Back in the 80s and 90s, when console gaming was in its infancy, the definitive genre of video games wasplatformers. Despite a few periods of dormancy, platformers are still alive and well today, and I think we can attribute their enduring appeal to these giants of yester-year.
While platformers certainly weren’t the only genre out there in the olden days, they were the best way to showcase a console’s basic appeal as a thing you could have fun with.
The original Super Mario Bros. put the NES on the map, and for good reason: it was proof positive of the NES’s capabilities as an entertainment device, necessitating high-speed, engaging action gameplay. Whether it was the NES, SNES, Sega Genesis, PlayStation, or N64, it was always the platformers leading the charge into customers’ hearts.
If you’re looking to experience a bit of that nostalgic flavor, there are more than a few retro platformers that have aged surprisingly well, and are worth trying if you may do so.
Just to keep things interesting, we’re going by the one game per franchise rule.
10Dynamite Headdy
Everyone Loves Swapping Power-ups
Dynamite Headdy
One of the secret masters of the 16-bit and 32-bit eras of gaming was Treasure, a Japanese video game developer that had action games down to a science. Its novel uses of power-ups and boss designs in games like Alien Soldier and Gunstar Heroes are still the stuff of legends to this day. One of my favorite Treasure games of that era is Dynamite Headdy, the game that made puppet shows cool.
Dynamite Headdy is a fairly straightforward action platformer, wherein the titular puppet has to save his show stage from a cavalcade of wacky wind-up malcontents.
Headdy’s only base ability is attacking with his head, though he can shoot it in eight directions and grab poles to pull himself up. By finding power-ups, you can get temporary buffs and weapons like lasers, time-stopping, double-damage, and much more.
In typical Treasure fashion, the bosses are the highlights here, with weird and wacky designs that made the most of the Sega Genesis’s graphical processing capabilities. It also had a little helper dude point out a boss’s weak spot before and during fights, which was nice, as it wasn’t always readily apparent.
Stretch ‘N Shoot
If I told you to name a mascot platformer on the Sega Genesis starring a spikey-headed dude with an emphasis on high-speed movement, what would you say? Sonic, right? A fair answer, but not the only one. The Genesis was home to another speedster which debuted late in the console’s lifespan and maintains a small, yet dedicated fanbase: Ristar.
While also being a speedy character, Ristar’s shtick isn’t just running fast. Rather, he’s all about momentum and slingshotting, using his stretchy arms to grab onto enemies or solid posts and flinging himself forward like a rubber band.
If you can build up enough momentum, either horizontally or vertically, Ristar will start glowing like a meteorite, blasting away anything in his path.
It’s a very… geometrical kind of platforming, for lack of a better word. You learn to get a good sense of how far and fast Ristar will fly when slinging him, as well as the ideal launch angles when flying off a spinning pole or bouncing through a narrow hallway. you may’t just hold right and run for this one, something I learned the hard way the first time I played it.
Never Forget What They Took From Us
I’m still unhappy about how Ubisoft treatsRayman, the character who issupposedto be their brand mascot. Hisoriginal romp on the PlayStation in 1995was one of my favorite games growing up, but Ubisoft barely even acknowledges him anymore.
I don’t care how many token cameos they give him in Netflix series and Rabbids games, I will keep my love of classic Rayman fresh in my heart until he returns to prominence someday.
Compared to the later games in the Rayman series like Origins and Legends, the original Rayman is a much slower-paced platformer, emphasizing precision platforming and the occasional bit of problem-solving. It was also a game that throws a lot of mechanics at you, such as periodic ability upgrades and special sections like riding around on the giant mosquito guy.
I think what really drew me to Rayman in my youth was its unmistakable style. It was a colorful, cartoony game with distinct themed locales and an excellent soundtrack. It would’ve made a great animated series, and there actually was one made, though it was canceled after like, four episodes. Thanks for that, Ubisoft.
7Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse
Where’s Grant, Netflix?
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
You might not know this if your first exposure toCastlevania’s wider story was the Netflix show, but the game that show was loosely based on was Castlevania 3 on the NES. That game introduced Trevor, Sypha, and Alucard, though they also had a fourth friend, the wall-climbing pirate Grant. Major missed opportunity there, Netflix; Grant would’ve been awesome in the show.
All that aside, Castlevania 3 showed a greater refinement of elements introduced in the first two Castlevania games. Like Simon’s Quest, it was a non-linear game, though instead of an open map, the game would present you with branching paths as you progressed through levels.
What was especially cool was that you could swap between Trevor and one of his party members as your playable character, using their abilities as necessary to help you progress.
Interestingly, the game actually has multiple endings, determined not only by the paths you take, but whether you recruit the whole party and who’s by Trevor’s side when all is said and done. It was a surprisingly in-depth system for an NES platformer, and a building block for what would come later.
6Mischief Makers
Shake Things Up
Mischief Makers
Returning once more to the Treasure well, one of the biggest cult-classic releases on the N64, not to mention the first 2D sidescroller released on the platform, is Mischief Makers. Odds are good you haven’t heard of this one, probably because it never got a sequel. Treasure doesn’t make games anymore, and its publisher, Enix, was absorbed by Square. It’s worth hunting down, though.
Mischief Makers’ primary gimmick is its protagonist, Marina’s ability to grab and shake pretty much anything that isn’t nailed down, whether it’s projectiles, enemies, or chunks of the stage.
