📖 Gaming term
Platformer
A game where the core mechanic is jumping between platforms, avoiding hazards, and reaching the end of a level.
The genre that built gaming
Platformers define the side-scrolling action genre. Mario, Sonic, Donkey Kong — all platformers. The player runs, jumps, and sometimes attacks across a series of platforms to reach an end goal.
Types
- 2D platformer: side-scrolling classic (Super Mario)
- 3D platformer: fully rotatable camera (Mario 64)
- Puzzle platformer: brainier challenges (Braid, Celeste)
- Precision platformer: pixel-perfect timing (Super Meat Boy, Vex)
Why they persist
Simple controls + infinite level design possibilities = timeless appeal. Browser platformers like Vex, Fireboy and Watergirl, and Stickman series keep the tradition alive.
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