Best Platformer Games Free

[Melvina Kryder]

Personallyit depends. Usually, I like a 2D platformer to have arrows for movement, and either Space, Z or X as the jump button. Up arrow is also an option if you want simpler controls, or have local multiplayer. WASD work with 3D games best for me (especially if it has mouse controls), but not so well on 2D.

Nice! Thanks for the information. In the gdgames version you can only change the controls in options/controls. While in the other version there is also a remap controls screen at the beginning of the game. I was wondering if the remap control menu of the gdgames version was too hard to find. Maybe just setting more intuitive keys as default and keeping the remap key screen only in the options menu will do, so I will not need to keep that screen at the very beginning of the game. Thank you for the feedback! It was very helpful.

With the recent announcement of Genesis games being playable on the Revolution, I thought this would be a wonderful time to review some classics. Ever since Super Mario Bros was released on the NES, the platformer has been a constant genre in the video game industry. While many of the platformers were simply Mario clones, the 16-bit era was kicked off with Sonic the Hedgehog and never looked back. The Genesis had an especially great selection of interesting and unique platformers that helped Sega compete with Nintendo and the more powerful SNES.

I also should mention that this list is intended to be for Genesis exclusive. I will add a list of multiplatform titles in the near future. (Also, if you notice Streets of Rage and Comix Zone are missing, a beatemup section is soon approaching)

Gunstar Super Heroes has received rave reviews for the Gameboy Advance, so it would be a natural to bring the original back to a new console to show all the kiddies where this great franchise began.

Full Review of Gunstar Heroes

Some enhancements were established in this Contra title such as multiple paths, endings, and selectable characters. Because of this, Hard Corps is regarded among fans as one of the best of the series, not to mention a top-notch Genesis title.

Like the Street of Rage series was outside of the US, both Vectorman games were included as bonuses on the Sonic Gems collection. However, these are good enough titles to be available as individual game downloads.

Full Review of Vectorman

Full Review of Vectorman 2

Alien Soldier

This run-n-gun is considered one of the hardest games ever developed by the cult-classic factory, Treasure, and was released only in Japan and Europe. It is very difficult to find in either region.

Dynamite Headdy

This Treasure action/platformer (also to be included on the PS2 compilation) was not quite as spectacular as Gunstar Heroes, but Dynamite Headdy has everything you look for in a Treasure game: Crazy special effects, tons of sprites with little to no slowdown, an interesting weapons system, psychotic bosses, and trademark Treasure strangeness.

Headdy is an ant who bashes enemies with his head and had many different head upgrades available to him throughout the game. Most of the levels consist of fighting bosses with only small sections of normal battling in between. As a result, the game is incredibly varied, featuring an incredible array of ideas and fast-paced action, while retaining the platform-game mechanic.

Full Review of Dynamite Headdy

Revenge was the unofficial sequel to the original Shinobi (from the arcade, NES, SMS, and more) and the debut of the ninja on the Sega Genesis console, The Revenge of Shinobi was widely praised at the time of its release and, for a while, was one of the most popular games on Genesis.

Shadow Dancer is the second Shinobi title on the Genny and is the official sequel to the arcade game. This time, our hero, Joe Musashi is accompanied by Yamamoto, the shinobi dog. The dog effectively adds a strategic element to the action, allowing you to subdue even the toughest enemies.

Ecco the Dolphin

On the surface, Ecco looks like a typical kids game. However, when you actually play the game, you will immediately find out that it is full of challenging puzzles and adventures. This critically acclaimed title also featured spectacular water effects and a brilliantly colorful undersea world.

In this episode our funky alien friends have accidentally unleashed those disgusting humans from Earth on their home planet of Funkotron. Your job is to capture all of these obnoxious creatures and send them back. In addition to collecting items, you capture the humans by throwing magical jars at them. The visuals are fantastic, with cartoon-quality animation. The two-player mode has been retained, but it has a different feel to it since you must remain on the same screen as your partner.

Full Review of ToeJam and Earl: Panic on Funkatron

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission.

Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network or Amazon Associates.

