Arcade Platformers

[XoPachi]

Another thread diverted to this topic and I feel like it deserves it's own. Should be fun.

We can discuss what constitutes an "arcade" platformer vs a "home" one and list some gems or new releases that fit the bill.

First I want to share Annalynn. A brand new game that dropped in January that is extremely faithful to 80's classics. It's a very elegant blend of Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Mappy and some others. It's very smooth and while it certainly arcade in it's feel, it has a much needed modern leniency in control and hit detection. It makes up it's difficulty elsewhere with it's frantic pace. I love the cute artwork. It's very clean and is very inspired by 80's cab art right down to the beautiful title that looks like it should glow.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1508460/Annalynn/

While it's a bit of a mix, I also want to toss in a *criminally* overlooked title, Rikki & Vikki. It has the aesthetic and feel of the arcades but it's a bit more traditional in progression. It's also interesting. I haven't completed it (it's fucking hard) but I've seen some...things. The game seems to take a somewhat dark turn and gets mildly unsettling. There's a character early on that seems just a touch unnerving as well.
The co op is incredible too with their own altered levels to get through. It really is at it's best working with a friend, but solo is still pretty rad.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/893690/Rikki__Vikki/

[Licorice]

Most arcade platformers I know of are really R2RKMF games i.e. you have a button for hitting things.

As for pure platformers, I know there's Pacland. There's also its successor Marvel Land.

[Imhotep]

not too many of 'em, but there's also

Blue's Journey / Raguy
Magical Cat Adventure
Recalhorn (unreleased)
Spica's Adventure
Alex Kid: The Lost Stars

[Sumez]

I'm with Licorice in that when I talk about arcade platformers, I'm usually thinking more straight forward action games. Makaimura, Toki, Sunset Riders, Magician Lord, Rygar, Three Wonders, Wardner, and what have you. I'd throw in stuff like Rolling Thunder and Elevator Action Returns as well.

But I think there's definitely something to be said of the more platforming focused ones usually loaded with unique gimmicks, puzzle elements and such. I don't know if there's "not too many of them" though. There's a whole school of Bubble Bobble-likes, although a lot of them are kinda mediocre. I like Snow Bros., Zupapa, Rodland, and Diet Go Go at least. I recently got a Nightmare In The Dark, but I'm not sure I can put up with the super slow pace.

Bubble Bobble itself is one of my favourite series, IMO all four arcade games are some of the best ever made, especially Rainbow Islands.



I could go on for years about this game.

[BrianC]

I'm liking Alex Kidd Lost Stars so far. It's definitely a straight up AC platformer. Feels a bit more frantic than its SMS counterpart too. No odd time meter taking the place of lives like the SMS version.

[XoPachi]

I don't know if Whip! Whip! would count. It's extremely similar to Bubble Bobble except rather than shooting bubbles, you're grappling to things and stomping enemies in a combo on your way down.

[SriK]

It's not a pure platformer, but Westone's upcoming Clockwork Aquario might interest you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovj_kP81zCo -- The vid says "cancelled 1994" but, long story short, it's finally coming out this year lol.

If your criteria is that you don't have separate default buttons for jumping vs. killing enemies, like Licorice said, then I really can't think of very many of these. There were of course tons of devs trying to rip off Mario on consoles, as well as stuff like the Disney games or DoReMi Fantasy, but not really in arcades, not that I know of. Even the Bubble-Bobble-likes don't really count by this definition, nor Pang. Maybe Konami's Black Panther? (Not Black Tiger, I made that mistake too and that's the only reason I've played it.) If you relax that requirement then I guess the Wonder Boy games count, although I never got around to the arcade ones.

[Marc]

I don't know if Whip! Whip! would count. It's extremely similar to Bubble Bobble except rather than shooting bubbles, you're grappling to things and stomping enemies in a combo on your way down.

Cracking game that, a real surprise when I picked it up on Switch.

Also the original Wonderboy at least has to count. Yes, there's a shoot button, but 80% of that game is platforming.

[Jeneki]

I'd agree with Wonderboy arcade. Whenever I die it's always due to sliding off a platform or jumping into something (gotta love that inertia).

[Hornet]

If I understand correctly, you're looking for arcade games that are more "run n jump" (like Mario, Sonic, Bonk etc.), than R2RKMF?

If that's the case, I'd say that Namco's Marvel Land (1990) is definitely very close to what you're looking for.

If you're willing to go pre-Super Mario Bros, I think that Konami's Circus Charlie (1984) and Taito's Jungle Hunt (1982) also fit the bill.

