Editing Platformer (section)

==Subgenres==
This list some definable platformers in the following types, but there are also many vaguely defined subgenres games that have not been listed. These game categories are the prototypes genre that recognized by different platform styles.

===Puzzle-platformer===
{{see also|Puzzle video game}}
[[File:FEZ trial gameplay HD.webm|thumb|upright=1.2|''[[Fez (video game)|Fez]]'' is a 2012 puzzle-platformer based around mechanics of screen rotation.]]
Puzzle-platformers are characterized by their use of a platformer structure to drive a game whose challenge is derived primarily from [[Puzzle video game|puzzles]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://robsretroreviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/17-sub-genres-of-platformer-games-list.html| title=Rob's Retro Reviews: 17 Sub-Genres of Platformer Games &#124; List| access-date=2019-01-09| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109062923/http://robsretroreviews.blogspot.com/2016/07/17-sub-genres-of-platformer-games-list.html| archive-date=2019-01-09| url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Enix]]'s 1983 release ''[[Door Door]]'' and Sega's 1985 release ''[[Doki Doki Penguin Land]]'' (for the [[SG-1000]]) are perhaps the first examples, though the genre is diverse, and classifications can vary.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Derboo|first=Sam|date=2015|title=Doki Doki Penguin Land|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/doki-doki-penguin-land/|website=Hard Core Gaming}}</ref> ''Doki Doki Penguin Land'' allowed players to run and jump in typical platform fashion, but they could also destroy blocks, and were tasked with guiding an egg to the bottom of the level without letting it break.<ref name=":1" />

''[[The Lost Vikings]]'' (1993) was a popular game in this genre. It has three characters players can switch between, each with different abilities. All three characters are needed to complete the level goals.<ref>{{Citation|title=Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com|url=https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games|language=en|access-date=2020-10-31}}</ref>

This subgenre has a strong presence on handheld systems. ''[[Wario Land 2]]'' moved the Wario series into the puzzle-platform genre by eliminating the element of death and adding temporary injuries, such as being squashed or lit on fire, and specialized powers.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-07-20|title=Review: Wario Land II (3DS eShop / Game Boy)|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/eshop/wario_land_ii_gameboy|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Nintendo Life|language=en-GB}}</ref> ''[[Wario Land 3]]'' continued this tradition, while ''[[Wario Land 4]]'' was more of a mix of puzzle and traditional platform elements. The [[Donkey Kong (1994 video game)|Game Boy update of ''Donkey Kong'']] was also successful and saw a sequel on Game Boy Advance: ''[[Mario vs. Donkey Kong (sub-series)|Mario vs. Donkey Kong]]''. ''[[Klonoa: Empire of Dreams]]'', the first handheld title in its series, is also a puzzle-platformer.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Donkey Kong Game Ranking|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/197137-donkey-kong/index.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209015114/http://www.gamerankings.com/gameboy/197137-donkey-kong/index.html|archive-date=2019-12-09|website=Game Ranking}}</ref>

Through independent game development, this genre has experienced a revival since 2014. ''Braid'' uses time manipulation for its puzzles, and ''[[And Yet It Moves]]'' uses [[frame of reference]] rotation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-06-19|title=And Yet It Moves|url=http://andyetitmoves.net/index.php?content=about|access-date=2020-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619024632/http://andyetitmoves.net/index.php?content=about|archive-date=2011-06-19}}</ref> In contrast to these [[Side-scrolling video game|side-scrollers]], ''[[Narbacular Drop]]'' and its successor, ''[[Portal (video game)|Portal]]'', are first-person games that use portals to solve puzzles in 3D. Since the release of ''Portal'', there have been more puzzle-platformers which use a first-person camera, including ''[[Tag: The Power of Paint]]'' and ''[[Antichamber]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gad|first=Joshua|date=2020-01-11|title=Valve's Elusive F-STOP|url=https://medium.com/super-jump/superliminal-and-valves-cut-portal-mechanic-411671fb4e5|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Medium|language=en}}</ref> In 2014, Nintendo released ''[[Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker]]'' which uses compact level design and camera rotation in order to reach the goal and find secrets and collectibles. Despite lacking jump ability, [[Toad (Nintendo)|Toad]] still navigates the environment via unique movement mechanics.

