Earthpainting
Member
The 2D platformer used to rule the gaming landscape a few decades ago. It was prominently represented on virtually all major systems at the time, whether they were at home, in the arcades or in your hands on the bus. The sheer volume of games in the genre meant it was not easy to distinguish your game amongst all the others. As a fan of the genre, wading through the mountains of identity-less clones can be an exhausting journey full of disappointment. Gimmick might often be seen as a dirty word in the industry, but I thought it would be cool if we could discuss exactly the mechanics that mix the game up just enough stand out from the rest.
I figured Id get the ball rolling with some Capcom ones. It's only fitting as they used to be masters of finding ways to make their platformers unique.
Gargoyles Quest (GB)
This spinoff series of Ghosts'n Goblins actually has quite a few gimmicks going on. When you are thrown into the game, youll notice that aside from Firebrands slowness, he has the ability to hover for a little bit. This move can be compared to floating character from Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic. However since this game isnt tied down by other characters play styles, they were able to really incorporate this floating into the level design. To complement this mechanic, you are also given the ability to stick to walls. With these two elements working together, they were able to craft a lot of cool and challenging stages that could twist and turn into any direction. Throughout your quest youll be given extra power-ups which also affect the flow of this unique flavour of traversal. Once your brain gets used to the limitations of how Firebrand controls, you end up with one of the more satisfying platforming experiences out there.
Perhaps one of the more stranger twists on the formula that Gargoyles Quest throws at you, is its inclusion of a JRPG world map, towns and , yes, even random battles. If you encounter a monster on the world map, youll be teleported to a small instanced stage with a few enemies. You can usually beat these challenge maps in a few seconds once you know the layout and places the enemies spawn.
Its not one of the easiest franchises out there, but I can highly recommend all three entries in the series. Gargoyles Quest 2 on the NES refines a lot of the mechanics and the increased field of view that the NES resolution brings is very welcome. The gorgeous Demons Crest on the SNES has some issues with boss HP, but still comes recommended if you enjoyed the two previous titles.
DuckTales (NES)
If you're familiar with Capcoms NES library, you'll probably know and love this one. The recently announced remake started a discussion with a friend of mine, which lead to me wanting to make this thread in the first place.
The gimmick of this game is your cane. Scrooge is able to hook his cane onto various to push, pull and hang to them. Simple stuff and much more fleshed out in the sequel, but it works. Another thing you can do with your cane is smack stuff around like a golf club. Finally the big differentiator is using your cane as a pogo stick. Not only does this allow you to jump much higher, it is also your primary method of attack. If you you land on an enemy cane-first, you'll be dishing out damage, rather than taking it. An added bonus is that whenever you are pogo-ing around, spikes on the floor will not be able to hurt you. However watch out for ceiling spikes!
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)
If someone shouts Crates! these days at Capcom, they would probably be considered crazy and asked how it relates to the hunting of monsters. Back in the early 90s however that person was considered a bona fide genius. Crates were already a staple in games and it only made sense to try and do something more with them. In this game, the world is filled with tons of crates and boxes. Your character can pick these up and not only throw them to the sides or upwards, but also sometimes hide in them. It looks adorable and makes for a perfect shield. Solid blocks were also scattered around the world. They make perfect building blocks to construct stairs out of or used as weapons.
Rescue Rangers also gave you the option to play the game in co-op. One thing I always found peculiar about it was that one player could also pick up the other as if (s)he were a chipmunk-shaped block and either safely transport him/her across the stage, help reach higher platforms or clear large gaps. It is definitely one of my all-time favourite games and I hope Capcom will be looking into its direction of the DuckTales remake does well.
The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie (SNES)
Another Disney platform game by Capcom. They sure kept pumping these out, but as long as they had ideas to keep these going, Im not going to complain.
This games gimmicks are part of a bigger one. Throughout the adventure you will find costumes, which you can switch to freely throughout your adventure. You start off without one. Since your hands are free, you can easily hold things in your hand. The cleaner outfit puts a vacuum cleaner in your hands. This item allows you to suck dazed enemies up, blow out candles, suck objects closer and chip away parts of enemies. The spelunker costume gives you a hook with you can use to scale walls almost like Strider Hiryu. Last is the cowboy outfit with a stick horse, which controls very similarly to the pogo stick in DuckTales. This outfit also gives you a gun that fires corks.
Like Chip n Dale, this title allows you to play through the entire game in co-op. The game itself isnt exactly all that challenging or engaging, however having been able to play it with a friend made me go play through it several times.
