Editing Platformer (section)

===Third dimension===
The term ''3D platformer'' usually refers to games with gameplay in three dimensions and polygonal 3D graphics. Games that have 3D gameplay but 2D graphics are usually included under the umbrella of ''[[#Isometric platformer|isometric platformers]]'', while those that have 3D graphics but gameplay on a 2D plane are called ''[[2.5D]]'', as they are a blend of 2D and 3D.

The first platformers to simulate a 3D perspective and moving camera emerged in the early-mid-1980s. An early example of this was [[Konami]]'s ''[[Antarctic Adventure]]'',<ref name=KLOV-Antarctic>{{KLOV game|6890|Antarctic Adventure}}</ref> where the player controls a penguin in a forward-scrolling [[Third-person (video games)|third-person]] perspective while having to jump over pits and obstacles.<ref name=KLOV-Antarctic/><ref name=allgame-Antarctic/><ref name=Moby-Antarctic/> Originally released in 1983 for the [[MSX]] computer, it was subsequently ported to various platforms the following year,<ref name=Moby-Antarctic>{{MobyGames|id=/msx/antarctic-adventure|name=Antarctic Adventure}}</ref> including an [[arcade video game]] version,<ref name=KLOV-Antarctic/> [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]],<ref name=Moby-Antarctic/> and [[ColecoVision]].<ref name=allgame-Antarctic>{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19267|title=Antarctic Adventure|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=19267|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=[[All Media Network#AllGame|AllGame]]}}</ref>

1986 saw the release of the sequel to forward-scrolling platformer ''Antarctic Adventure'' called ''[[Penguin Adventure]]'', which was designed by [[Hideo Kojima]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1229899_1124.html|title=KONAMIのMSX往年の名作がWiiバーチャルコンソールに登場、第2弾として『メタルギア』の配信も決定 - ファミ通.com|website=www.famitsu.com|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171030003205/https://www.famitsu.com/game/news/1229899_1124.html|archive-date=30 October 2017|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It included more [[action game]] elements, a greater variety of levels, [[Role-playing video game|RPG]] elements such as upgrading equipment,<ref>{{MobyGames|id=/penguin-adventure|name=Penguin Adventure}}</ref> and [[multiple endings]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130127035955/http://gamespot.com/msx/action/penguinadventure/cheats.html Penguin Adventure], [[GameSpot]]</ref>

In early 1987, [[Square (video game company)|Square]] released ''[[3-D WorldRunner]]'', designed by [[Hironobu Sakaguchi]] and [[Nasir Gebelli]].<ref name="nextgen"/><ref name=WorldRunner/> Using a forward-scrolling effect similar to Sega's 1985 [[Third-person shooter|third-person]] [[rail shooter]] ''[[Space Harrier]]''.<ref name="nextgen">"Hironobu Sakaguchi: The Man Behind the Fantasies". ''Next Generation Magazine'', vol 50.</ref> ''3-D WorldRunner'' was an early forward-scrolling pseudo-3D third-person platform-action game where players were free to move in any forward-scrolling direction and could leap over obstacles and chasms. It was notable for being one of the first [[Stereoscopic video game|stereoscopic 3-D games]].<ref name=WorldRunner>{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1136|title=3-D WorldRunner|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=1136|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=[[All Media Network#AllGame|AllGame]]}}</ref> Square released its sequel, ''[[JJ (video game)|JJ]]'', later that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14936|title=JJ: Tobidase Daisakusen Part II|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140101010101/https://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=14936|archive-date=2014-01-01|url-status=dead|website=[[All Media Network#AllGame|AllGame]]}}</ref>

[[File:Alpha waves.gif|thumb|''[[Alpha Waves]]'' (1990) was an early 3D platformer.]]

The earliest example of a [[true 3D]] platformer is a French computer game called ''[[Alpha Waves]]'', created by [[Christophe de Dinechin]] and published by [[Infogrames]] in 1990 for the [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], and [[IBM PC compatible]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://grenouille-bouillie.blogspot.com/2007/10/dawn-of-3d-games.html | title=The dawn of 3D games | last=de Dinechin | first=Christophe | publisher=Grenouille Bouillie | date=2007-11-08 | access-date=2007-11-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228232711/http://grenouille-bouillie.blogspot.com/2007/10/dawn-of-3d-games.html | archive-date=2011-02-28 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.got-next.com/features_read.php?id=426 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220208/http://www.got-next.com/features_read.php?id=426 | archive-date=2007-09-27 | title=Before Their Time: Cover Art | last=Fahs | first=Travis |publisher=GotNext | date=2007-01-08 |access-date=2007-01-08}}</ref>

[[File:Bug for sega saturn.png|thumb|left|''[[Bug!]]'' (1995) extended traditional platformer gameplay in all directions.]]