===Run-and-gun platformer===
{{See also|Run and gun video game}}
[[File:Broforce four players.png|thumb|''[[Broforce]]'' is a run-and-gun platformer that spoofs several [[action film]] heroes.]]

The run-and-gun platform genre was popularised by [[Konami]]'s ''[[Contra (video game)|Contra]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 11, 2020|first=Alyssa |last=Keil |title=A History of Run-and-Gun Shooters|url=https://megacatstudios.com/blogs/game-culture/a-history-of-run-and-gun-shooters|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Mega Cat Studios|language=en}}</ref> Among the most popular games in this style are ''[[Gunstar Heroes]]'' and ''[[Metal Slug]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Best Run And Gun Games of All Time|url=https://www.ranker.com/list/all-run-and-guns-list/reference|access-date=2020-10-31|website=Ranker|language=en}}</ref> Side-scrolling run-and-gun games marry platformers with [[shoot 'em up]]s, with less tricky platforming and more shooting. These games are sometimes called platform shooters. The genre has arcade roots, so these games are generally linear and difficult.

There are games which have a lot of shooting but do not fall in this subgenre. ''[[Mega Man (video game)|Mega Man]]'', ''[[Metroid]]'', ''[[Ghosts 'n Goblins]]'', ''[[Vectorman]]'', ''[[Jazz Jackrabbit]]'', ''[[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Earthworm Jim]]'', ''[[Turrican]]'', ''[[Cuphead]]'' and ''[[Enchanted Portals]]'' are all platformers with shooting, but unlike ''Contra'' or ''Metal Slug'', platforming, as well as exploring and back-tracking, figures prominently. Run-and-gun games are generally pure, and while they may have vehicular sequences or other shifts in style, they have shooting throughout.{{Opinion|date=July 2021}}

===Cinematic platformer===
{{see also|Category:Cinematic platformers}}
Cinematic platformers are a small but distinct subgenre, usually distinguished by their relative realism. These games focus on fluid, lifelike movements, without the unnatural physics found in nearly all other platformers, and they additionally often have an absent or minimal [[HUD (video games)|HUD]].<ref name="Bexander2014" /> To achieve this realism, many cinematic platformers, beginning with ''[[Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia]]'', have employed [[rotoscoping]] techniques to animate their characters based on video footage of live actors performing the same stunts.<ref name=Therrien /> Jumping abilities are typically roughly within the confines of an athletic human's capacity. To expand vertical exploration, many cinematic platformers feature the ability to grab onto ledges, or make extensive use of elevator platforms.<ref name="Bexander2014" />

As these games tend to feature vulnerable characters who may die as the result of a single enemy attack or by falling a relatively short distance, they almost never have limited lives or continues. Challenge is derived from [[trial and error]] problem solving, forcing the player to find the right way to overcome a particular obstacle.<ref name="LaLone12" />

''[[Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia]]'' was the first cinematic platformer and perhaps the most influential.<ref name=Rybicki08 /> ''[[Impossible Mission]]'' pioneered many of the defining elements of cinematic platformers and is an important precursor to this genre.<ref name="Retro122" /> Other games in the genre include ''[[Flashback: The Quest for Identity|Flashback]]'' (and its [[Flashback (2013 video game)|2013 remake]]), ''[[ReCore]]'', ''[[Another World (video game)|Another World]]'', ''[[Heart of Darkness (video game)|Heart of Darkness]]'', the first two ''[[Oddworld]]'' games, ''[[Blackthorne]]'', ''[[Bermuda Syndrome]]'', ''[[Generations Lost]]'', ''[[Heart of the Alien]]'', ''[[Weird Dreams]]'', ''[[Limbo (video game)|Limbo]]'', ''[[Inside (video game)|Inside]]'', ''[[onEscapee]]'', ''[[Deadlight (video game)|Deadlight]]'', ''[[The Way (video game)|The Way]]'', ''[[LUNARK|Lunark]]'', ''[[Planet of Lana]]'' and ''Full Void''. ''[[Tomb Raider (1996 video game)|Tomb Raider]]'' was the first cinematic platformer to utilize real-time 3D graphics.

