Platformer Video Games Bucket List

Hand-painted 2D worlds and a difficulty curve that stopped a generation; Michel Ancel, 1995.

A 2D side-scrolling MMO from Korea, free to play since 2003 and funded entirely by cosmetics.

Five power-up costumes and a running commentary of jokes; the last of the 3D Raymans.

A hero with no arms or legs against a pirate occupation; the 3D platformer that made the leap cleanly.

Time periods instead of islands, plus a motorbike, a jet ski and a plane; the best of the Naughty Dog three.

Avalar, a talking guidebook and orbs earned from side quests; the sequel that added a reason to explore.

A lombax, a robot on his back and a catalogue of weapons to buy; Insomniac start the run in 2002.

Eight games in one cartridge, with a helper to hand to a second player.

Cat suits and four-player co-op; the 3D Mario built for a sofa.

The two halves that lock together into one long game; the peak of Genesis Sonic.

Isle Delfino, a water jetpack and the hardest secret levels in the series.

Jet packs, polar bears and the best of the original trilogy.

The harder, prettier sequel to the rotoscoped original.

A boy in a football helmet with a pogo stick; the smooth scrolling that started id.

Somersault past robots, search furniture, "another visitor; stay a while, stay forever".

A skateboarding platformer in a pastel land; Roll7.

Two dragons trap monsters in bubbles across a hundred screens; the co-op that needs a second player for the real ending.

A run-and-gun of enormous levels and Chris Huelsbeck music; the C64 showing off.

Thirteen layers of parallax scrolling and a David Whittaker soundtrack; the Amiga demo everyone bought.

Wario Land at 200 miles an hour, drawn like a 1990s cartoon; the 2023 indie.

A bird climbs a mountain to get phone signal; ninety minutes of kindness.

Four archers, one arrow each; the best local multiplayer game of its decade.

Toys for Bob's sequel with masks that flip gravity; harder than the originals.

One-hit kills, slow motion and a samurai on drugs; Askiisoft's neon.

Retro Studios' hardest and best banana platformer.

The Genesis Sonic made by fans, officially; the best Sonic since 1994.

Raz inside more heads; Double Fine's sequel sixteen years later, and better.

A platformer of PlayStation history and the DualSense; the 2024 Game of the Year.