''[[Bug!]]'', released in 1995 for the [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]], has a more conservative approach. It allows players to move in all directions, but it does not allow movement along more than one axis at once; the player can move orthogonally but not diagonally. Its characters were [[pre-rendered]] sprites, much like the earlier ''[[Clockwork Knight]]''. The game plays very similarly to 2D platformers, but lets players walk up walls and on ceilings.

In 1995, [[Delphine Software]] released a 3D sequel to their 2D platformer ''[[Flashback: The Quest for Identity|Flashback]]''. Entitled ''[[Fade to Black (video game)|Fade to Black]]'', it was the first attempt to bring a popular 2D platformer series into 3D. While it retained the puzzle-oriented level design style and step-based control, it did not meet the criteria of a platformer, and was billed as an [[action-adventure game|action adventure]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/fade-to-black/cover-art/gameCoverId,52838/ | title=Fade to Black - DOS Cover Art | publisher=[[MobyGames]] | access-date=2007-01-28 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015142418/http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/fade-to-black/cover-art/gameCoverId,52838/ | archive-date=2007-10-15 | url-status=live }}</ref> It used true 3D characters and set pieces, but its environments were rendered using a rigid engine similar to the one used by ''[[Wolfenstein 3D]]'', in that it could only render square, flat corridors, rather than suspended platforms that could be jumped between.

Sega had tasked their American studio, [[Sega Technical Institute]], with bringing Sonic the Hedgehog into 3D. Their project, titled ''[[Sonic Xtreme]]'', was to have featured a radically different approach for the series, with an exaggerated [[fisheye lens|fisheye]] camera and multidirectional gameplay reminiscent of ''Bug!''. Due in part to conflicts with Sega Enterprises in Japan and a rushed schedule, the game never made it to market.<ref name=":0" />

====True 3D====
In the 1990s, platforming games started to shift from pseudo-3D to "true 3D," which gave the player more control over the character and the camera. To render a 3D environment from any angle the user chose, the graphics hardware had to be sufficiently powerful, and the art and rendering model of the game had to be viewable from every angle. The improvement in graphics technology allowed publishers to make such games but introduced several new issues. For example, if the player could control the [[virtual camera]], it had to be constrained to stop it from [[Clipping (computer graphics)|clipping]] through the environment.<ref name="bycer deep dive" />

In 1994, a small developer called Exact released a game for the [[X68000]] computer called ''[[Geograph Seal]]'', which was a 3D first-person shooter game with platforming. Players piloted a frog-like [[mech]] that could jump and then [[double jump (video gaming)|double-jump]] or triple-jump high into the air as the camera panned down to help players line up their landings. In addition to shooting, jumping on enemies was a primary way to attack.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www2.plala.or.jp/yasinoue/oldgame/geog1.html | title=Geograph Seal | access-date=2006-12-29 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061210142618/http://www2.plala.or.jp/yasinoue/oldgame/geog1.html | archive-date=2006-12-10 | url-status=live }}</ref> This was the first true 3D platform-action game with free-roaming environments, but it was never ported to another platform or released outside Japan, so it remains relatively unknown in the West.<ref name=nextlevel>Travis Fahs, [http://www.the-nextlevel.com/review/retro/geograph-seal-x68000/ Geograph Seal (X68000)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129224512/http://www.the-nextlevel.com/review/retro/geograph-seal-x68000/ |date=2016-01-29 }}, ''The Next Level'', November 25, 2006</ref>

The following year, Exact released their follow-up to ''Geograph Seal''. An early title for Sony's new [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] console, ''[[Jumping Flash!]]'', released in April 1995, kept the gameplay from its precursor but traded the frog-like mech for a cartoony rabbit mech called Robbit.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148848 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192711/http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3148848 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2007-09-27 | title=Forgotten Gem: Jumping Flash | website=[[1UP.com]] | access-date=2006-11-21 }}</ref> The title was successful enough to get two sequels and is remembered for being the first 3D platformer on a console.<ref name=nextlevel/> Rob Fahey of [[Eurogamer]] said ''Jumping Flash'' was perhaps "one of the most important ancestors of every 3D platformer in the following decade."<ref name=eurogamer>{{cite web|last1=Fahey|first1=Rob|title=Jumping Flash (1995)|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jumping-flash-review|website=Eurogamer|date=9 June 2007|access-date=25 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016051200/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/jumping-flash-review|archive-date=16 October 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It holds the record of "First platform videogame in true 3D" according to ''[[Guinness World Records]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-platformer-in-true-3d|title=First platform videogame in true 3D|website=guinnessworldrecords.com|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211033921/http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-platformer-in-true-3d|archive-date=11 December 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Another early 3D platformer was ''[[Floating Runner]]'', developed by a Japanese company called Xing and released for PlayStation in early 1996, before the release of ''Super Mario 64''. ''Floating Runner'' uses D-pad controls and a behind-the-character camera perspective.<ref>John Szczepaniak, [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/floatingrunner/floatingrunner.htm Floating Runner: Quest for the 7 Crystals (フローティングランナー 7つの水晶の物語) - PlayStation (1996)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160915061945/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/floatingrunner/floatingrunner.htm |date=2016-09-15 }}, Hardcore Gaming 101 (September 26, 2011)</ref>

[[File:Mario 64 Shifting Sand Land.png|thumb|left|''[[Super Mario 64]]'' (1996) replaced the linear obstacle courses of traditional platformers with vast worlds.]]