===Comical action game===
Games in the genre are most commonly called "comical action games" (CAGs) in Japan.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&id=2216&image=2 | title=Arcade Flyers: Cover Art | publisher=arcadeflyers.com | access-date=2007-01-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904030844/http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&id=2216&image=2 | archive-date=2015-09-04 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&id=3390&image=2 | title=Arcade Flyers Cover Art | publisher=arcadeflyers.com | access-date=2007-01-18 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904030844/http://flyers.arcade-museum.com/?page=flyer&id=3390&image=2 | archive-date=2015-09-04 | url-status=live }}</ref> The original arcade ''[[Mario Bros.]]'' is generally recognized as the originator of this genre, though ''[[Bubble Bobble]]'' is also highly influential.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scullion |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IE8IEAAAQBAJ&dq=Comical+action+game+Bubble+Bobble&pg=PA40 |title=The NES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Nintendo Entertainment System |date=2019-03-30 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-5267-3780-9 |pages=30 |language=en}}</ref> These games are characterized by single screen, non-scrolling levels and often contain cooperative two-player action. A level is cleared when all enemies on the screen have been defeated, and vanquished foes usually drop score bonuses in the form of fruit or other items. CAGs are almost exclusively developed in Japan and are either arcade games, or sequels to arcade games, though they are also a common genre among amateur [[dojin soft|''doujinshi'']] games. Other examples include ''[[Don Doko Don]]'', ''[[Snow Bros.]]'' and ''[[Nightmare in the Dark]]''.

===Isometric platformer===
{{anchor|Isometric platformers|reason=Old section name; things linked to it.}}
{{see also|Isometric graphics in video games}}<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Knight Lore for MSX.gif|thumb|''[[Knight Lore]]'', an example of three-dimensional space represented on low-end hardware<br />{{ffdc|1=Knight Lore for MSX.gif|log=2020 July 17}}]] -->

Isometric platformers present a three-dimensional environment using two-dimensional graphics in [[isometric projection]]. The use of [[Isometric graphics in video games|isometric graphics]] was popularized by [[Sega]]'s arcade [[isometric shooter]] ''[[Zaxxon]]'' (1981),<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_01_Number_11_1983-01_Reese_Communications_US|title=Electronic Games - Volume 01 Number 11 (1983-01)(Reese Communications)(US)|date=January 1983}}</ref> which Sega followed with the arcade isometric platformer ''[[Congo Bongo]]'', released in February 1983.<ref>{{cite web |title=Congo Bongo (Registration Number PA0000184737) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ |website=[[United States Copyright Office]] |access-date=5 May 2021}}</ref> Another early isometric platformer, the [[ZX Spectrum]] game ''[[Ant Attack]]'', was later released in November 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Computer and Video Games]]|title=Awesome Ants Leap to the Attack!|pages=31, 33|issue=26 (December 1983)|date=16 November 1983|url=https://archive.org/stream/computer-video-games-magazine-026/CVG026_Dec_1983#page/n29/mode/2up}}</ref>

''[[Knight Lore]]'', an isometric sequel to ''[[Sabre Wulf]]'', helped to establish the conventions of early isometric platformers. This formula was repeated in later games like ''[[Head Over Heels (game)|Head Over Heels]]'' and ''[[Monster Max]]''. These games were generally heavily focused on exploring indoor environments, usually a series of small rooms connected by doors, and have distinct adventure and puzzle elements. Japanese developers blended this gameplay style with that of Japanese [[action-adventure game]]s like ''[[The Legend of Zelda (video game)|The Legend of Zelda]]'' to create games like ''[[Land Stalker]]'' and ''[[Light Crusader]]''. This influence later traveled to Europe with Adeline Software's sprawling epic ''[[Little Big Adventure]]'', which blended RPG, [[adventure game|adventure]], and isometric platforming elements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Little Big Adventure – Hardcore Gaming 101 |url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/little-big-adventure/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Before consoles were able to display true polygonal 3D graphics, the ¾ isometric perspective was used to move some popular 2D platformers into three-dimensional gameplay. ''[[Spot Goes To Hollywood]]'' was a sequel to the popular ''[[Cool Spot]]'', and ''[[Sonic 3D Blast]]'' was Sonic's outing into the isometric subgenre.

