2D Platformers are platform games that only take place on the X (left and right) and Y (up and down) axes.
The earliest 2D platformers took place on a single static screen at a time. The screen only changed when you entered a new area or level. Scrolling platformers allow the screen to move with the character, either horizontally, vertically, or both. The earliest 2D platformers were arcade games like Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., and Bubble Bobble. Super Mario Bros. became the standard for 2D platformers and helped popularize the platforming genre.
Shovel Knight has starred in old-school platformers, puzzlers, and made guest appearances in plenty of others including multiple platform fighters. No genre is too far or foreign for Shovel Knight,…
September 22, 2022 | 09:00 EDT
Shovel Knight Dig is the product of a very special combination of developers. On one end is Yacht Club Games, responsible for creating the IP that is Shovel Knight, a bona fide indie hero. On the…
September 4, 2022 | 11:30 EDT
Developer eBrain Studio has revealed the Loopmancer roadmap, detailing upcoming content for the sidescrolling action roguelite. This content includes a new challenge mode, the ability to change…
August 30, 2022 | 10:23 EDT
Asmodee Digital, the digital arm of tabletop giant Asmodee, has announced that it is rebranding as Twin Sails Interactive. Along with the new name, Twin Sails also unveiled two new projects: a news…
August 17, 2022 | 11:36 EDT
Sonic the Hedgehog's official social media manager has promised that fixes for "a variety" of Sonic Origins issues are in the works. Katie "MiniKitty" Chrzanowski also promises more "official…
July 15, 2022 | 08:54 EDT
Terraria Update 1.4.3 is out now for consoles and mobile, bringing the Don't Starve Together crossover content and more to PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. After about five "…
April 27, 2022 | 02:18 EDT
A number of older Sonic the Hedgehog games will be delisted a month before the launch of Sonic Origins -- you have less than a month to buy them if you don't want to miss out. Last week, Sonic…
April 26, 2022 | 03:11 EDT
Imp of the Sun is a 2D action-platformer that combines fast-paced combat with a world that must be saved by Nin, an Imp created with the last spark of the Sun. Nin must defeat the Four Keepers and…
March 28, 2022 | 05:13 EDT
Every so often, you'll come across a Kickstarter game that swiftly meets its funding goal and hits stretch goals like nothing -- as was the case with the upcoming Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.…
March 21, 2022 | 09:00 EDT
Every video game is someone's first. For people of an older generation, they started alongside the hobby with the first steps of Mario, Link, and Pikachu. While not every game can be an absolute…
March 10, 2022 | 12:00 EST
I think most of us would revel in the idea of living in the multiverse and recent studies have shown that that may be the case. Of course, that doesn't mean we're anywhere close to visiting parallel…
March 3, 2022 | 10:00 EST
If you told me a decade ago that developer The Chinese Room would put their creative efforts towards a 2.5D platformer capturing the tone of old-timey adventure serials I wouldn't believe you.…
March 1, 2022 | 05:46 EST
I was too young to experience the NES era of gaming -- a time that Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight sought to emulate. I could still appreciate the developer's dedication to creating an authentic, old…
February 11, 2022 | 12:19 EST
When it comes to traditional 2D platformers, I’m someone who’s all thumbs. You know the picture of a bunch of kids and their mom helping them clear a level of Super Mario? That was pretty much my…
February 14, 2022 | 09:30 EST
From the studio that brought us the Shovel Knight series comes a new game without shovels but arguably just as much digging. Yacht Club Games made a name for themselves in 2014 with the release of…
February 2, 2022 | 01:33 EST
From indie developer, Skrollcat Studio is a brand new, humble little platformer game, Hoa. Hoa is the story of Hoa, a small, magical creature who embarks on a journey into nature. Witness…
August 26, 2021 | 06:24 EDT
Can you Be-Leaf It? Hoa is the game equivalent of a children’s bedtime story: a light narrative that serves as a vehicle for a comfortable atmosphere, memorable magical episodes, and an easy moral…
August 23, 2021 | 09:30 EDT
Play a gorgeous-looking, side-scrolling adventure with Greak: Memories of Azur, by indie developer Navegante Entertainment. Play as the siblings Greak, Adara, and Raydel and guide them across the…
August 16, 2021 | 06:28 EDT
Siblings can be a nuisance but they can also be the best part of your family. Many plots involve familial bonds with plenty of games sending you on a quest to save them. This is part of the adventure…
August 13, 2021 | 08:00 EDT
Disney Classic Games already has Aladdin and The Lion King, but it looks like the Jungle Book Expansion Pack is about to be added to the collection as purchasable DLC, as its existence has been…
May 20, 2021 | 12:20 EDT
The year is 30XX, and you are now awake with a synthetic mind and a human race that's lost the will to reach the stars. 30XX is a throwback action platformer that features plenty of roguelike…
March 16, 2021 | 01:58 EDT
30XX has hit Steam Early Access and it is a delight. Even in its very early state, it is a marked improvement over its predecessor 20XX in just about every single way. Not only does it push its…
March 15, 2021 | 11:00 EDT
Inti Creates returns with another entry in their Bloodstained series with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2. Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 brings classic 2D action and a dark, 8-bit aesthetic…
