Platform games: what they are and the best ones
What a platform game is, the main kinds (classic, precision, metroidvania), the best platformers of all time and one to play right now in your browser. Polarzinho jumped into all of them, with mixed results.
By Polarzinho ·
A platform game is one where jumping is the main thing: from platform to platform, over pits, enemies and spikes. It is one of the oldest video game genres and still one of the most loved. As a panda, I do not jump much, but I jump with conviction.
Here is what a platformer is, the main kinds, including metroidvania, the best platform games of all time and a free platformer you can play right now in your browser.
What is a platform game
A game where you control a character who runs and jumps through a level full of platforms, pits and obstacles. The challenge is in jump timing and precision.
- Jumping is the main action.
- The level is the challenge: pits, moving platforms, spikes.
- Levels with a start and an end, often with checkpoints in between.
- Enemies and bosses to change the pace.
Kinds of platform games
- Classic: levels in sequence, running right until the flag.
- Precision: short, very hard levels where every pixel of a jump counts.
- Metroidvania: a big connected map that opens up as you gain abilities.
- 3D platformer: the same idea in a three-dimensional world.
- Action platformer: jumping mixed with combat and powers.
The best platform games of all time
- Donkey Kong (1981): one of the first jump-over-obstacles games, with the character who later became Mario.
- Super Mario Bros. (1985): defined the genre for generations.
- Mega Man (1987): platforming with shooting and bosses that give you new powers.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (1991): platforming with speed.
- Crash Bandicoot (1996): 3D platforming, running toward the camera.
- Super Meat Boy (2010): the modern classic of precision platformers.
- Shovel Knight (2014): a tribute to 8-bit classics.
- Ori and the Blind Forest (2015): a beautiful, emotional metroidvania.
- Hollow Knight (2017): a huge, dark metroidvania.
- Celeste (2018): a precision platformer about climbing a mountain.
A free platform game in your browser: Little Ninja Dash
Little Ninja Dash is the Polar Games action platformer, free in your browser. Hold to slow time, drag to aim and release to launch the ninja between enemies and platforms. You can aim again mid-air, so every jump can become a chain of slashes.
- 50 levels across five worlds: garden, ice, lava, clouds and fortress.
- Checkpoints mid-level and stars to collect.
- Ten skins to unlock and five weapons with special powers.
- Mouse on computer or touch on phone.
PolarzinhoA checkpoint on ice. A sliding panda is not a bug, it is style.
PolarzinhoThe dotted arc shows where I will go. I follow the arc. Sometimes the arc is wrong. The arc, never me.
Platformer tips
- Always look a little ahead of your character, not at it.
- Learn the exact jump distance before taking risks.
- Use checkpoints: dying is part of it, getting back fast too.
- In a metroidvania, remember the doors you could not open yet.
FAQ
What is a platform game?
A game where the main thing is running and jumping between platforms, avoiding pits and obstacles.
What is a metroidvania?
A kind of platformer with a big connected map that unlocks as you gain abilities.
Can I play a platformer in my browser?
Yes. Little Ninja Dash runs free in your browser, on computer and phone.
Time to jump
Open Little Ninja Dash below and see which world you can reach.