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Video Game Platformers

Platformers are a genre of videogame that came to be in the early 80s.They are characterized by having stylized and iconic main characters and gameplay mechanics that involve jumping and avoiding obstacles. The have existed in both 2D and 3D forms and have spanned all generations of video game hardware since their inception.

Super Mario Series

Year of Release

1985

Console Titles

Handheld Titles

Gameplay Mechanics

The objective of the game is to progress through levels by defeating enemies, collecting items and solving puzzles without dying. Power-up use is integral to the series. The series has installments featuring both two and three-dimensional gameplay. In the 2D games, the player character (usually Mario) jumps on platforms and enemies while avoiding their attacks and moving to the right of the scrolling screen. 2D Super Mario game levels have single-exit objectives, which must be reached within a time limit and lead to the next sequential level. Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced the overworld, a map of nonlinear levels that branches according to the player's choice. Super Mario World introduced levels with multiple exits.

3D installments in the series have had two subgenres: open world exploration based games and more linear 3D games with a predetermined path. Levels in the open world games, 64, Sunshine and Odyssey, allow the player to freely explore multiple enclosed environments in 360 degree movement. As the game progresses, more environments become accessible. The linear 3D games, whose titles include either "Galaxy" or "3D", feature more fixed camera angles and a predetermined path to a single goal.

Crash Bandicoot Series

Year of Release

1996

Console Titles

Handheld Titles

Gameplay Mechanics

Crash Bandicoot is primarily a platforming series. The goal of each level is to guide Crash from the beginning to the end, travelling either into the screen, towards the player or left and right in a side-scrolling manner. Several levels place Crash in unique situations which require the use of motorbikes, jet skis, submarines and various wild animals to reach the level's end.

In the original Crash Bandicoot, Crash's moveset is rather limited; he can run, jump and spin his way through treacherous environments and hostile creatures. Cortex Strikes Back introduces several new moves for Crash to utilise, including a high jump, high spin jump, body slam and slide attack. Warped expands on this by awarding the player with new abilities after each boss is defeated, which was carried over to The Wrath of Cortex. The players can also spin and slide at the same time when pressing the right buttons.

Ratchet and Clank Series

Year of Release

2002

Console Titles

Handheld Titles

Gameplay Mechanics

The Ratchet & Clank games feature a mix of platforming, action and role-playing gameplay elements presented in the third person perspective, focused on the use of unique and unusual weapons and gadgets that Ratchet gains over the course of each game. Ratchet starts each game with his versatile Omniwrench for melee attacks, but new weapons are made available by completing missions or buying them through a weapon vendor. Most weapons have a limited amount of ammunition, requiring the player to use weapons effectively to avoid running out of firepower. Ammunition can be restocked from vendors or by breaking crates scattered about the levels. In most later games, weapons can be upgraded through both repeated use of the weapon and by purchasing weapon modifications. The weapons in each game can range from standard weapon archetypes such as machine guns or sniper rifles to unique weapons such as transformation guns and decoy launchers. Typically the weapon set is a mixture of new weapons for the current title, and weapons returning from a previous title. In the case of Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal, the weapons returning from the previous game can either be purchased or the save file from the previous game can be used to obtain them for free and/or a reduced price.

In addition to weapons, Ratchet gains many gadgets with varying uses. Some gadgets are necessary to travel about some levels, such as "Grind Boots" that allow Ratchet to grind on rails, or a Swingshot (portable, reusable grappling hook) that allows him to grapple a target and swing across gaps. Other gadgets can be used in combat as a means to distract foes, and others are needed to unlock certain doors and thus continue missions; in these cases, the player typically must solve a puzzle minigame in order to successfully use the gadget and unlock the door.

Each game is broken down into a series of missions that take place on numerous planets across the galaxy. While most objectives must be completed in a certain order to progress the main story, other objectives are optional but can lead to useful rewards. Once the player has completed a mission on a planet, they can typically return to any previous planet they have visited to attempt missions they could not complete before. In addition to objectives based on platforming and weapon elements, missions may include minigames such as various races and arena combat. Typically, one or two of these minigames must be performed as part of the main story, but further optional challenges can be done to earn greater rewards, typically in the form of "bolts", the unit of currency used throughout the game. There are also missions that focus on Clank, often controlling a set of smaller robots called Gadgebots, to travel through areas that Ratchet cannot.