What are some other mechanics used to break up the monotony of a straight-forward platformer? I'm sure GAF in all its vast knowledge can think of many more examples. The games themselves don't have to good, just as long as the gimmick is interesting. As always, please try to avoid simply posting a name or a screenshot without any sort of explanation.
I figured Id get the ball rolling with some Capcom ones. It's only fitting as they used to be masters of finding ways to make their platformers unique.
Gargoyles Quest (GB)
This spinoff series of Ghosts'n Goblins actually has quite a few gimmicks going on. When you are thrown into the game, youll notice that aside from Firebrands slowness, he has the ability to hover for a little bit. This move can be compared to floating character from Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki Doki Panic. However since this game isnt tied down by other characters play styles, they were able to really incorporate this floating into the level design. To complement this mechanic, you are also given the ability to stick to walls. With these two elements working together, they were able to craft a lot of cool and challenging stages that could twist and turn into any direction. Throughout your quest youll be given extra power-ups which also affect the flow of this unique flavour of traversal. Once your brain gets used to the limitations of how Firebrand controls, you end up with one of the more satisfying platforming experiences out there.
Perhaps one of the more stranger twists on the formula that Gargoyles Quest throws at you, is its inclusion of a JRPG world map, towns and , yes, even random battles. If you encounter a monster on the world map, youll be teleported to a small instanced stage with a few enemies. You can usually beat these challenge maps in a few seconds once you know the layout and places the enemies spawn.
Its not one of the easiest franchises out there, but I can highly recommend all three entries in the series. Gargoyles Quest 2 on the NES refines a lot of the mechanics and the increased field of view that the NES resolution brings is very welcome. The gorgeous Demons Crest on the SNES has some issues with boss HP, but still comes recommended if you enjoyed the two previous titles.
DuckTales (NES)
If you're familiar with Capcoms NES library, you'll probably know and love this one. The recently announced remake started a discussion with a friend of mine, which lead to me wanting to make this thread in the first place.
The gimmick of this game is your cane. Scrooge is able to hook his cane onto various to push, pull and hang to them. Simple stuff and much more fleshed out in the sequel, but it works. Another thing you can do with your cane is smack stuff around like a golf club. Finally the big differentiator is using your cane as a pogo stick. Not only does this allow you to jump much higher, it is also your primary method of attack. If you you land on an enemy cane-first, you'll be dishing out damage, rather than taking it. An added bonus is that whenever you are pogo-ing around, spikes on the floor will not be able to hurt you. However watch out for ceiling spikes!
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (NES)
If someone shouts Crates! these days at Capcom, they would probably be considered crazy and asked how it relates to the hunting of monsters. Back in the early 90s however that person was considered a bona fide genius. Crates were already a staple in games and it only made sense to try and do something more with them. In this game, the world is filled with tons of crates and boxes. Your character can pick these up and not only throw them to the sides or upwards, but also sometimes hide in them. It looks adorable and makes for a perfect shield. Solid blocks were also scattered around the world. They make perfect building blocks to construct stairs out of or used as weapons.
Rescue Rangers also gave you the option to play the game in co-op. One thing I always found peculiar about it was that one player could also pick up the other as if (s)he were a chipmunk-shaped block and either safely transport him/her across the stage, help reach higher platforms or clear large gaps. It is definitely one of my all-time favourite games and I hope Capcom will be looking into its direction of the DuckTales remake does well.
The Great Circus Mystery Starring Mickey and Minnie (SNES)
Another Disney platform game by Capcom. They sure kept pumping these out, but as long as they had ideas to keep these going, Im not going to complain.
This games gimmicks are part of a bigger one. Throughout the adventure you will find costumes, which you can switch to freely throughout your adventure. You start off without one. Since your hands are free, you can easily hold things in your hand. The cleaner outfit puts a vacuum cleaner in your hands. This item allows you to suck dazed enemies up, blow out candles, suck objects closer and chip away parts of enemies. The spelunker costume gives you a hook with you can use to scale walls almost like Strider Hiryu. Last is the cowboy outfit with a stick horse, which controls very similarly to the pogo stick in DuckTales. This outfit also gives you a gun that fires corks.
Like Chip n Dale, this title allows you to play through the entire game in co-op. The game itself isnt exactly all that challenging or engaging, however having been able to play it with a friend made me go play through it several times.
What are some other mechanics used to break up the monotony of a straight-forward platformer? I'm sure GAF in all its vast knowledge can think of many more examples. The games themselves don't have to good, just as long as the gimmick is interesting. As always, please try to avoid simply posting a name or a screenshot without any sort of explanation.