Backloggd’s Favorite Platformers

Nothing here!


Bowser's Fury
Bowser's Fury
sithoggdoboggdo
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
turdl3
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
badwill "i like the castle"
Cave Story
Cave Story
tomzacz

streamo “ Getting the true ending in cave story is probably the only hard thing I've ever done in video games. And the music is so good, it's such a cohesive little game“
Celeste
Celeste
franzmagitek, Hot_Anarcocoa
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
hylianhero777 “ Level design, movement, spectacle, challenge, all finely tuned to perfection while you roll and swing along to one of the best, most fitting soundtracks ever to grace this medium”
The End Is Nigh
The End Is Nigh
nightblade "great artstyle, music, tight controls, great themes, just everything I could want in a platformer personally"
Gravity Rush 2
Gravity Rush 2
beachepisode “ frick it, my fav is Gravity Rush 2. The only platformer I've ever played to offer a range of movement for player expression that lets you tumble through the world with the elegance of a Ghibli movie. Helps that the entire game is filled with heart and stellar audio and art design 😊”
Jumping Flash!
Jumping Flash!
djscheddar
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
fairywands - “ i love klonoa 2 for its lush aesthetic and atmosphere, it goes out of its way to have these very bombastic and sweet flourishes every time you make your way thru a level and it just feels like running thru a beautiful dream. it also has an incredible ost and i love the way the characters are designed and talk”
La-Mulana
La-Mulana
quildewivy - “ La-Mulana is my favorite platformer. It's extremely airtight with its puzzles, aesthetic, combat, and precision platforming. Everything contributes to the vibe of being a video game gung-ho archaeologist, taking notes and putting the map design's pieces together in head and on paper, and the game makes full use of exactly how its unique platforming works (ex: you can't turn unless you hit a wall, so some platforming may require tight turns off walls). Almost all the bosses are a complete joy, and it contributes to a very interesting pieced together story with rather simple but nice themes in the end”
LittleBigPlanet 2
LittleBigPlanet 2
mrpixelton - “Probably the biggest timesink of my entire gaming career. It's not like a perfect platformer with tight controls or anything, but the raw creativity on display in both official and user levels and the wonderful DIY aesthetic of it all just gives it a very "comfy" vibe I adore.”
Mr. Gimmick
Mr. Gimmick
aaa
Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream
Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream
ghost_girl
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
buckru
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath
ludzu “ oddworld stranger's wrath is like part platformer and almost doesnt count but its the closest thing for me. i love that games motorcyclish movement, how dealing with the ups and downs of slopes affect your full run speed, which can be manipulated a bit with well-placed jumps, and how building that inertia becomes an asset in combat”
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition
tatsky “ Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition is my favorite platformer. There's rarely a game that pushes me into a whole new style of play that's different than just what the game intends. Like how the Pokemon fandom encourages nuzlockes and what not. Ori is different. Its crazy movement system with the simple unique idea of "bashing" really changed how I view games, and put me headfirst into speedrunning, and for all the negatives that community has, it made me enjoy games so much more than I ever have, like I had a whole new lens to put on games. It's exactly what I like, fast movement but also really FUN movement. The game is also gorgeous, and it has a few songs that I cry to even though there's nothing contextually emotionally charged about them. What a game.”
Rayman Origins
Rayman Origins
tangysphere “ Rayman Origins - tough call between this and Legends (especially when the latter has the music levels) but I find the art style slightly more appealing here, the ideas more interesting and the music is absolutely top tier. It just has a lovely momentum feel to things and every movement just feels fluid”
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Savul765
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
strm
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
heatten “i'm going to say that is sonic 2: improves a lot of things from the first, as well as introduces spin dash -- a core sonic mechanic --, tails and it has an amazing "saturday cartoon morning" vibe!”
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64
mellorine "Super Mario 64 is incredibly honest. All its mechanics are laid bare, so fully understood in 2021, so gimmick-free compared to newer Mario games and even a lot of platformers in general.
And yet, it knows how to evolve and keep up with you. Mario's sense of momentum never gets so precise and predictable as to be repetitive, and finding new solutions to old problems is infinitely fun.