In 1996, Nintendo released ''[[Super Mario 64]]'', which is a game that set the standard for 3D platformers. It let the player explore 3D environments with greater freedom than was found in any previous game in the genre. With this in mind, Nintendo put an [[analog sticks|analog control stick]] on its Nintendo 64 controller, a feature that had not been seen since the [[Vectrex]] but which has since become standard. The analog stick provided the fine precision needed with a free perspective.

In most 2D platformers, the player finished a level by following a path to a certain point, but in ''Super Mario 64'', the levels were open and had objectives. Completing objectives earned the player stars, and stars were used to unlock more levels. This approach allowed for more efficient use of large 3D areas and rewarded the player for exploration, but it meant less jumping and more [[Action-adventure game|action-adventure]]. Even so, a handful of [[boss fight|boss levels]] offered more traditional platforming.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Super Mario 64 Overview|url=https://www.polygon.com/game/super-mario-64/4113|access-date=2021-03-29|website=Polygon|date=26 October 2012 |language=en}}</ref> Until then there was no settled way to make 3D platformers, but ''Super Mario 64'' inspired a shift in design. Later 3D platformers like ''[[Banjo-Kazooie (video game)|Banjo-Kazooie]]'', ''[[Spyro the Dragon (video game)|Spyro the Dragon]]'', and ''[[Donkey Kong 64]]'' borrowed its format, and the "collect-a-thon" genre began to form.

In order to make this free-roaming model work, developers had to program dynamic, intelligent cameras. A free camera made it harder for players to judge the height and distance of platforms, making [[jumping puzzle]]s more difficult. Some of the more linear 3D platformers like ''[[Tork: Prehistoric Punk]]'' and ''[[Wario World]]'' used scripted cameras that limited player control. Games with more open environments like ''Super Mario 64'' and ''Banjo Kazooie'' used intelligent cameras that followed the player's movements.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cea.mdx.ac.uk/?location_id=61&item=7 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120420214513/http://www.cea.mdx.ac.uk/?location_id=61&item=7 | archive-date=2012-04-20| title=Intuitive Interaction and Expressive Cinematography in Video Games | last=Cozic| first=Laurent|access-date=2006-01-27|format=PDF|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Still, when the view was obstructed or not facing what the player needed to see, these intelligent cameras needed to be adjusted by the player.

In the 1990s, [[console RPG|RPG]]s, [[first-person shooter]]s, and more complex [[action-adventure game]]s captured significant market share. Even so, the platformer thrived. ''[[Tomb Raider (series)|Tomb Raider]]'' became one of the bestselling series on the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], along with [[Insomniac Games]]' ''[[Spyro (series)|Spyro]]'' and [[Naughty Dog]]'s ''[[Crash Bandicoot (series)|Crash Bandicoot]]'', one of the few 3D games to stick with linear levels. Moreover, many of the [[Nintendo 64]]'s bestsellers were first- and second-party platformers like ''Super Mario 64'', ''Banjo-Kazooie'', and ''Donkey Kong 64''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|title=US Platinum Game Chart|publisher=Magic Box|access-date=2006-01-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070421003854/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-USPlatinum.shtml|archive-date=2007-04-21|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Windows]] and [[Mac (computer)|Mac]], [[Pangea Software]]'s ''[[Bugdom]]'' series and [[BioWare]]'s ''[[MDK2]]'' proved successful.

Several developers who found success with 3D platformers began experimenting with titles that, despite their cartoon art style, were aimed at adults. Examples include [[Rare (company)|Rare]]'s ''[[Conker's Bad Fur Day]]'', [[Crystal Dynamics]]'s ''[[Gex: Deep Cover Gecko]]'' and ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'', and [[Shiny Entertainment]]'s ''[[Messiah (video game)|Messiah]]''.

In 1998, Sega produced a 3D Sonic game, ''[[Sonic Adventure]]'', for its [[Dreamcast]] console. It used a hub structure like ''Super Mario 64'', but its levels were more linear, fast-paced, and action-oriented.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/01/31/sega-of-japans-comments-on-dreamcast-discontinuance | title=Sega of Japans Comments on Dreamcast Discontinuance | website=IGN | date=2001-01-31 | access-date=2007-02-08 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071019010356/http://dreamcast.ign.com/articles/090/090862p1.html | archive-date=2007-10-19 }}</ref>

====Into the 21st century====
Nintendo released ''[[Super Mario Sunshine]]'' for the [[GameCube]] in 2002, the second 3D ''Mario'' platformer.