===Platform-adventure game===
{{Section rewrite|date=July 2024}}
{{see also|Metroidvania}}
[[File:Rain World animation - Pink Liz sm.gif|thumb|''[[Rain World]]'' is a 2017 platform-adventure game where the player explores the world while avoiding dangerous creatures.]]
{{failed verification span|text=Many games fuse platformer fundamentals with elements of [[action-adventure game]]s|date=July 2024}}, such as ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'', or {{failed verification span|text=with elements of [[Role-playing video games|RPGs]].|date=July 2024}} Typically these elements include the ability to explore an area freely, with access to new areas granted by either gaining new abilities or using inventory items. Many 2D games in the ''[[Metroid]]'' and ''[[Castlevania]]'' franchises are among the most popular games of this sort, and so games that take this type of approach are often labeled as "[[Metroidvania]]" games.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/20/these-metroidvania-games-are-neither-metroid-nor-vania/ | author=Fletcher, JC | title=These Metroidvania games are neither Metroid nor Vania | publisher=Joystiq | date=August 20, 2009 | access-date=July 14, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005015300/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/20/these-metroidvania-games-are-neither-metroid-nor-vania/ | archive-date=October 5, 2013 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> {{failed verification span|text=''[[Castlevania: Symphony of the Night]]'' popularized this approach in the ''Castlevania'' series.|date=July 2024}}<ref name="eurogamer gdc 2014">{{cite web | url = http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-21-koji-igarashi-says-castlevania-sotn-was-inspired-by-zelda-not-metroid | title = Koji Igarashi says Castlevania: SotN was inspired by Zelda, not Metroid | website = [[Eurogamer]] | date = 2014-03-21 | access-date = 2014-03-21 | first = Jeffery | last = Matulef | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140322014055/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-21-koji-igarashi-says-castlevania-sotn-was-inspired-by-zelda-not-metroid | archive-date = 2014-03-22 | url-status = live }}</ref> Other examples of such games include ''[[Hollow Knight]]'', both games in the ''Ori'' series (''[[Ori and the Blind Forest]]'' and ''[[Ori and the Will of the Wisps]]''), ''[[Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap]]'', ''[[Tails Adventure]]'', ''[[Cave Story]]'', ''[[Mega Man ZX]]'', ''[[Shadow Complex]],'' ''[[DuckTales: Remastered]]'').<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8999257&publicUserId=5379721 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605021916/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8999257&publicUserId=5379721 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-06-05 | title = Metroidvania: Rekindling a Love Affair with the Old and the New | first = Jeremy | last = Parish | date = 2009-07-23 | access-date = 2009-07-25 | website = [[1UP.com]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/microsoft-confirms-summer-of-arcade-xbla-line-up | title = Microsoft Confirms 'Summer Of Arcade' XBLA Line-Up | website = [[Gamasutra]] | first = Leigh | last = Alexander | date = 2009-07-09 | access-date = 2009-07-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090712124721/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=24367 | archive-date = 2009-07-12 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamersdailynews.com/article-2044-Castlevania-Symphony-of-the-Night-XBLA.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090717111110/http://www.gamersdailynews.com/article-2044-Castlevania-Symphony-of-the-Night-XBLA.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2009-07-17 | title = Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (XBLA) | first = Jim | last = Cook | date = 2009-07-14 | access-date = 2009-07-25 | publisher = Gamers Daily News }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/Metroidvania | title = Metroidvania | publisher = Game Sprite | first = Jeremy | last = Parish | access-date = 2009-07-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160627235428/http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/Metroidvania | archive-date = 2016-06-27 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/05/commodore_castletroid_knight_n.php | title = Commodore Castleroid: Knight 'n' Grail | date = 2009-05-01 | access-date = 2009-07-25 | first = Eric | last = Caoili | publisher = [[Game Set Watch]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090515144307/http://www.gamesetwatch.com/2009/05/commodore_castletroid_knight_n.php | archive-date = 2009-05-15 | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Bailey|first=Kat|date=2020-02-26|title=Ori and the Will of the Wisps is "Three Times the Scope and Scale" of Blind Forest|url=https://www.usgamer.net/articles/ori-and-the-will-of-the-wisps-final-preview|access-date=2020-06-19|website=USgamer|language=en}}</ref>

