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[[Image:Wonder boy platform.gif|thumb|256px|right|A simple platform sequence from the game ''[[Wonder Boy (video game)|Wonder Boy]]'']]
'''Platform game''', or '''platformer''', is a [[computer and video game genres|video game genre]] characterized by [[jumping puzzle|jumping to and from suspended platforms]] or over obstacles. It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps. The most common unifying element to these games is a jump button; other jump mechanics include swinging from extendable arms, as in ''[[Ristar]]'' or ''[[Bionic Commando]]'', or bouncing from springboards or trampolines, as in ''[[Alpha Waves]]''. Games where jumping is automated completely, such as
Platform games originated in the early 1980s, and [[3D computer graphics|3D]] successors were popularized in the mid-1990s. The term itself describes games where jumping on platforms is an integral part of the [[gameplay]], and came into use some time after the genre had been established
▲The term itself describes games where jumping on platforms is an integral part of the [[gameplay]], and came into use some time after the genre had been established. <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.specusphere.com/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=232&Itemid=32 | title=Gamespeak: A glossary of gaming terms| last= | first= | publisher=Specusphere | date=|accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.answerbag.com/t_view/269 | title=Definition of Platform game| last= | first= | publisher=Answerbag|date=|accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/magazines/Crash/Catalogue-Issue02/04.jpg | title=Crash Software Review, Issue 1| last= | first= | publisher=Crash Micro Action Games | date=|accessdate=2008-06-14}}</ref>
The genre has been the result of a great deal of cross-pollination of ideas between platforms and across national borders. While commonly associated with [[Video game console|console gaming]], there are many important platform games released to [[Arcade game|arcades]], as well as for [[Handheld game console|handheld systems]] and [[Personal computer|home computers]]. [[Europe]], [[North America]], and [[Japan]] have played major parts in the genre's evolution. Platformers are thematically diverse, ranging from cartoony "[[List of video game mascots|mascot]]" games to [[science fiction]] and [[fantasy]] epics.
Platformers were, at one point, the most popular genre of video game. At the peak of their popularity, it is estimated that between one fourth and one third of console games were platformers.<ref>This figure is a rough estimate based on counting platform games released on specific systems. For example, on the Sega Master System 113 of the 347 games (32.5%) listed on vgmuseum.com are platform games, and 264 of the 1044 Sega Genesis games (25.2%) are platformers. While this may include some redundant games, and is not an exact figure, it is so far beyond any other genre that it can be considered a reliable indicator of the genre's dominance.</ref> No genre before or since has been able to achieve a similar market share. As of 2006, the genre is far less dominant, representing a 2% market share,<ref name="detailed cross-examination">{{cite web | url=http://gamasutra.com/features/20060804/boutros_02.shtml | title=A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today's Best-Selling Platform Games | last= | first= | publisher=[[Gamasutra]] | date=[[2006-08-04]] |accessdate=2006-11-21}}</ref> but still commercially viable, with a number of games selling in the millions of units.
==History==
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1984 continued to be a big year for scrolling platformers. [[Taito]] released ''[[Legend of Kage]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=1369 | title=Legend of Kage | last= | first= | publisher=Arcade History|date= |accessdate=2007-01-31}}</ref> which offered levels that extended in all directions. [[Sega]] released ''[[Flicky]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7825 | title=KLOV: Flicky| last= | first= | publisher=[[KLOV]]|date= |accessdate=2007-01-31}}</ref> a simple platformer with horizontally scrolling levels that featured their first mascot character. [[Namco]] followed up ''Pac-Land'' with the fantasy-themed ''[[Dragon Buster]]'',<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.arcade-history.com/index.php?page=detail&id=694 | title=Dragon Buster | last= | first=|publisher=Arcade History|date= |accessdate=2007-01-31}}</ref> a game notable for introducing the [[double jump]] move, as well as a [[Hub level system|hub level]] similar to the ones used in later 2D ''Super Mario'' games. By the end of the year the scrolling platform game had been firmly established, but it was not until these made their way to home consoles that the genre would be propelled to a new level of mainstream popularity.
[[Image:Super Mario Bros 1985.png|thumb|right|''Super Mario Bros'', the [[List of best-selling video games|best selling video game]] of all time.]]Nintendo's platform game ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'', released for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] in 1985, established the popularity of the [[Platform game#Hop and Bop|hop and bop]] sub-genre, and became the archetype for many platformers to follow. The title was bundled with Nintendo's systems in North America, Japan, and Europe, and went on to sell over 40 million copies according to the 1999 [[Guinness Book of World Records]]. Its success as a pack-in led many companies to see platform games as vital to their success, and certainly contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the 8-bit console generation. [[Sega]] attempted to ape this success with their ''[[Alex Kidd]]'' series, as well as with the ''[[Wonder Boy]]'' series. The later ''Wonder Boy'' games were also notable for combining [[adventure game|adventure]] and [[Role Playing Game|role-playing]] elements with traditional platforming.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/wonderboy/wonderboy.htm | title=Hardcore Gaming 101: Wonderboy | last= | first= | publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101 | date= |accessdate=2006-11-21}}</ref>
Platformers went portable in the late '80s with ''[[Super Mario Land]]'' and continued to maintain their popularity, with many titles being released for the [[handheld console|handheld]] [[Game Boy]] and [[Sega Game Gear|Game Gear]]. Because of the small size, technical constraints, and blurring associated with early [[LCD]] technology, fast paced action-based platformers were more difficult to execute on handheld systems. Because of this, many handheld platformers leaned toward slower paced play styles and a greater emphasis on puzzles. After the transition of home consoles to 3D, handhelds became a bastion for 2D platform games, and they still remain popular to this day with ''[[New Super Mario Bros]]'' being a recent example of a very successful traditional platform game, selling more than five million copies in Japan and North America during its first year of release.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten2.htm | title=Japan Platinum Game Chart | last= | first= | publisher=The Magic Box | date= |accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml | title=US Platinum Game Chart | last= | first= | publisher=The Magic Box | date= |accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref>
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The difficulties of adapting platform gameplay to 3D led some developers to compromise by pairing the visual flash of 3D with traditional 2D gameplay. These games are often referred to as "[[2.5D]]."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://gamasutra.com/features/20060804/boutros_02.shtml | title=It's a Viewtiful Day | last= | first= | publisher=[[Gamasutra]] | date=2004-08-24 |accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamestats.com/objects/000/000611/ | title=GameStats: Pandemonium | last= | first= | publisher=[[Gamestats]] | date= |accessdate=2007-01-23}}</ref> The first such game was a [[Sega Saturn]] [[launch title]], ''[[Clockwork Knight]]'' released in December, 1994 in Japan (and subsequently as a launch game in the U.S.). The game featured levels and [[boss (video games)|boss]] characters rendered in 3D, but retained 2D gameplay and the used pre-rendered 2D sprites for regular characters, similar to ''Donkey Kong Country''. Its [[Clockwork Knight 2|sequel]] improved upon its design, featuring some 3D effects such as hopping between the foreground and background, and the camera panning and curving around a corner.
The formula has been repeated many times. ''[[Pandemonium (video game)|Pandemonium]]'' and ''[[Klonoa
===Third dimension ===
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==== Reshaping the genre ====
[[Image:Mario 64 Shifting Sand Land.png|thumb|right|220px|
Some argue that many modern 3D platformers, especially those influenced heavily by ''Mario 64'' are not platformers at all, or at least are not really an extension of 2D platformers.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3211627.stm | title=Platform video games evolve | last= | first= | publisher=[[BBC]] | date=2003-10-25 |accessdate=2006-11-21}}</ref> ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' brought a change in the goals of some platformers. In most 2D platformers, the player only had to reach a single goal to complete a level, but in many 3D platformers, each level had to be combed for collectible items such as puzzle pieces (''[[Banjo-Kazooie]]'') or stars (''[[Super Mario 64]]''). This allowed for more efficient use of large 3D areas and rewarded the player for thorough exploration, but they also often involved more elements of action-adventure games, and less jumping on platforms. However, not all 3D platformers were like this. ''[[Crash Bandicoot]]'' and ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' featured more linear action-oriented obstacle courses, similar to the traditional platform model.
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Platformers remain a vital genre, but they have never recaptured the popularity they once held. In 1998, platform games had a 15% share of the market (and even higher during their heyday), but only four years later that figure had dropped to 2%.<ref name="detailed cross-examination" /> Even the much acclaimed ''[[Psychonauts]]'' experienced modest sales at first, leading publisher [[Majesco]] to withdraw from high budget console games<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141519.html | title=Bitter medicine: What does the game industry have against innovation? | last=Sinclair | first=Brendan | publisher=[[GameSpot]] | date=2005-12-20 |accessdate=2006-11-21}}</ref> although its sales in Europe were respectable<ref name="Psychonauts sales">[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_123/2619-Life-After-Shelf-Death ], ''The Escapist'', [[13 November]], [[2007]]</ref>, and franchises like ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' began to sag. Other forms of third-person action games have cut into the sales of platformers, while genres such as [[Console role-playing game|RPGs]] and [[first-person shooter]]s have continued to grow in popularity. A larger and more diverse video game market has developed, and no single genre has managed to achieve the same kind of dominance that platform games did during the 8, 16, and 32/64-bit console wars.
Despite a much smaller presence in the overall gaming market, some platform games continue to be successful. 2007 saw the release of ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]'' and ''[[Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction|Ratchet & Clank Future]]'' to positive critical and fan reaction.<ref name="MetaCritic">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/supermariogalaxy |title=Super Mario Galaxy (Wii: 2007): Reviews |accessdate=2007-11-09 |date= |work=[[MetaCritic]] |publisher=[[CNET]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref><ref name="GameRankings">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages/915692.asp |title=Super Mario Galaxy Reviews |accessdate=2007-11-09 |date= |work=[[Game Rankings]] |publisher=[[CNET]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref><ref name="MetaCritic">{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ps3/ratchetandclankfuturetoolsofdestruction |title=Ratchet and Clank Future (PS3: 2007): Reviews |accessdate=2007-11-09 |date= |work=[[MetaCritic]] |publisher=[[CNET]] |doi= |archiveurl= |archivedate= |quote= }}</ref> Super Mario Galaxy even went on being both the Best Game of 2007 on [[IGN]] and [[Gamespot]], and the fourth best reviewed game of all time as of June 2008.
==Sub-genres==<!-- This section is linked from [[Platform game]] -->
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===Hop and bop===
One of the most common styles of platformer. ''Super Mario Bros.'' is recognized as the originator of this style, and it became even more popular in the 16-bit era with games like ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'', ''[[Bubsy]]'', and ''[[Donkey Kong Country]]''. The defining trait of a hop and bop is that enemies are defeated primarily by jumping on their heads. It is also generally the case that these games feature very colorful, cartoony imagery and characters. While a few 3D platformers like ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' allowed players to defeat enemies by jumping on their heads, this was not the main means of dealing with enemies. The problems of manipulating a character in 3D with enough precision to jump on enemies makes this a predominantly 2D genre. ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'' introduced a homing-jump to allow this mechanic to work in 3D, making it a rare example of a 3D hop and bop.
===Puzzle platformers===
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===Cinematic platformers (Prince of Persia style)===
[[Image:Another World platform game.gif|thumb|right|190px|''Another World'']]This is a well recognized sub-genre without an agreed-upon name, usually distinguished by its likeness to ''[[Prince of Persia]]'', the title that is the most direct archetype for the style. It should be mentioned, however, that ''[[Impossible Mission]]'' pioneered many of these conventions years earlier. ''[[Flashback: The Quest for Identity|Flashback]]'', ''[[Another World (video game)|Another World]]'', ''[[Blackthorne]]'', and the first two ''[[Oddworld]]'' games all helped to popularize this style. These games blend [[action game|action]], [[adventure game|adventure]] and puzzle-solving elements. They are characterized by having very fluid, life-like animation (usually [[rotoscoping|rotoscoped]]), step-based control (where the tap of a button will play out an entire animation or step), and screens that do not scroll (even when the hardware could support it effortlessly). The ability to grab onto and climb up ledges is also very common in these games, but there are a few examples of games that do not have this feature and are still categorized in this sub-genre. These games were highly influential of the ''[[Tomb Raider]]'' series. Due to the similarities, it is common to regard cinematic platformers as a subset of [[Action-adventure game|action-adventures]].
=== Comical action game ===
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==Dispute about classification of early platformers==
The term "platform game" is somewhat ambiguous particularly in reference to many games predating the widespread international usage of the term. The concept of a platform game as it was defined in its earliest days is somewhat different from how the term is commonly used today.
Beginning with ''[[Space Panic]]'', a small genre of games emerged, characterized by a profile view, and a game field consisting of a number of tiers connected by ladders. By 1983, press in the UK began referring to these tiers as "platforms" and started calling these titles "platform games" not long after. <ref>{{cite magazine | url=ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/magazines/Crash/Catalogue-Issue02/04.jpg | title=Crash Software Review, Issue 1| last= | first= | publisher=Crash Micro Action Games | date=|accessdate=2008-06-14}}</ref>
The term has since gained wide use in Japan, North America, and across Europe, and since the earliest uses, the concept has evolved, particularly as the genre peaked in popularity during the later half of the 1980s. Many of the games that were part of the early platform genre, such as ''[[Donkey Kong]]'' and ''[[Miner 2049er]]'' are still regarded as platform games in the modern sense. Others, like ''[[Space Panic]]'' and ''[[Lode Runner]]'' are excluded because they lack the jump mechanic that is central to nearly all modern definitions of the genre.
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[[nl:Platformspel]]
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[[pt:Jogo de plataforma]]
[[ru:Платформер]]
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