Indie 2D platformers

[Cespenar]

So, as the title suggests, I seem to have a soft spot for indie 2D platformers these days. Fortunately the market seems to deliver, but I wonder if there are any missed gems that the people here might suggest. Also feel free to chat about the genre, of course.

Among the last ones I liked in various degrees: Celeste, Iconoclasts, Momodora 3 and 4, Bloodstained, Slain: Back from Hell, (of course the Shovel Knight(s)) and probably a couple that I forgot. Some highlights:

-The extremely crisp controls of Celeste
-General overall quality of Momodora 4 and Shovel Knight
-The almost perfect reverence to Castlevania by Bloodstained
-And the graphics of Slain

I also recently bought Völgarr the Viking, but despite me generally enjoying Adult Swim games, it proved a bit too grindy for my taste. Too little actual platforming and too much memorization.

[Eldan]

Hollow Knight is more Castlevania than real platformer, but it has at least sections that I'd call platforming sections (*%*ç WHITE PALACE GRMBLFRK). It's also extremely good. Atmospheric, challenging boss fights, tight controls, varied upgrades...

[Cespenar]

Hollow Knight is more Castlevania than real platformer, but it has at least sections that I'd call platforming sections (*%*ç WHITE PALACE GRMBLFRK). It's also extremely good. Atmospheric, challenging boss fights, tight controls, varied upgrades...

Oh yeah, I forgot Bug Souls for some reason. :smalltongue:

Of course it was pretty good. Sometimes a bit frustrating due to the placement of save points and travel points, but still.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

Two I have a soft spot for are Knytt (has some sequels as well, whether they have the same simplistic charm is person dependent) and The Atomic Butcher.

Knytt, the charming symplistic non-violent tale of a lost little alien monkey boy climbing all over the place to retrieve all the parts he needs from deep caverns where they could impossibly have landed seems to only be downloadable through this shady looking but 100% official semi-backdoor (http://nifflas.ni2.se/games/) right now, but you can find footage of it, and part 3 of the series is on Steam.

The Atomic Butcher, a post apocalyptic gun and jumper with a healthbar small enough to keep you on your toes and with pee as your infinite ammo weapon, still has its original slightly dated web page (https://www.dashumankapital.net/index.php). It turns out that one now has a sequel on steam as well (https://www.atomicbutcher.info/media/), which in contrast to the Knytt ones I haven't played yet, but it looks bigger and grosser.

[Eldan]

Oh yeah, I forgot Bug Souls for some reason. :smalltongue:

Of course it was pretty good. Sometimes a bit frustrating due to the placement of save points and travel points, but still.

Bug Souls is a good name.

I should dig it up again some time. I gave up after defeating the Hollow Knight, since I couldn't get even close to the True Final Boss. Got stuck on all the possible avenues of advancement. (Couldn't kill Grimm, couldn't handle the Trial of Fools, couldn't do any of the dream bosses to get enough essence to get the Awakened Dream Nail...)

[Cespenar]

Two I have a soft spot for are Knytt (has some sequels as well, whether they have the same simplistic charm is person dependent) and The Atomic Butcher.

Knytt, the charming symplistic non-violent tale of a lost little alien monkey boy climbing all over the place to retrieve all the parts he needs from deep caverns where they could impossibly have landed seems to only be downloadable through this shady looking but 100% official semi-backdoor (http://nifflas.ni2.se/games/) right now, but you can find footage of it, and part 3 of the series is on Steam.

The Atomic Butcher, a post apocalyptic gun and jumper with a healthbar small enough to keep you on your toes and with pee as your infinite ammo weapon, still has its original slightly dated web page (https://www.dashumankapital.net/index.php). It turns out that one now has a sequel on steam as well (https://www.atomicbutcher.info/media/), which in contrast to the Knytt ones I haven't played yet, but it looks bigger and grosser.

Yeah, the Knytt series was pretty good in its time. I think I played at least 3 of them way back when. Pretty calming and exploration-based gameplay. Haven't heard of Atomic Butcher before, but I'll have a look.


Bug Souls is a good name.

I should dig it up again some time. I gave up after defeating the Hollow Knight, since I couldn't get even close to the True Final Boss. Got stuck on all the possible avenues of advancement. (Couldn't kill Grimm, couldn't handle the Trial of Fools, couldn't do any of the dream bosses to get enough essence to get the Awakened Dream Nail...)

I think I got some of the dream bosses, but the essence limit was pretty high, so I dropped it. I want to return to it as well, but the sheer walking you have to do just to get from a savepoint to a boss makes me reconsider.

[Eldan]

The last one I was trying to beat was Grey Knight Zote, because he's right in the starting village.

[houlio]

I'm a big fan of Salt and Sanctuary (haven't played Hollow Knight as I have no controller access), which is another of the Metroidvania 2D Dark Souls' clones out there. I quite enjoy it because a lot of the enemies require the kind of slower and more methodical approach that you use in souls games.

