing on retro games, in terms of mechanics nearly everything boils down to just a few genres post mid 90s. Graphic adventure/Visual novel, Action/adventure, RPG, Puzzle and Simulation/Management. Action adventure has become so mechanically broad it encompasses stealth, platforming, beat em' up, action RPG etc. It's probably going to consume all the other genres besides the mobile puzzle games.

Platformers haven't been a distinct genre since the days when you could buy Bubble Bobble from Woolworths.

Another person who played this! I loved it, if you like flashback etc it's a must!