Some might argue that Super Mario Bros. only walked so that other platformers could run - but to them I would say that Super Mario 64 shoots itself out the cannon and wings itself far past the competition - in 2021 just as in 1996"
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
soniquebaianor “ Super Mario Galaxy for me. I love how it utilizes its gravity mechanic to make super creative levels and create this sense of atmosphere and spectacle that far exceeds the scale of any Mario adventure out there. It gives Mario an epic spin while still retaining the childlike wonder and it's completely endearing. Also I guess I'm just a sucker for fun space adventures like this”
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2
ACoolBlaze5 “ Super Mario Galaxy 2 because it takes Super Mario Galaxy, an already amazing platformer, makes the levels even better, adds new power-ups and Yoshi.”
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
kingbancho
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey
clearin “ Mine is Mario Odyssey. It's just so much of what I like about video games. Lots of fun environments to explore, a ton of varied gameplay thanks to the whole capture mechanic, good music.”
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island
slapontoast “ Remarkably stylized and polished and creative and charming with such effortless grace, complimented beautifully by some of the finest controls and level design of it's vintage. The very definition of a 'timeless classic' IMO!”
Super Metroid
Super Metroid
frozenroy “ Admittedly I have a LOT of hype platformers to go through, but Super Metroid's mix of enviromental storytelling (especially in Ridley's Lair and Tourian), exploration, sick platforming powerups, visuals and more feels like an absolute peak of 2D platforming. The issues I have with it amount to minor quibbles, while its strength stands out tremendously, and I actually love using the shoulder buttons for aiming. The soundtrack is incredible for ambient, organic tracks as well, I just love it.”

21 Comments


2 years ago

super mario 64!!!!
Mario galaxy
Mario world
Asteo boy omega factor
Kirby super star ultra

2 years ago

+1 on Celeste

2 years ago

@consultor u can only pick one!!

2 years ago

Super Metroid! Admittedly I have a LOT of hype platformers to go through, but Super Metroid's mix of enviromental storytelling (especially in Ridley's Lair and Tourian), exploration, sick platforming powerups, visuals and more feels like an absolute peak of 2D platforming. The issues I have with it amount to minor quibbles, while its strength stands out tremendously, and I actually love using the shoulder buttons for aiming. The soundtrack is incredible for ambient, organic tracks as well, I just love it.

2 years ago

Add me to Celeste and move it up! >:(

2 years ago

The End is Nigh, great artstyle, music, tight controls, great themes, just everything I could want in a platformer personally

2 years ago

This comment was deleted

2 years ago

sorry anarcocoa!! thought i had edited you in already

2 years ago

you don’t have to but please correct my username for galaxy 2
shinobi III return of the ninja master

2 years ago

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Level design, movement, spectacle, challenge, all finely tuned to perfection while you roll and swing along to one of the best, most fitting soundtracks ever to grace this medium

2 years ago

rondo of blood!!!

2 years ago

Jumping Flash

2 years ago

Ninja Gaiden III
also +1 on Shinobi
This comment was deleted
Bowser's Fury!

2 years ago

oddworld stranger's wrath is like part platformer and almost doesnt count but its the closest thing for me. i love that games motorcyclish movement, how dealing with the ups and downs of slopes affect your full run speed, which can be manipulated a bit with well-placed jumps, and how building that inertia becomes an asset in combat

2 years ago

Absolutely paralyzed with choice (though it's good to see so many of my own favourites listed by others!), so I'll just say Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island for now. Remarkably stylized and polished and creative and charming with such effortless grace, complimented beautifully by some of the finest controls and level design of it's vintage. The very definition of a 'timeless classic' IMO!

2 years ago

"Mr" Gimmick

4 months ago

Psychonauts 1 & 2!


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