Shooters | Fighting | Pinball | Platform | Racing | Eastern RPG | Sandbox | Cross-Genre
- Initiators / Followers
- Capsule Pitch Description: Description
- Implementation: Implementation
- Dig Dug (1982) / Mr. Do! (1982)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Golden age arcade games where you dig through a maze and drop objects on enemies.
- Implementation: Both games came out in 1982, but Mr. Do was seen as the knockoff, since it came from obscure manufacturer Universal rather than arcade juggernaut Namco.
- Pac-Land (1984) / Super Mario Bros. (1985)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Side-scrolling platform games, starring mascots, who were protagonists of early 80s arcade games- Pac-Man and Donkey Kong.
- Implementation: Pac-Land was first released in arcades as a game based on 1982 Hanna-Barbera Pac-Man animated TV series. It features three buttons and no joystick. By tapping direction button Pac-Man can move faster. It is also filled with various secrets, like pushing hydrants, cacti and stumps. Super Mario Bros. was released a year later and was not based on pre-existing cartoon series. Controls are based on D-Pad, and two fire buttons- for running and jumping respectively. Players obtain bonuses by hitting blocks from below while jumping. Levels scroll from left to right and vice versa in Pac-Land, while in Super Mario Bros. you can't return back. Animation in Pac-Land is more smooth due to arcade system being more powerful than Famicom.
- Super Mario Bros. (1985) / Alex Kidd in Miracle World (1986)
- Capsule Pitch Description: First-party platform games for 8-bit consoles starring mascots who break open blocks for prizes.
- Implementation: Super Mario Bros. became a pack-in game for the Nintendo Entertainment System; Alex Kidd in Miracle World was actually built into the Sega Master System itself. Whereas the levels in Super Mario Bros. all scrolled left to right, the first level of Miracle World was a vertical descent; later levels featured vehicles to ride and castles to explore. Also, Alex Kidd attacks by punching (he'll die if he lands on an enemy), and moves faster than Mario.
- Castlevania (1986) / Ghost House (1986)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Side-scrolling platformers released in 1986 where you venture into a haunted mansion filled with B-movie monsters to kill Dracula.
- Implementation: Ghost House came out for the Sega Master System about 2 months before Castlevania showed up on the NES. While Ghost House is a ladder-based arcade platformer along the lines of Mappy, Castlevania uses the then-new (and now more familiar) Super Mario Bros.-influenced format of running and jumping through linear stages.
- Castlevania (1986) / Ninja Gaiden (1988)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Third Party Platformer series using a certain HUD layout, ammo-based secondary weapon power-ups, two-stage attack power up (whip/shadow clones), etc
- Implementation: While NG's controls are faster and more fluid, added the ability to cling to walls and climb ladders, and Tecmo was the first to add cutscenes to their series, there are still fairly massive similarities between the two, especially when compared to other action platformers of the time.
- Haunted Castle (1988) / Ghouls N Ghosts (1988)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Arcade games in long-running franchises, which involved rescuing a Damsel in Distress from an evil monster and tackling armies of ghosts and monsters. Oh, and both were really, really difficult.
- Implementation: Haunted Castle was released a few months earlier, and despite being a Castlevania game at heart, borrowed more than a few things from Ghouls 'n Ghosts' forerunner, Ghosts 'n Goblins.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) / Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle (1989)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Sequels to the two aforementioned games, which returned to the gameplay style of the original games (with some additions) after intermediate entries that changed up the gameplay.
- Implementation: Mario 3 remained on the NES, but Enchanted Castle was produced for the new Sega Genesis, and was a launch title for it (though not the pack-in game, which was Altered Beast (1988)).
- Super Mario World (1990) / Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Leading platform games for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis.
- Implementation: Both titles were the pack-in games for their respective consoles, with Sonic 1 replacing the previous Genesis pack-in, Altered Beast (1988).
- Zool: Ninja of the Nth Dimension (1992) / Zen: Intergalactic Ninja (1993)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Side-scrolling platformer from the early 90s starring an otherworldly ninja with a monosyllabic name starting with Z.
- Implementation: Zool is a Sonic the Hedgehog clone first released for the Amiga in 1992, and ported to a wide variety of platforms thereafter; Zen is an NES-exclusive Licensed Game from 1993 based on the Archie Comics series of the same name.
- Aladdin (Capcom) (1993) / Aladdin (Virgin Games) (1993)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Video game tie-ins for the film Aladdin.
- Implementation: Capcom's game (which happened because the company still had a deal for Disney adaptations on Nintendo consoles) was released only on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (aside from a Game Boy Advance port years later), while Virgin's was on a variety of systems, albeit the Sega Genesis was the lead platform. Both are available in the compilation Disney Classic Games Collection.
- Plok (1993) / Rayman (1995)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Platformers involving a character with detachable arms who can throw them at enemies.
- Implementation: Plok came out on cartridge systems in 1993; Rayman came out for CD-ROM systems in 1995.
- Top Hunter: Roddy & Cathy (1994) / Ristar (1995)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Platformers where characters with stretching limb must save a star system invaded by literal space pirates.