Other notable 3D platformers trickled out during this generation. ''[[Maximo: Ghosts to Glory|Maximo]]'' was a spiritual heir to the ''[[Ghosts'n Goblins]]'' series, ''[[Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg]]'' offered [[Yuji Naka]]'s take on a ''Mario 64''-influenced platformer, Argonaut Software returned with a new platformer named ''[[Malice (2004 video game)|Malice]]'', games such as ''[[Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair]]'' and ''[[Pitfall: The Lost Expedition]]'' were attempts to modernise classic video games of the 1980s using the 3D platformer genre, ''[[Psychonauts]]'' became a critical darling based on its imaginative levels and colorful characters, and several franchises that debuted during the sixth generation of consoles such as ''[[Tak and the Power of Juju|Tak]]'', ''[[Ty the Tasmanian Tiger]]'', and ''[[Ape Escape]]'' each developed a cult following. In Europe specifically, the ''[[Kao the Kangaroo (2000 video game)|Kao the Kangaroo]]'' and ''[[Hugo (franchise)|Hugo]]'' series achieved popularity and sold well. ''[[Rayman]]''{{'}}s popularity continued, though the franchise's third game was not as well received as the first two.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/250615-rayman-2-the-great-escape/index.html|title=Rayman 2: The Great Escape Reviews|publisher=Game Rankings|access-date=2006-12-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090312023120/http://www.gamerankings.com/dreamcast/250615-rayman-2-the-great-escape/index.html|archive-date=2009-03-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/557315-rayman-3-hoodlum-havoc/index.html|title=Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc Reviews|publisher=Game Rankings|access-date=2006-12-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304001709/http://www.gamerankings.com/xbox/557315-rayman-3-hoodlum-havoc/index.html|archive-date=2009-03-04|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee]]'' brought the popular ''Oddworld'' franchise into the third dimension, but future sequels to this game did not opt for the 3D platform genre.

[[Naughty Dog]] moved on from ''Crash Bandicoot'' to ''[[Jak and Daxter series|Jak and Daxter]]'', a series that became less about traditional platforming with each sequel.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Alex |last=Avard |title="We might have overachieved, to be honest": The making of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/au/jak-and-daxter-the-precursor-legacy-anniversary-making-of/|access-date=2021-03-29|website=gamesradar|date=12 March 2021|language=en}}</ref> A hybrid platformer/shooter game from [[Insomniac Games]] called ''[[Ratchet & Clank]]'' further pushed the genre away from such gameplay, as did Universal Interactive Studios' rebooted ''[[Spyro (series)|Spyro]]'' trilogy and Microsoft's attempt to create a mascot for the Xbox in ''[[Blinx: The Time Sweeper]]''. Ironically, Microsoft later found more success with their 2003 take on the genre, ''[[Voodoo Vince]]''.

In 2008, Crackpot Entertainment released ''[[Insecticide (video game)|Insecticide]]''. Crackpot, composed of former developers from [[LucasArts]], for the first time combined influences from the [[Adventure game#Point-and-click adventure games|point and click]] genre LucasArts had been known for on titles such as ''[[Grim Fandango]]'' with a platformer.

The platformer remained a vital genre, but it never regained its past popularity. Part of the reason for the platformer's decline in the 2000s was a lack of innovation compared to other genres. Platformers were either aimed at younger players or designed to avoid the platform label.<ref name="gamesradar 2020">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamesradar.com/blast-from-the-past-how-this-generation-enabled-platformers-to-crash-back-into-the-mainstream/ | title = Blast from the past: How this generation enabled platformers to crash back into the mainstream | first= Stacey | last = Henley | date = December 16, 2020 | access-date = October 11, 2021 | work = [[GamesRadar]] }}</ref> In 1998, platformers had a 15% share of the market, and an even higher share in their prime. Four years later that figure had dropped to 2%.<ref name="detailed cross-examination" /> Even the acclaimed ''[[Psychonauts]]'' saw modest sales at first, leading publisher [[Majesco Entertainment]] to withdraw from high-budget console games,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141519.html|title=Bitter medicine: What does the game industry have against innovation?|last=Sinclair|first=Brendan|website=[[GameSpot]]|date=2005-12-20|access-date=2006-11-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061208033548/http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141519.html|archive-date=2006-12-08|url-status=live}}</ref> though its sales in Europe were respectable.<ref name="Psychonauts sales">[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_123/2619-Life-After-Shelf-Death Life After Shelf Death] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071115174409/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_123/2619-Life-After-Shelf-Death |date=2007-11-15 }}, ''The Escapist'', November 13, 2007</ref>