Early examples of [[Open world|free-roaming]], side-scrolling, 2D platform-adventures in the vein of "Metroidvania" include Nintendo's [[Metroid (video game)|''Metroid'']] in 1986 and [[Konami]]'s ''Castlevania'' games: ''[[Vampire Killer]]'' in 1986<ref>{{cite web|first=Jeremy|last=Parish|url=http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8827111&publicUserId=5379721|title=Famicom 25th, Part 17: Live from The Nippon edition|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120629230850/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8827111&publicUserId=5379721 |archivedate=June 29, 2012|accessdate=July 2, 2024|work=[[1UP.com]]|date=August 1, 2008}}</ref><ref>Kurt Kalata and William Cain, [http://castlevaniadungeon.net/games/cv2.html Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest (1988)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723035624/http://castlevaniadungeon.net/games/cv2.html |date=2011-07-23 }}, Castlevania Dungeon, accessed 2011-02-27</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=July 2024}} and ''[[Castlevania II: Simon's Quest|Simon's Quest]]'' in 1987,<ref name=1UP-Parish>Jeremy Parish, [http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7212636 Metroidvania Chronicles II: Simon's Quest] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629034651/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=7212636 |date=2011-06-29 }} [[1UP.com]], June 28, 2006</ref><ref name="CV2History">{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/history_castlevania/p4_01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725014047/http://www.gamespot.com/gamespot/features/video/history_castlevania/p4_01.html |archive-date=2008-07-25 |title=The History of Castlevania - Castlevania II: Simon's Quest |website=[[GameSpot]] |author=Mike Whalen, Giancarlo Varanini |access-date=2008-08-01}}</ref> ''[[The Goonies II]]'' in 1987 again by Konami,<ref>Parish, Jeremy. "Metroidvania Chronicles IV: The Goonies II". Telebunny. Retrieved July 11, 2016.</ref> as well as [[Enix]]'s sci-fi [[Sharp X1]] computer game ''[[Brain Breaker]]'' in 1985,<ref name="Retro"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/brainbreaker/bbreaker.htm|title=Brain Breaker|date=6 October 2017|website=hardcoregaming101.net|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827000806/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/brainbreaker/bbreaker.htm|archive-date=27 August 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Pony Canyon]]'s ''[[Super Pitfall]]'' in 1986,<ref name="Gamasutra-Gems"/> [[System Sacom]]'s ''[[System Sacom#For computer|Euphory]]'' in 1987,<ref name="Retro"/> [[Quest Corporation|Bothtec]]'s ''The Scheme'' in 1988,<ref name=Retro/> and several ''[[Dragon Slayer (series)|Dragon Slayer]]'' [[Action role-playing game|action RPGs]] by [[Nihon Falcom]] such as the 1985 release ''[[Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu|Xanadu]]''<ref name="Parish-Metroidvania">{{cite web|author=Jeremy Parish|title=Metroidvania|work=Metroidvania.com|publisher=GameSpite.net|url=http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/Metroidvania|access-date=2011-03-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627235428/http://www.gamespite.net/toastywiki/index.php/Games/Metroidvania|archive-date=2016-06-27|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=8-Bit Cafe: The Shadow Complex Origin Story|author=Jeremy Parish|date=August 18, 2009|website=[[1UP.com]]|url=http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9001783|access-date=2011-03-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620044739/http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=9001783|archive-date=June 20, 2012}}</ref> and 1987 releases ''[[Faxanadu]]''<ref name="Parish-Metroidvania"/> and ''[[Legacy of the Wizard]]''.<ref name=gsutra_20games>{{cite web | last = Harris | first = John | title = Game Design Essentials: 20 Open World Games | website = [[Gamasutra]] | date = September 26, 2007 | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php?page=11 | access-date = 2008-07-25 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080624060124/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/1902/game_design_essentials_20_open_.php?page=11 | archive-date = June 24, 2008 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}</ref>

==={{visible anchor|Auto-runner games|Endless running game|Endless running games}}===
{{See also|Endless runner}}
Auto-runner games are platformers where the player-character is nearly always moving in one constant direction through the level, with less focus on tricky jumping but more on quick reflexes as obstacles appear on screen. The subcategory of endless runner games have levels that effectively go on forever, typically through [[procedural generation]]. Auto-runner games have found success on mobile platforms, because they are well-suited to the small set of controls these games require, often limited to a single screen tap for jumping.