- Implementation: Top Hunter mostly plays like a Beat 'em Up and the stretching limbs are not very important. Ristar is a straight platformer.
- Super Mario 64 (1996) / Bubsy 3D (1996)
- Capsule Pitch Description: 3D mascot platformers
- Implementation: The games were released very closely, and quite deliberately on Bubsy 3D's part.
- Super Mario 64 (1996) / Crash Bandicoot (1996)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Both established the 3D platformer on their respective systems, the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation.
- Implementation: Both were released in 1996. But while Mario 64 focused on exploration and had less limited control, Crash was more of an action-based platformer and was essentially a 2D platformer viewed from a 3D perspective.
- Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1997) / Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards (2000)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Both are 2½D platformers released in the same generation with a cutesy aesthetic, and the protagonists of both games specialize in enemy-tossing attacks.
- Implementation: Klonoa is the first entry of its series, while Kirby 64 is a continuation of its series. Klonoa leans more into the third-dimension of the setting, while Kirby often plays along a 2D plane in an otherwise three-dimensional world. Klonoa is also more story-oriented and features more precise and complex puzzles with a limited set of abilities, while Kirby is more combat-oriented and features Ability Mixing.
- Sonic the Hedgehog (2006) / Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
- Capsule Pitch Description: The two franchises' first forays into the seventh generation of consoles.
- Implementation: Both games represented what the developers intended to be a bold-new step forward for their franchises going into the new generation, with Sonic 06 having a more cinematic and photorealistic flair to it, and Galaxy sending Mario into space.
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009) / Sonic the Hedgehog 4 (2010)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Reconstructions of two rival game francises in their prime, done in the Sprite/Polygon Mix style.
- Implementation: NSMBW introduces Co-Op Multiplayer to the Mario series, while Sonic 4 is an Episodic Game. Sonic 4 Episode II ditches the Sprite/Polygon Mix aesthetic in favor of full 3D while still maintaining the Side View.
- 'Splosion Man (2009) & Explodemon (2011) / MaXplosion (2011)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Platformers where player character uses explosion as a method of propulsion.
- Implementation: Explodemon's and 'Splosion Man's concepts and trailers of the game were released almost simultaneously. Explodemon uses Mega Man (Classic)-style artwork while 'Splosion Man is goofier.
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010) / Sonic Colors (2010)
- Capsule Pitch Description: 3D mascot platformers IN SPACE!
- Implementation: Galaxy 2 utilized largely the same gameplay style as its predecessor with a few new additions, while Colors utilized a gameplay engine based on the Daytime stages from Sonic Unleashed.
- Super Mario 3D World (2013) / Knack (2013)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Flagship 3D platformers for the Wii U and PlayStation 4 respectively.
- Implementation: Both games were released within a week or two of each other (depending on the country), though Knack was a launch title for the PS4, whereas the Wii U had already been out for a year. 3D World was a traditional 3D Mario platformer with lots of exploration and depth, while Knack was an incredibly linear platformer that was entirely focused around combat.
- The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures (2013) / The Irate Gamer Game (2013)
- Capsule Pitch Description: 2D platformers released in 2013 based on popular video game critics. The former is based on The Angry Video Game Nerd, the latter on The Irate Gamer.
- Implementation: The Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures is a 2D platformer originally for PCs via Steam and later ported to consoles, and has him fight characters from various reviewed games on his quest (like Mr Hyde, Custer, and Jason Voorhees). The Irate Gamer Game is a mobile game which has him fight his evil counterpart in a simpler platformer style.
- Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (2014) / Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Spin-off titles from the main Sonic and Mario franchises, both released exclusively for the Wii U in November 2014.
- Implementation: Both titles varied up the gameplay from the usual entries in the franchise, with Rise of Lyric adopting a tethering system vaguely like Knuckles Chaotix, and Captain Toad not allowing the title character to jump, instead being based around solving platforming puzzles.
- Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom
(2018) / Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap (2017)- Capsule Pitch Description: Respectively a re-imagining and a direct remake of Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap. Both games are from European studios (a Franco-German joint venture and a French one). Ryuichi Nishizawa, Wonder Boy's original creator, is helping with both projects.
- Implementation: The latter looks like a faithful remake with gorgeous hand-drawn graphics, the former reinvents the title with a more Animesque appearance. The main difference seems to be that the pirate pig person will be a playable character in the former.
- Yooka-Laylee (2017) / Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Two platformers hearkening back to the 90s. Yooka-Laylee is a Spiritual Successor to Rare's collectathon platformers, specifically Banjo-Kazooie, while N Sane Trilogy remakes the first three PSOne games in a single package.
- Implementation: Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic is formed from ex-Rare employees, while N Sane Trilogy is developed by Activision and Vicarious Visions, both of whom have worked on the franchise before, most notably with Crash Nitro Kart. Yooka-Laylee is multi-format, but its heritage means it's most closely associated with Nintendo (The Wii U was intended as the lead format in the initial Kickstarter campaign, but that version was cancelled when the system was effectively retired. It instead released on the Switch). N Sane Trilogy spent its first year exclusive to PlayStation 4, in a way firing up the Nintendo 64 vs PlayStation Console War once again.
