For anyone who’s followed this site over the years, you’ll have noticed we have a love for platform games (side-scrollers being another term).

Heck, we have a big old list of the very best modern 2D platform games that’s brought in loads of traffic for us over the years. And that highlights just how popular the genre still is—particularly in the indie game scene.

But what’s the history of platform games? Well, we’ve kind of been there almost from the start and seen this genre go from strength to strength. Let’s put on our nostalgia goggles and take a good old look back… starting… now!

Exploring the Minimalistic Side-Scrolling History of Platform Games

The 1884 satirical novella Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions is an interesting starting point here.

Written by E. A. Abbott, it explored a 2D world and played out as a satire for stuffy Victorian class structures, sexism, and snobbery. However, these days it’s the examination of living dimensions that continues to draw intrigue.

It’s something 2D platform games actively riff off.

As the the 2D world the likes of Sonic, Super Mario, Earthworm Jim, and all the rest inhabit doesn’t make any sense. Like, what does Mario see in his games? Living in a 2D world would be very cramped and you’d have to constantly clamber over stuff.

Anyway, the concept makes for great fun gaming.

In the 1970s, with consoles such as the Atari 2600, that kind of game didn’t really exist. There were nods to the potential for platformers, were Atari games were often a were hodgepodge of ideas hindered by technical limitations (see the likes of 1982’s Communist Mutants From Space).

Whilst that was going on, the arcades were delivering some serious upheaval to the potential of video games. All in the form of an exciting new genre initially dubbed as “climbing games”.

Space Panic: The First Platform Game! (arguably)

This is very probably the first ever platform game. Space Panic (スぺース・パ二ック—Supesu Panikku) was developed by Universal and CVS Electronics.

It launched in the arcades back in November 1980.

As you can see, there are platforms and ladders to traverse. And players must dig holes, lure aliens into the ditch, then whack them on the head with a shovel.

Crucially here… there was no jump button.

That removed considerable potential from what the game could do, as the jump button to gaming is akin to the ON button for a remote control. Essential!

However, these early gaming efforts are to be celebrated. Space Panic was a big hit in Japan, but had no major impact outside of that country. In the US it was a pretty obscure non-event in arcades.

However, 1981 had some big things in store for the burgeoning genre!

Hang on a minute! What Even is a Platform Game?

Before we go any further, that’s just it make it clear a platformer is a game where players lead a game character around 2D environments. The idea is to run, jump, and whatever else across environments (“levels”).

The levels will typically be uneven and have suspended platforms to jump to.

Early examples of the genre (such as Space Panic and Nintendo’s efforts) were stuck to just the one screen. You couldn’t move beyond that, up until the second generation of platform games. These are called side-scrollers.

In these, such as the Mario games, you can run and the screen will scroll with the in-game character to open up a much bigger gaming environment.

Nintendo’s Impact and the Arrival of Side-Scrolling

It’s not an understatement to argue Nintendo, and its lead game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, are the two most important things in gaming history.

What they did in 1981 with the below game turned the industry on its heads. It was followed by the era-defining Nintendo Entertainment System and an Italian plumber battling a giant lizard to save a princess in another castle.

As ridiculous as it may sound, that paragraph above was the total foundation for what modern gaming has become. And it all started with…

Donkey Kong the Arcade Game

One of the most iconic games in history, the arcade unit Donkey Kong (1981) is legendary stuff. It’s also the first platform game in its most basic form.

In the game, players take control of Jump Man (later called Mario) and you have to follow a kind of King Kong story to save a woman from a huge ape thing.

This means you have to run and jump your way to the top.

In terms of being influential, this is right up there with Nintendo’s Super Mario platformers. It set the template for what great games could do, leading to copycats such as Miner 2049er, Kangaroo, Congo Bongo, Pitfall!, and many others. All of them launching between 1982 and 1983.

Not that they totally ripped Nintendo off, as many of these titles introduced new concepts and important advances to the genre. Especially with these next few gems!

Jump Bug (and Others) Introduce Side-Scrolling

Developed by Hoei Corporation and Alpha Denshi, Jump Bug launched in December 1981. Players take control of a car and guide it across stages.

Along with Super Cobra and Scramble (both launching in March 1981), these three introduced a side-scrolling screen into the mix.

A crucial step, this helped open up the playing field. Now developers could create more advanced worlds and players could explore wider areas and become more daring with their sense of adventure.

All of this highlights how important arcade games were for gaming as a whole.

We feel that’s often forgotten these days. It’s easy to look back and praise just Nintendo and its NES, Mario games etc. But the truth is many other developers were hard at work innovating and setting the bedrock for that was to come.

