Platform games

Platform game, or platformer, is a video game genre characterized by jumping to and from suspended platforms. It must also be possible to control this mechanic, and indeed to be able to fall from or miss platforms as well. more...

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These are really the only defining characteristics as there are exceptions to any other suggested criteria. It has been suggested that platformers must have a jump button, and indeed nearly all of them do, but there are some games that use other jump mechanics, like swinging from extendable arms, as in Ristar or Bionic Commando.

During the 8 and 16-bit console wars, nearly every company felt the need to produce a flagship platform game. During this time the genre had games from all styles of gameplay and theme. Cartoony \"mascot\" platformers were the most popular, but others featured lifelike human characters, futuristic sci-fi settings, or medieval fantasy backdrops.

Platform games originated in the early 1980s and 3D successors were popularized in the mid-1990s. Sometime after the genre's inception, the term came to describe games where jumping on platforms is an integral part of the gameplay. However, it is not a purist genre, and is very frequently coupled with elements of other genres. As long as the platform mechanic remains a dominant part of the gameplay throughout a game, it is still thought to be a platformer. Because of this, there are many diverse sub-genres of platformers, with some blending the genre with shoot 'em up or adventure elements.

History

The single screen era

Platform games appeared in the early 1980s, when video game consoles were not yet powerful enough to render 3D images or video. They were confined to static environments fitted to the screens, with the playable character viewed from a profile angle. The protagonist climbed up and down ladders or jumped from platform to platform. The first game of this kind was Space Panic. Whether or not this game is a platformer is debatable, as it didn't have a jumping element, nor any ability to fall, but it was definitely a direct influence on the early platformers that would follow.

It was followed by Donkey Kong, an arcade game created by Nintendo, released in July of 1981. It was the first game that allowed players to jump over obstacles (including pitfalls), which would make it the first true platformer. Even so, Donkey Kong had a limited amount of real platforming in the first two screens, but the other two have a more pronounced platform jumping component. This game also introduced Mario, an icon of the genre. Donkey Kong was ported to many consoles and computers at the time, and the title helped to cement Nintendo's position as an important name internationally in the video game industry.

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