February 22, 2021 | 06:24 EST
Get ready for a fast and fluid 2D-action platformer with Foregone, from indie developer Big Blue Bubble. Foregone has you star as a super-soldier from the city of Calagan, which is currently…
March 23, 2021 | 10:47 EDT
Billing itself as a "2D cinematic platformer in the vein of 80s and 90s classics," Lunark is an upcoming sci-fi platformer with full controller support. Developed and published by Canari Games, this…
February 3, 2021 | 10:00 EST
Lunark is a 2D platformer with retro graphics and a sci-fi aesthetic. Players will take control of Leo, an orphan rejected for being "different" in some way. Leo climbs, jumps, sprints, and shoots…
January 16, 2022 | 02:37 EST
Get ready for a retro action-platformer from indie developer Aarne Hunziker with Cyber Shadow. Play as Shadow, a cybernetic ninja who must navigate the ruins of Mekacity. The world has been taken…
January 30, 2021 | 03:53 EST
Non-traditional methods of exploring a narrative are becoming pretty common these days. It makes you wonder at what point will these non-traditional methodologies become traditional and come full…
January 28, 2021 | 09:00 EST
When it comes to retro action-platformers like Cyber Shadow, there's a lot going against them. Not only are there plenty of pixelated competition on the market, there are many different expectations…
January 25, 2021 | 09:00 EST
Super Meat Boy Forever is the super sequel to the massive indie hit Super Meat Boy! Play as Meat Boy or Bandage Girl, who have been living care-free together for years now and have a new baby named…
January 10, 2021 | 08:13 EST
From Skeleton Crew Studios and developer Thomas Olsson comes a 2-D action-platformer, Olija. Olija is a game about Faraday, a man shipwrecked then trapped in the mysterious country of Terraphage.…
January 10, 2021 | 08:16 EST
Team Meat’s hotly-anticipated blood-spattered auto-runner, Super Meat Boy Forever, has landed. It isn’t a bad game but I couldn’t help find it disappointing. As a sequel to 2010’s highly-acclaimed 2D…
January 4, 2021 | 12:00 EST
Bleak-core should probably be its own genre at this point. Games that go out of their way to create a world that seems to embody depression, decay, and in many cases, utter failure. I don't know who'…
December 28, 2020 | 01:00 EST
Foregone is the newest action platformer to hit PC and consoles, and it can be pretty challenging, especially for those who don't particularly agree with Souls-like mechanics. Here's a beginner's…
October 13, 2020 | 11:05 EDT
Just because we're in the middle of a global pandemic doesn't mean we can't enjoy the pleasures that come with booths and presentations at PAX. Granted, something is lost without physically being on…
September 21, 2020 | 12:00 EDT
Nintendo always like to leave a surprise in there somewhere, don't they... For today's Nintendo Direct Mini, it was the reveal and release of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The Metroidvania…
September 17, 2020 | 10:55 EDT
Bite the Bullet is the world's first "run-and-gun-and-eat" shooter. You are a mercenary sent down to Earth to eat whatever you can. Every enemy is edible, and every enemy gives unique bonuses based…
September 6, 2020 | 02:36 EDT
Sometimes I feel like video game power fantasies could stand to be a little more realistic. You can keep your unstoppable space marines, your intrepid heroes, and your master tacticians. Give me a…
August 13, 2020 | 03:05 EDT
Inti Creates really needs more credit for what they do. Retro-style platformers are just about everywhere, but this studio has the most consistent quality with all of their efforts. They have turned…
July 10, 2020 | 12:00 EDT
The Bloodstained franchise has returned with another spinoff title in with Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2, from Inti Software. Going the Castlevania 3 route with multiple characters fighting…
June 23, 2020 | 11:39 EDT
Foregone, a 2D action-platformer published by Big Blue Bubble, will be released on consoles this October, with a release on Steam to follow in 2021. */ /*-->*/ /*-->*/ The game's story focuses…
June 22, 2020 | 11:43 EDT
I haven't played 20XX. To be quite honest it's never even come across my radar before, but seeing 30XX in action at the Guerrilla Collective this week immediately piqued my interest. As a fan of fast…
June 18, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
Neversong, originally titled Once Upon a Coma, sprouted from a Kickstarter by Pinstripe developer Thomas Brush as a sequel to his flash-game Coma. The story eventually developed into something else…
May 29, 2020 | 09:48 EDT
Hoa is a side-scrolling adventure platformer designed to be more relaxing than anything else. Featuring simple piano music and a rather wholesome atmosphere, Hoa is the perfect closing title to close…
May 26, 2020 | 01:53 EDT
Each and every one of us has experienced true guilt at some point in our life. Shame because of what we did or didn't do, whether it was our fault or not. Some of you may be able to call to mind a…
May 30, 2020 | 11:00 EDT
A collectible that you'll be coming across as you head through the world of Niwel in Ori and the Will of the Wisps are the mysterious seeds. These are scattered around the world, and while you might…
March 17, 2020 | 09:48 EDT
Side quests in games have always been a great way to distract players from the main objective. Getting a bit tired of saving the world or rescuing your friends? Time to go fishing, or get involved in…
March 14, 2020 | 05:08 EDT
Ori and the Will of the Wisps has been out for a few days, and while hunting through the land of Niwel, players might encounter a few roadblocks along the way. Team Moon has done a good job keeping…
March 14, 2020 | 05:07 EDT