And what was that? Well, it did come from Nintendo. It was this thing.

The Impact of Super Mario Bros Level 1-1

The whole of Super Mario Bros. (1985) is a crucial piece of game development. Shigeru Miyamoto directed, produced, and co-designed the project.

It launched in September 1985 only on the NES and was a smash hit. It’s now shifted some 58 million copies worldwide and was also attributed to saving the games industry following the 1983 market crash.

But it’s the first level of 1-1 that’s become so iconic.

Everything about it is a level designer, game playing 101 for how to do things right. It encourages players to:

• Explore their world and boldy head to the right, jump, discover new things, and headbutt objects.
• Jump onto a Goomba and realise your combat system.
• Get a mushroom and powerup into Super Mario!
• Collect coins (the reason why you find out later).

As the player, you’re not instructed to do any of that. Natural inquisitiveness takes over and you feel the urge to explore the level.

All of which is wrapped up in less than 30 seconds, setting the scene for platform games in the decades ahead. Landmark stuff, it must be stressed.

People are still paying tribute to it now, such as on the below demented concept of fireball hell (courtesy of Super Mario Maker).

Nintendo’s influence on 2D platformers continues to this day.

The brilliant Super Mario Wonder launched in 2023 and advanced the formula further still. Long may that continue!

Metroid’s Impact on Exploration in Gaming

Often forgotten amongst Mario’s lasting legacy is Nintendo’s 1986 NES release Metroid. Boasting a (for the time) huge world to explore, it was like nothing else!

There was also a more mature theme, with clear nods to Ridley Scott’s Alien universe, and a high level of skill requirement.

Satoru Okada directed this one.

Although it didn’t have the same sales impact as Super Mario Bros., the scale and breadth of its interweaving side-scrolling areas has to be admired.

It was one of the most ambitious NES titles and ensured it could be carried over to the Super Nintendo for an even more influential sequel.

The 1990s Side-Scroller Era of SNES and Mega Drive Classics

In the 1990s, side-scrollers were the most popular genre on the market. Nothing was bigger than Super Mario or Sonic titles!

You had Sonic and, of course, Super Mario World in November 1990.

This led to lots of other devs trying their corporate hands at capturing a “cool” character to inspire gamer imaginations. Shiny Entertainment hit it big with Earthworm Jim (1994), one of the most surreal games from the era. But also very, very good!

Yet it was an era of cashing in and attempts to capture the Mario/Sonic magic. Devs would cobble together “cool” characteristics in the hope of capturing a slice of the magic (and a slice of the market).

This meant we ended up with crap concepts such as:

• Cool Spot
• Bubsy
• Superfrog
• Gex
• Zool

Stuff like the unusual Mohawk & Headphone Jack (1996), which was an obvious Sonic rip-off masquerading as something a bit different.

In the late 1990s, there were also some fantastic new additions to the platformer world. For example, the Abe’s Odyssey games tried something new and more mature.

Gamers also get the fantastic Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Klonoa: Door to Phantomile in 1997. Both on the PlayStation!

But as the 1990s came to a close, these were thought of as something of a last hurrah. New technology meant more advancing platforming opportunities and 3D appeared the way forward.

3D Platformers Take Over

Nintendo did it again with Super Mario 64 in 1996. It’s difficult to explain now, but this thing just changed everything back then. It was phenomenal. Like Super Mario Bros. 1-1 all over again, but this time in 3D.

Whilst it’s showing its age now, you can’t downplay its importance.

The likes of Rare got behind the 3D platformer act, too, and bettered Nintendo with titles such as Banjo-Kazooie (1998).

We should note, as this was a transitional phase to 3D, a lot of developers had a go and only delivered mediocre results. Even big name developers with classics under their belt struggled (think of Castlevania 64 or Bubsy 3D).

However, it’s been perfected over time. Nintendo has been at the forefront all the way, though, with the likes of Super Mario Galaxy (2007). And more recently there was Super Mario Odyssey (2017), arguably the very best Mario platformer.

Interestingly, SEGA has struggled with the 3D transition for Sonic.

We’re not mocking them there, incidentally, it’s just a shame to see the iconic character stuck in crap like Sonic the Hedgehog (2006).

But other 3D platformers, such as Naughty Dog’s iconic Crash Bandicoot series, have added new dimensions to the platforming arena. And you’ve got the revered Psychonauts games, too.

Despite all that, the popularity of a new time of gaming scene ensured the 3D platformers didn’t take over. Instead, quite the opposite happened.