Circus Charlie is actually a guilty pleasure of mine. I used to play the damn thing A LOT on a freaking "enjoy it while you can before it dies" Famiclone as a kid

[emphatic]

Rygar is my all time favourite arcade game. But play the Japanese version, Argus No Senshi, it's more fun.

[orange808]

No mention of Kid Niki? Blasphemy! Had to wait in line to play that one. (Although, I'm sure I have to say Kaiketsu Yanchamaru every time I mention it here.)

Regardless of its ultimate place among titles that followed it, Kid Niki was influencial. Someone else already mentioned Toki. That was another excellent coin muncher.

[Sumez]

Rygar is my all time favourite arcade game. But play the Japanese version, Argus No Senshi, it's more fun.

What's the important difference that makes the Japanese one more fun?
All I've seen noted on the internet is some mildly different powerup and 1up distribution.

[emphatic]

The US/world version has a lot more question mark pickups and some hidden powerups and extends are missing. That's pretty much it, yeah, I just prefer the Japanese version, so to each their own I guess.

[BIL]

Oh damn, I didn't know about the extra "?" drops. That'd make the US one quite a bit easier, I guess, provided you know to whack 'em for a free Cross. Thanks for the info, was on the cusp of nailing a first no-miss when I back-burnered it. Was playing the US/JP ones interchangeably then, definitely going with the JP ver now. What a killer game, I always figured it'd be good with your posts on it over the years.

[emphatic]

Oh damn, I didn't know about the extra "?" drops. That'd make the US one quite a bit easier, I guess, provided you know to whack 'em for a free Cross. Thanks for the info, was on the cusp of nailing a first no-miss when I back-burnered it. Was playing the US/JP ones interchangeably then, definitely going with the JP ver now. What a killer game, I always figured it'd be good with your posts on it over the years.

Nice write-up! Maybe I missed it, but you're aware of the 1 million hidden bonus after the "star tree" area on stage 13, right? If you want to go for a no miss, you should look into speed running it.

[BIL]

Thanks! Yeah, definitely got my parchment heisting down. Amazing SUPER BONUS fanfare - even if it was worth 10pts I'd grab it.

[emphatic]

Thanks! Yeah, definitely got my parchment heisting down. Amazing SUPER BONUS fanfare - even if it was worth 10pts I'd grab it.

Oh, I forgot about this little nugget: https://wiki.arcadeotaku.com/w/Rygar

[Davey]

There's a whole school of Bubble Bobble-likes, although a lot of them are kinda mediocre.

Saboten Bombers was an obscure one of these that I enjoyed for a while. It almost felt like what you'd get if a shmup fan was tasked with making a Snow Bros clone. Although it was by NMK, so I guess you could say that was literally the case. I think it might have had some messed up score system, though, but it's been forever since I've played it.

[BryanM]

JJ Squawkers is the pinnacle of "generic arcade hop and bop". It's one of endless games that would be lost to time if we were bound to the commercial market - you can only play this game if you have the arcade board, or use MAME.

By a bit of coincidence, the company that made it was also responsible for the Dezaemon franchise - a series of "make your own SHMUP game" games. Seemed really cool, wish I would've been able to experience some of that outside a paragraph in the lower right corner of an issue of Nintendo Power.

[BIL]

There's a whole school of Bubble Bobble-likes, although a lot of them are kinda mediocre.

Saboten Bombers was an obscure one of these that I enjoyed for a while. It almost felt like what you'd get if a shmup fan was tasked with making a Snow Bros clone. Although it was by NMK, so I guess you could say that was literally the case. I think it might have had some messed up score system, though, but it's been forever since I've played it.

Saboten just got a surprise PS4/Switch release on Arcade Archives. Can't remember another BBesque that lets you bump enemies, interesting. Tried 2P and we murdered each other constantly, fun times ahead.

By a bit of coincidence, the company that made it was also responsible for the Dezaemon franchise - a series of "make your own SHMUP game" games. Seemed really cool, wish I would've been able to experience some of that outside a paragraph in the lower right corner of an issue of Nintendo Power.

Athena, men of sparkling heights and scandalous lows! JJS, Biometal and DAI-OHHH opposite fuckin DARGON UNIT (and its less borked yet even stranger sequel, the REAL HOPPING SIMULATOR Tatsujin no Ken which has the best 2D zombies ever )

[drauch]

Coincidentally was reading the Little Nemo wikipedia today and didn't realize there was an arcade platformer simply titled Nemo. Anyone played that? Quite a different look to the NES game.