- Super Mario Odyssey (2017) & Sonic Forces (2017) & Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back (2017) & Knack II (2017) / Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017) & Sonic Mania (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Respectively, four brand-new entries in their franchises (with Bubsy not having been seen since 1996), a remastered trilogy of classic games; and a game that remixes classic levels from its series, with some new levels thrown in the mix.
- Implementation: N. Sane Trilogy was released first, followed by Mania, Knack, Odyssey, Bubsy, and finally Forces. N. Sane Trilogy is being handed by Vicarious Visions, Mania is headed by Christian Whitehead (producer of the incredible mobile ports of Sonic 1, 2, and CD) and a dream team of fan-run studios; Knack is being developed by SIE Japan Studio, while Odyssey is... well, developed by Nintendo. Bubsy is being handled by Black Forest Games (developers of Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams), and Forces is Sonic Team's first new major Sonic title since Lost World.
- Sonic Mania (2017) / Sonic Forces (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Both games developed to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sonic the Hedgehog. While both are part of the same franchise, the nature of the Sonic fanbase means that fans of one will more likely not be fans of the other.
- Implementation: Sonic Mania released first in August, with Forces releasing later that year in November. Mania's serves itself as a 2D retraux pure love letter to the classic 16-bit games; while Forces is a modern game continues the Boost gameplay (while also having a new Avatar playstyle and having its own share of classic-inspired gameplay) and reaches for more serious, story-driven fare of the earlier 3D games.
- Knack II (2017) / Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: A rematch between the flagship platform franchises for Sony and Nintendo respectively, both being released in the autumn of 2017.
- Implementation: Knack II remains on the PlayStation 4, and features mostly the same type of gameplay as its predecessor, with a few refinements and extra features. Super Mario Odyssey was made for the new Nintendo Switch and features some major additions overhauls to the Mario formula.
- A Hat in Time (2017) / Yooka-Laylee (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Indie 3D platformers funded via Kickstarter that aimed to be throwbacks to titles like Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie.
- Implementation: Yooka-Laylee came out first in April 2017, while A Hat in Time was released later in October 5th 2017. Both have similar mechanics and the same composer, but while A Hat in Time tried to modernise the camera mechanics and go for its own feel in terms of levels and characters, Yooka-Laylee took it much safer with a design that borrowed more from Banjo-Kazooie in particular.
- Super Mario Odyssey (2017) / A Hat in Time (2017)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Games that deal with 3D Platforming through creative worlds. Pure and simple.
- Implementation: A Hat in Time released first and is an indie developed title to throw back to platforming earlier days, including some nods to Mario 3D games themselves. Meanwhile Mario Odyssey was released later and is an in-house game developed by Nintendo themselves being the latest in the Mario games and likewise expanse more on the original platforming.
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (2017) / Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Updated collections of popular PlayStation games who, fittingly, dueled during their heyday.
- Implementation: Crash was released first to unanimous praise for its updated graphics and animation, staying true to the challenge and spirit of the original and adding some new features as well, such as Coco being playable in all three games. Spyro was released the following year, bringing the character back to his roots and original look after being pushed into the background among the huge cast in the Skylanders series. Both remakes likewise were handled by developers that had prior experience with these series: Vicarious Visions taking over from Naughty Dog for Crash and Toys for Bob taking over from Insomniac Games for Spyro. Crash was essentially a 1:1 remake with a few tweaks; Spyro was more of a re-imagining that took some liberties with character design, brought back some of the original voice actors, and had the ability to use the original scores.
- Contra Returns (2017) / Mega Man X DiVE (2020)
- Capsule Pitch Description: Gacha Based Spin offs of Run n' Guns.
- Implementation: Contra Returns is a Continuity Reboot while Mega Man X Di VE is Non-Canon and has crossovers.
- Sonic Superstars (2023) / Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023)
- Capsule Pitch Description: 2.5D platformers for the world's most famous platforming series and the mascots of the biggest rivals of the Console Wars of the 1990s.
- Implementation: Following the overwhelmingly positive reception of Sonic Mania, Sega has elected to make another Classic Sonic game; while Wonder is an evolution of the modern 2D gameplay pioneered in New Super Mario Bros. U. Both games feature new playable characters that players have been asking for for a long time, with Superstars featuring the first playable appearance of the classic version of Amy Rose (her appearance in the original Genesis games in Sonic Origins Plus notwithstanding) while Wonder features the first appearance of Princess Daisy in a platforming game since Super Mario Land. Both games also introduce new mechanics to liven up their platforming gameplay: Superstars has new abilities derived from the Chaos Emeralds, such as "Avatar" allowing players to assail enemies on the screen with an army of clones; while Wonder has the new "Wonder Flower" which causes levels to shift and change in surprising ways, as well as a fruit that transforms players into a massive elephant.