Game designer Scott Rogers named [[Side-scrolling video game|side-scrolling shooter]]s like ''[[Scramble (video game)|Scramble]]'' (1981) and ''[[Moon Patrol]]'' (1982) and chase-style gameplay in platformers like ''[[Disney's Aladdin (1994 video game)|Disney's Aladdin]]'' (1994 8-bit version) and ''[[Crash Bandicoot (video game)|Crash Bandicoot]]'' (1996) as forerunners of the genre.<ref name=Swipe>''Swipe This!: The Guide to Great Touchscreen Game Design'' by Scott Rogers, Wiley and Sons, 2012</ref> ''[[B.C.'s Quest for Tires]]'' (1983) has elements of runner games,<ref name="newyorker canabalt"/> keeping the jumping of ''Moon Patrol'', but replacing the vehicle with a cartoon character.

In February 2003, Gamevil published ''Nom'' for mobile phones in Korea. The game's designer Sin Bong-gu, stated that he wanted to create a game that was only possible on mobile phones, therefore he made the player character walk up walls and ceilings, requiring players to turn around their mobile phones while playing. To compensate for this complication, he limited the game's controls to a single button and let the character run automatically and indefinitely, "like the people in modern society, who must always look forward and keep running".<ref>{{cite web |date=May 28, 2004 |url=http://www.dt.co.kr/contents.html?article_no=2004052802011468700002 |first=Ji-suk |last=Han |title=[Geim Keurieiteo] Geimbil 'Nom' gihoek Sin Bong-gu siljang |script-title=ko:[게임 크리에이터] 게임빌 `놈` 기획 신봉구 실장 |trans-title=[Game Creator] Director Sin Bong-Gu, planner of Gamevil's `Nom` |language=ko |website=DigitalTimes |access-date=July 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709103137/http://www.dt.co.kr/contents.html?article_no=2004052802011468700002 |archive-date=July 9, 2016 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all }}</ref>

While the concept thus was long known in Korea, journalists credit ''[[Canabalt]]'' (2009) as "the title that single-handedly invented the smartphone-friendly single-button running genre" and spawned a wave of clones.<ref name="newyorker canabalt">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/dont-stop-the-game-that-conquered-smartphones | title = DON'T STOP: THE GAME THAT CONQUERED SMARTPHONES | first = Simon | last = Parkin | date = June 7, 2013 | access-date = December 17, 2016 | magazine = [[The New Yorker]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20161217051533/http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/dont-stop-the-game-that-conquered-smartphones | archive-date = December 17, 2016 | url-status = live | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-21-temple-run-2-review | title=Temple Run 2 review | work=Eurogamer | date=21 January 2013 | access-date=February 1, 2013 | author=Faraday, Owen | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130202182013/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-01-21-temple-run-2-review | archive-date=2 February 2013 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> ''[[Fotonica]]'' (2011), a one-button endless runner viewed from the first person, that was described as a "hybrid of ''Canabalt''{{'}}s running, ''[[Mirror's Edge]]''{{'}}s perspective (and hands) and ''[[Rez (video game)|Rez]]''{{'}}s visual style".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/01/19/fotonica-you-need-this-game-now/ | title=Fotonica: You Need This Game Now | work=The Sixth Axis | date=January 19, 2011 | access-date=May 25, 2016 | author=nofi | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616234517/http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2011/01/19/fotonica-you-need-this-game-now/ | archive-date=June 16, 2016 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

''[[Temple Run]]'' (2011) and its successor ''[[Temple Run 2]]'' were popular endless running games. The latter became the world's fastest-spreading mobile game in January 2013, with 50 million installations within thirteen days.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-01-temple-run-2-is-the-fastest-selling-mobile-game-ever | title=Temple Run 2 is the fastest-spreading mobile game ever | work=Eurogamer | date=February 1, 2013 | access-date=February 1, 2013 | author=Purchese, Robert | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204175202/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-01-temple-run-2-is-the-fastest-selling-mobile-game-ever | archive-date=February 4, 2013 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref>