(Traditional) Platformer Recommendations

Yoshi

,
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I've been working on a gaming bucket list that started with RPGs then expanded to action games and shooters. The next genre up is platformers by the traditional definition, not this millennial bullshit that calls Contra and Metroid platformers. Obviously, Mario, Sonic, Bonk, Rayman, and Donkey Kong are represented, but I want to go at least one level down from them in terms of notoriety. I have Super Meat Boy and Celeste on the list, along with several of the 8 and 16-bit Disney games. What else would you recommend? 3D platformers, a la Banjo Kazooie are welcome, not just 2D stuff.
 

k'_127

NeoGumby's Sycophant,
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Off my head:

Tiny Toons NES and SNES games
Klonoa games
Little Samson (not sure if it counts)
Pandemonium 1&2

Will see if I can compile a better list later.
 

AppleiDog

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Fire and Ice - sms, amiga
James pond 2 - everything on the planet
Sonic 1 - master system
Alex kidd in miracle world - mastersystem (DX) ps4,one, pc
Mcdonaldland kids - Nes
Dynamite headdy - Megadrive
Keio flying squadron 2 - saturn
Rocket Knight Remake xbox 360 ps3 pc

May get slack for this but balan wonder world I thought was extremely good plays like a 3d saturn platformer in design and music if you pick it up for like $10

That is all I could think of that weren't run of the mill.
 

Yoshi

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Rocket Knight Remake xbox 360 ps3 pc
If you ever get the chance to try this one with Nvidia 3D Vision, I cannot say enough about how amazing it looks. 2.5D games were one of the best use cases for it.
 

SignOfGoob

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Yoshi’s Island (SNES) is the greatest.

Drill Dozer (GBA) is a ton of fun, best played on GBA SP or Gameboy Player with wired pad (has awesome rumble).

Astro Boy: The Omega Factor (GBA) is as good as it gets. Nobody ever talks about it even though it’s essentially a Treasure-made Megaman and an amazing experience for Tezuka fans. This is one of my all time favorite games. The US version is preferred, the JP one is missing a couple of things.
 
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egg_sanwich

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Akumajo Dracula: Boku Dracula Kun aka Kid Dracula for Famicom and GB is a really fun platformer with cool nods to the Castlevania series.
 

AppleiDog

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Go go Beckham - gba like super Mario world with a ball, I love this game.

Aother game is that does not get the love is super princess peach. NDS

Mickey mouse castle of illusions - pc ps3 360 android

Ducktales remake - pc ps3 360 android

A boy and his blob - wii and pc

GoGoBeckham.png
 

yagamikun

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Here's some:
  • Ducktales 2 - NES - Better than the first overall, imo.
  • Clockwork Knight 1 and 2 - Saturn
  • Astal - Saturn
  • Twin Bee: Rainbow Bell Adventure - Super Famicom
  • Skyblazer - Super Nintendo
  • Gargoyle Trilogy (Gargoyle's Quest on GB, Gargoyle's Quest 2 on NES, Demon's Crest on SNES)
  • Animaniacs - Genesis - Criminally overlooked
  • Sparkster - SNES - Radically different game than Genesis release - more akin to the first Rocket Knight.
  • Legendary Axe - PC Engine
  • Donald Duck Lucky Dime Caper - Master System
I have a million more recommendations, but that's a good list for now. :)
 

Tron

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Panic Restaurant (nes)
Alisia Dragoon (Sega genesis)
Legendary Axe II (Turbografx 16)
Monster World IV (Sega Genesis)
Freedom Planet (PC/Steam,Switch,PS4,Wii-U)

Note freedom planet was originally gonna be a sonic fan made game but instead became it's own thing.The sequel came out recently but it's pc currently and console get there ports next year.
 
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Takumaji

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Wonder Boy (Arcade/SMS/various)

My all-time fav jump'n run/platformer ever. Fast, colorful, just what I like. Classic.

Wonder Boy in Monsterland (Arcade/SMS/various)

I was disappointed about the game at first because I wanted another fast-paced platformer like the first part but Monsterland grew on me over the years and now it's up there with the original game in my personal hall of fame. Some tricky jumping parts and a RPG-style shop system, loads of levels and bosses, lot of things to do and many secrets to find.

Wonder Boy III - Monster Lair (Arcade/Genesis)

Monster Lair was a breath of fresh air for me. It went back to the original fast-paced platformer formula and is even less forgiving than the first part, you gotta catch all the fruits you can in order to keep your energy bar in the green. The game is split between platforming and horizontal shooting parts which might put some purists off but I like it a lot.

Quackshot starring Donald Duck (Genesis)

A somewhat underrated Disney platformer, nice level design, many different locations, great gameplay, not too challenging. People rarely talk about the game which I find kinda strange, it's no Castle of Illusion but great in its own right and good fun for a few hours.

Trolls (Amiga)

A rather simple but very playable and fun platformer. Collect all troll babies in a level to advance to the next, some tricky spots, nice graphics, good music.

Wiz 'n' Liz - The Frantic Wabbit Wescue (Genesis)

Not sure if this qualifies as a platformer, love the game a lot. You play as sorcerer apprentices Wiz or Liz and have to save all Wabbits in a level by collecting them as well as letters to form a different word for each level against a time limit. Collecting magic spell items and bonusses lets you create magic spells which may or may not help you with your task. "Frantic" describes the game best, it's really fast and working against the time limits gets your adrenaline flowing. Boss fights can be very intense. I find the game highly addictive but it definitely isn't everyone's pint of beer so give it a try.

Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure (Sega CD)

A great-looking and playing platformer with a good chunk of RPG elements, including a quite large inventory and NPCs. You start with one character called Mail but you can unlock two more and then switch between them at any time. Each character has different abilities as well as offensive and defensive skills and items. Excellent graphics and music, spot-on gameplay.
 

fake

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Oh I forgot the GoGo Ackman series on SFC. (The GB one isn’t a platformer)
 
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Aladdin (snes and genesis)
Earthworm Jim
Boogerman
Decap attack
Flintstones rescue of dino and hoppy
Super star wars trilogy
Ghostbusters (genesis)
Vectorman
Wario Land Virtual Boy
 

StevenK

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It's short and too easy and I'm sure it had been done before, but jumping flash on the ps1 was the first full 3D platformer I played and I was blown away by how free it all felt.
 

Takumaji

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It's short and too easy and I'm sure it had been done before, but jumping flash on the ps1 was the first full 3D platformer I played and I was blown away by how free it all felt.
Yeah, great early PSX game, it was one of the first I bought back then. Gets quite challenging in later levels.

Speaking of 3D games, two more to check out would be the Crash Bandicoot series and Gex (both PSX), Gex originally came out on 3DO and was one of the better games on the system.
 

AppleiDog

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Yeah, great early PSX game, it was one of the first I bought back then. Gets quite challenging in later levels.

Speaking of 3D games, two more to check out would be the Crash Bandicoot series and Gex (both PSX), Gex originally came out on 3DO and was one of the better games on the system.
How did it take 15 posts to get to crash bandicoot 😄

Another is - the adventures of lomax a spin off from lemmings ps1.
 

k'_127

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Jak and Daxter 1 had potential to be great but (IMO) it suffers from game design flaws (objectives design and variety, pacing, lack of boss fights .... Etc.) and the soundtrack kills the game's mood. Other than that, the overall quality, platforming, controls and environments are excellent. Might be worth a check.
 
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