Shaking stuff can change an object’s properties or shift topography, so you’re encouraged to get a handful of anything and everything. The gameplay has a bit of a learning curve to it that turned some players off, but once you wrap your head around it, it’s a lot of fun.
Part of what gives this game its enduring appeal is its exceptionally silly, anime-like presentation. It kind of plays out like a forgotten Saturday morning cartoon, with lots of recurring characters and concepts. I’d love to see it return as a show someday, though I can’t even begin to guess who owns the rights currently.
5Donkey Kong Country 2
Less Donkey, More Kong
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
It’s difficult to determine what makes a good sequel, but I think at the bare minimum, it should be like the previous entry, but better in every way that matters.
The best game in the originalDonkey Kong Countrytrilogy is a contentious topic, but I’m pretty sure the majority of players would say that Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest is the standout among its siblings, despite its lack of a playable Donkey Kong.
Donkey Kong Country 2 follows the same basic formula as its predecessor, giving you a linear map of stages to overcome across a handful of larger zones. The first big thing you notice is that the game is a lot more vibrant than the first, with more expressive character animations, brighter and more varied backgrounds, and some top-shelf music.
Additionally, there’s a much heftier helping of gameplay variation, taking you to different biomes, introducing consistent new types of enemies and helper animals, and even slightly varying up abilities between Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong. It really is just Donkey Kong Country again but, like, better. That’s all there is to it, really.
4Mega Man 2
Has Two J-Rock Songs About It
Mega Man 2
The secondMega Mangame has an enduring place in gaming pop culture history, in large part because it has two indie J-rock songs based on its soundtrack: “Omoide wa Okkusenman” and “Air Man ga Taosenai.” This doesn’t have anything to do with the game’s actual quality, they’re just awesome songs. Look them up.
More to the point, Mega Man 2 has some of the most recognizable levels and Robot Masters across the entire series, with heavy-hitters like Air Man, Wood Man, and Quick Man, as well as their respective, punishingly difficult levels.
As notoriously hard as this game is, it’s far more accessible than its predecessor thanks to the introduction of new mechanics like unlockable traversal items, E-Tanks for restoring your health, and a password system for saving your progress.
Prior to the release of Mega Man 11, Mega Man 2 was the best-selling game in the entire series, and is still regarded as one of the best entries. It was one of the first Mega Man games I actually managed to beat, and considering how bad I was at video games growing up, that’s saying something.
3Sonic 3 & Knuckles
The Lock-On Masterpiece
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
For those unfamiliar withSega Genesis technology, the cartridge forSonic & Knuckleswas a one-of-a-kind “lock-on” cartridge. Basically, it had a little slot on top, which you could pop another compatible game onto to basically fuse them together. You could do this with a couple of different Sonic games, but the best one was undoubtedly Sonic 3, the combination of which yielded Sonic 3 & Knuckles.
Sonic 3 & Knuckles allows you to play through every stage in both Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles as Sonic, Tails, or Knuckles, bringing Knuckles to the former game and Tails to the latter.
Combining the games in this way gives you the full scope of their respective experiences, subtly tweaking each level depending on the character you’re playing to give you the best playstyle.
Doing this also gives you the most additional content, as while you may still get Chaos Emeralds in special stages as usual, you can also upgrade all of them into Super Emeralds to unlock everyone’s hyper transformations. While you can still play the merged game digitally, the fact that you could bring such a thing about with lock-on cartridges had an undeniable cool factor.
2Super Mario Bros. 3
More Quality Of Life Than You’d Expect
Super Mario Bros. 3
Back in the NES days, the concept of “quality of life” in a video game wasn’t really a thing. This is why so manyNES gameswere so hard, because they didn’t really need to take your comfort as a player into consideration.
Super Mario Bros. 3, while not exactly having QoL standards on par with today’s, was definitely a big step in the right direction for the series, and a great game besides.
Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the map system that would become standard in 2D Mario platformers in the modern day, allowing you to choose your level order, as well as backtrack to get power-ups and lives as necessary. You could also store power-ups to deploy before levels instead of having to enter dangerous territory in a vulnerable state.
While it wasn’t the first Mario game to have trade-off co-op, Super Mario Bros. 3 also had features to keep the two-player party going, like allowing players to share lives between each other. This was great when your friend got a game over, but you had a couple of lives to spare to get them back on their feet.
1Kirby Super Star
Eight Games In One
Kirby Super Star
Kirbyhas always been one of my top-runners amongst Nintendo properties, and I attribute a large portion of that affection to the good first impression I got from him when playing Kirby Super Star on the SNES. Not only is this game an excellent showcase of the Kirby series’ general gameplay loop, it was an excellent purchase for a cash-strapped kid in the 90s thanks to how jam-packed with content it was.
Kirby Super Star is made up of eight different games and campaigns, most following the typical Kirby formula while others change it up.
Spring Breeze and Dyna-Blade are straightforward linear platformers, The Great Cave Offensive has an explorable Metroidvania-style map, Meta-Knight’s Revenge has timed levels, and Milky Way Wishes allows Kirby to freely swap between unlocked copy abilities.
Besides the main events, there are several smaller game modes, including the infamous Gourmet Race against King Dedede, The Arena for aboss rush mode, and two minigames, Samurai Kirby and Megaton Punch. Kirby Super Star isn’t just a great Kirby game, it’s a full-on showcase of everything the devs could think to do with the character, and a wonderfully dense, engrossing experience for it.
