A platform game is any game where gravity takes effect on the video game character in such a way that he must jump from one 'platform' to the next.
Platforms
The term platform is somewhat abstracted to mean anything the character can stand on, even if it is large enough to span the entire level.
Common Game Mechanics
Jumping
The primary game mechanic of platform games is jumping.
Types of Jumping
- In air control (ala Mario games, Contra Games)
- No in air control (Castlevania)
Double Jump
A double jump is a second jump executed in the air after the first jump. ( Super Metroid )
Wall Jump
A wall jump is a jump in the opposite direction of a wall as if the player object were jumping off it's side.
Crouching
The player object in some platform games can crouch. This allows a new set of obstacles in two classes : high and low.
Low obstacles have to be jumped over.
High obstacles have to be 'ducked.'
Token Collecting
Platform Game Level Design
Level Types
Race Certain Death
A "race certain death" platform game level is where the player must keep ahead of something that will cause certain death. In these levels, forced scrolling is almost always used.
Certain death can be represented by :
- the rising height of water
- the rising height of lava
- falling past the bottom of the screen
- escaping a large creature, as the robotic dragon in the later stages of Mega Man 2
Vertical Climb
A vertical climb platform level is a level where the player object is forced to jump from platform to platform to climb the level. Examples include the waterfall level from Contra, the tree areas from Wizards and Warriors and quite a few areas from the original Metroid.
The Contra version of the vertical climb is a different quality than that of Wizards and Warriors and Metroid. In the Contra version, the danger comes from playing a co-op game and being left behind by the other player. This often causes the other person to scroll off the screen and lose a life.
In the Metroid and Wizards and Warriors versions the player can easily lose progress (but not necessarily a life) by missing a single platform. Because the entire level (or area) is vertical, the player often falls down several screens if he does not catch himself quickly.
Obstacles
Gaps
A platform gap is any obstacle in a platform game that the player can fall through. The player must jump over the gap to get over the obstacle. An empty space between two platforms can be considered a gap.
Enemies
- platform walker - walks a straight line across a platform and will walk right off unless there is another object to block it.
- platform guard - a kind of platform walker, but is able to detect the edges of the platform and turn around.
Platform Games
- Super Mario Bros. - the classic 2d platform game of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
- Super Mario Bros. 3
Platform Game Genres
Related Pages
Game Physics
Links
- Platform Games at the Game Maker Wiki
- Creating a Platform Game - tutorial for Adobe Flash.
| Categories: Platform Games : Video Game Genres |