Oh, the platformer. One of the oldest and most beloved game genres of all time. Its simplicity and ability to get progressively more challenging makes it a favorite for many players, and at one point, it was a go-to for Nintendo and Sega to sell consoles.

Whether you were team Sonic or Team Mario, each offered something different, and that continues to this day. There's a deep history with this genre so listing the best will surely rub some players the wrong way, but anything worth doing will always be difficult. So, with that in mind, here are the platformers that should be considered required reading for practically any gamer with a taste for them.

Updated May 10, 2024 by Amanda Hurych: One of the great things about the platforming genre is watching how it has evolved over the years, from the creation of Metroidvanias to puzzle platformers to competitive platforming adventures. The act of having platforms that your game character jumps over has been iterated upon in so many ways. Our latest addition to this list is a 3D platformer that relies on both the hilarity of its physics and its cooperative, puzzle-solving nature to make it one of the most enjoyable platformers you and a friend could play.

I hesitated to add this to our list of greatest platformers of all time, but given it's one of those few platforming games that's gotten updated over the years with new levels, it's got phenomenal Steam reviews, and I find myself returning to it so often, I went with my gut. Human Fall Flat is a chill 3D puzzle platformer that, perhaps because of its minimalist art style, manages to feel timeless, no matter if you're picking it up now or if you played it eight years ago when it was first released.

You can play through various "worlds" with friends, with each world featuring a kind of gimmick that further uncovers new methods you can use in subsequent worlds. The star of the show is clearly the outrageously hilarious physics. Your little characters waddle backwards and forwards, and you need to pick up blocks or sticks with outstretched arms in order to weigh down movable platforms or depress buttons. It sounds straightforward, and it is. And with a name like Human Fall Flat, would you expect anything less?

A platformer game does not need to possess frenetic action to be considered one of the greats; sometimes, all it needs is atmosphere, and Inside has that in spades. From the creators of Limbo (another iconic platformer game you can find further down in this list), Inside tells the gripping story of a boy on the run, and it does that with zero words. Not a single intelligible word is spoken throughout the entirety of the game.

Instead, as you lope across sodden fields, slink past dilapidated buildings, and work your way through this strange, dystopian society, you slowly pick up bits and pieces of what's going on. There's a disturbing mind-control technology in effect, implemented by those in power, and you're playing as a small child with no resources at their disposal, simply trying to escape. Or are you? Inside's mysterious narrative aside, the art style and puzzle-platforming are top-notch, making Inside one of the best in the genre.

With a wonderfully distinct aesthetic and more personality in a single animation than you might see in the entirety of most triple-A titles, Pizza Tower is a platforming game you shouldn't sleep on. It's got a strangely Sonic vibe as you rush, slide, and whomp your way through levels. And if you know how classic Sonic feels like, you know that Pizza Tower just feels fun to play. So as you're making your mad dash up the titular Pizza Tower to save your pizzeria, there's never a dull moment.

It might sound like I'm describing a simple platforming game where you play as a guy trying to save his pizza place because that's essentially what the game is. But the creativity behind its art and combat and platforming speaks for itself. Pizza Tower is a joy and should stand proudly as one of the best platforming games you can play today.

Spoiler warning, you'll see an array of Super Mario titles on this list of greatest platformers, and for good reason. As the grandfather, nay, the great-grandfather of platforming games, Nintendo has shown it knows what it takes to make a fantastic platforming title, and it continually iterates on the conventions of the genre it helped create.

Nowhere is this more clear than in Super Mario Bros. Wonder. The sheer delight you feel as you play through Wonder solidifies why "wonder" is in the game's title at all. From the rhythm-based levels to Sproings in the Twilight Forest, the creativity on display here is astounding.

Given it's been years since Battleblock Theater first released, you could be forgiven for never having heard of it. But consider this entry to be added education to your knowledge of platforming games if that's the case. The hilarity inherent in Battleblock Theater is a huge part of its appeal. The wacky narrator who tells the tale of Hatty and friends being stranded on an island where they need to perform in platforming arenas for the amusement of sadistic cats is a major draw.

3a8082e126