As you’re far more likely to see an excellent 2D platformer launch with much anticipation these days than a 3D one.

The Indie Scene and the Resurrection of 2D Platform Games

The logical thought in the late 1990s was 2D platformers were now irrelevant. With 3D the norm and the likes of Nintendo’s Super Mario 64 (1996) revolutionising the games industry, platform games seemed distinctly old hat.

With the N64, PlayStation, and Dreamcast out and boasting advanced hardware, the feeling was players were after advanced 3D, open world games.

Naturally, there was a decline in interest for 2D games.

This stayed the case up until the indie game scene really started taking off circa 2008. For us, we had a World of Warcraft phase from around 2009-2012 and largely stayed away from games other than that.

Right up until we played Ubisoft’s magnificent Rayman Origins (2011). It got rave reviews in the press and we were so amazed by its brilliance.

At the time, we remember thinking it was the best game we’d ever played.

Then we got Steam and a Wii U and really immersed ourselves into the indie scene. Once Ori and the Blind Forest came out in 2015, it was clear platform games were on their way back.

For that game from Moon Studios, CEO and creative Director Thomas Mahler had specifically gone out to create a game like Nintendo’s Super Metroid (1994).

He stated he was disappointed no one was making games like that anymore. Moon Studios actively addressed that with one of the best games of all time, followed by an even better sequel.

The Legacy of Super Metroid and Super Castlevania

Super Metroid is now 30 years old. Yet it holds up exceptionally well and is, frankly, much better than your average forgettable AAA blockbuster game coming out.

It near perfect gameplay experience, you can pick it up now and just enjoy it for what it is—immersive, exploratory genius.

Complementing that on the SNES was Konami’s Super Castlevania IV (1991).

We didn’t get round to playing that one until 2015. Instantly, we just fell in love with it. The game is quite slow moving compared to other platformers, but its considered and methodical pacing is part of its appeal. It is a masterpiece.

These two games are so good they’re the basis of the Metroidvania genre, which is responsible for some of the best games over the last 10 years. Off the top of our heads you’ve classics such as:

• The two Ori games
• Teslagrad
• Dead Cells
• Hollow Knight
• Axiom Verge
• Ghost Song
• Yoku’s Island Express
• Guacamelee!
• Haiku the Robot
• SteamWorld Dig 2
• Gravity Circuit

Such is the appeal of the genre, we’re always on the lookout for the next great Metroidvania title. But every time, you can guarantee that core gameplay harks back to 1991 and 1994—such were the heights of perfection Konami and Nintendo achieved.

Why the Change in Times, Bro?

Believe it or not, we’d much rather play the above than most AAA game releases with spectacular graphics. In fact, we’ve sunk over 30 hours into the excellent side-scroller shooter Downwell (2015).

Why? Mainly as we’ve come to expect a bit less gameplay quality from most AAA games than indie titles. The latter are just more creative and fun.

Not bogged down by endless exposition and the demands of mastering highly complicated games that aren’t actually that great when you get 100 hours into them.

Whilst some modern gamers scoff at the past and think bygones should be bygones, the appeal of retro gaming’s qualities has never been higher.

Unquestionably driven by the vibrant indie game scene, which openly harks back to ’90s era gaming, even young gamers are now getting the retro gaming buzz. The Guardian noted in an April 2024 piece why younger generations are embracing retro games:

“As technology fixates on the latest and greatest, retro gaming offers a refreshing break, perhaps a comforting idealisation of simpler times. But more than that, the games of the 80s and 90s are the foundation on which the gaming giants of today were built.”

The games are also just bloody good and don’t have the same manic fixation on lifelike graphics most AAA games strive to achieve (often at the expense of gameplay).

This has handed platform games a new lease of life. An opportunity for indie devs to swoop in and deliver short, sharp bursts of creative magic. Metroidvania games, for example, are just incredible.

The Future of Platform Games

Above is A Hat in Time (2017). We’ve not played it yet, but its reputation as one of the best modern 3D platformers is through the roof!

Going forward, that type of quality really should be the norm.

All we can see is platform games (2D and 3D) continuing on their current trajectory of going from strength to strength. More creativity, more interest from a global gaming audience, and more success.

They’ve never been in more abundance. And they’ve never been as good as they are right now.

The level of creativity from these developers, often tiny indie studios with small budget, never stops amazing us. They take up these projects on smaller budgets based off a passion for the classics and the result is often modern classics in their own right.

It’s a golden age of platform games and it’s a privilege to be a part of it all.