Platform games (platformers) are a subgenre of action game. These games involve traveling between platforms by jumping (very occasionally other means are substituted for jumping, like swinging or bouncing, but these are considered variations on the same mechanic). Other traditional elements include running and climbing ladders and ledges. Platformers frequently borrow elements from other genres like fighting and shooting (such as the Castlevania series, which incorporates role-playing). They are most often associated with iconic cartoon mascots like Donkey Kong, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario, and Rayman, though platform games may have any theme.
The first platformer is not easy to identify, at least beyond dispute. Some credit Frogs, the first game that allowed the player to jump. Still others believe that Pitfall Harry is the godfather of the platform genre.[citation needed]
Traditionally, platform games were 2D, with players viewing the environment from a profile, "cutaway" perspective. This could be done easily with sprites and was simple for early computers to handle. 3D computer graphics have opened these games up for movement in all directions. However, 3D perspectives make it more difficult to judge distance, which is an important part of platformers. Because of this many 3D platformers have a feature to make this easier (for example, nearly all of them will use a player shadow that will always be cast straight down, so the player can use it to determine if he will land safely).
At their peak, platformers were the most popular games on the market. The genre experienced a sharp decline as 3D games became more popular. Although there are many 3D platform games, few have proven to have the universal appeal of their older games. While some 3D platformers like Donkey Kong 64, Super Mario 64, and Sonic Adventure have sold millions of units, the number of successful 3D platformers have dwindled to a fraction of what they once were; despite this, it is still a viable genre, with popular new games, such as Super Mario Galaxy released in 2007. Today, 2D platformers exist primarily on handheld consoles, such as New Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo DS, and Ultimate Ghosts 'n Goblins for the PSP.
- Examples of platform games include: the Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
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