I'm also quite a big fan of Super Meat Boy. It takes platforming and extremely fast-paced gameplay to make running through levels a lot like developing muscle memory. It's challenging, but it feels great to finally beat (and then watch a replay alongside every other attempt you made that level).

[Cespenar]

I'm a big fan of Salt and Sanctuary (haven't played Hollow Knight as I have no controller access),

I finished Hollow Knight with keyboard, and it was pretty manageable?

[houlio]

I finished Hollow Knight with keyboard, and it was pretty manageable?

Can you use mouse+keyboard? I normally don't like forgoing a mouse, but I might check it out regardless.

[Cespenar]

Can you use mouse+keyboard? I normally don't like forgoing a mouse, but I might check it out regardless.

I don't think you have anything to aim in Hollow Knight to justify a mouse. In Ori and the Blind Forest, though, m&kb was doable.

[Psyren]

I recommend Cuphead, particularly if you were a Megaman fan at any point. Solid platforming, tight controls, beautiful art. The bosses can be tricky but the game is always fair.

[Silfir]

I'm a big fan of the Shantae series. I'd give Half-Genie Hero a try, since it has classic Shantae transformation stuff, though Shantae and the Pirate's Curse is probably the series' pinnacle.

Ori and the Blind Forest has been excellent when I got to it, somewhat late to the party.

I'm going to risk some blowback by extending my biggest recommendation to A Hat in Time. 3D platformers are a devil to get right, and about 80% of the good ones are called Mario in some fashion, but this is one of the few that's right up there at the top. Take a look at it; it's just as adorable playing as it looks in the trailer.

[Lvl 2 Expert]

P.S. If 3D platformers are a welcome distraction I'd recommend A Story About My Uncle. I haven't finished it yet because this old machine kept overheating, but it's very atmospheric and to me just the right amount of challenging.

[137beth]

I'm a big fan of VVVVVV (https://thelettervsixtim.es/) by Terry Cavanagh. It's available on a lot of different platforms and has a lot of content at a low price point.

[Ebon_Drake]

I played Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams a while back and it was pretty good. It's kind of amazing for a franchise that started out as the most blatant of Mario knock-offs.

[Some Android]

The Shantae series and Cuphead.

Also 20XX. I actually went to school with one of the people who worked on that game.

[Jama7301]

I second 20XX, not only because proc-gen Mega Man X is fun, but because they were one of the few Early Access games that I played that had a consistent update schedule. Every two weeks, they'd typically have a patch, or content update ready.

It's launched properly now, I should grab one of my friends and run through it some more.

[danzibr]

There’s a Momodora 4!?

You can get 1 and 2 for free on itch.io (I think).

I’m *really* enjoying Sonic Mania. Not indie but it absolutely has that old school 2d feel.

Edit: nvm thought Reverie Under the Moonlight was 3.

[Some Android]

Battleblock Theater.

[Jaxzan Proditor]

I don't think you have anything to aim in Hollow Knight to justify a mouse. In Ori and the Blind Forest, though, m&kb was doable.

I also did Hollow Knight with just a keyboard, and I didn't have too much trouble in doing so.




In addition to that, I've also been enjoying Ori and the Blind Forest recently. It's certainly easier than Hollow Knight. :smalltongue:

[DemonicAngel]

What about N, the ninja game? started out as flash game, now has an entry on steam

[ShneekeyTheLost]

I'll toss Mark of the Ninja into the mix as an indie 2d platformer. It's pretty awesome, and Stealth Done Right, in addition to being a stellar performer.

[Cespenar]

What about N, the ninja game? started out as flash game, now has an entry on steam

Ah, the glorious Flash days.

[Some Android]

Ah, the glorious Flash days.

When sbemails ruled supreme?:smallwink:

[DemonicAngel]

Ah, the glorious Flash days.

Oh, most def. but ti's still a fun, crisp platformer and apparently the new engine of N++ is really good!

[Jama7301]

I remember playing N+ on the PSP. What a joyful, infuriating game. Felt good once you got into a rhythm though.

[Cespenar]

When sbemails ruled supreme?:smallwink:

When Newgrounds was a thing.


I remember playing N+ on the PSP. What a joyful, infuriating game. Felt good once you got into a rhythm though.

Yeah, though I loved it, most of the later levels devolved quickly into Nintendo-hard category, which kinda put me off of it.

[BeerMug Paladin]

Guacamelee.

I know I've played a couple other good ones I've not seen mentioned yet, but I can't recall their names at the moment.

[Knaight]

Dustforce hasn't been mentioned yet. It's a precision platformer that you probably shouldn't expect to actually beat, but it's a lot of fun until you hit your personal wall. Which you will.

I'd also second Hollow Knight, Guacamelee, and N++, though the first two aren't just platformers.

[Wookieetank]

Here's a few of the more unique platformers I've played:
Thomas Was Alone - atmospheric story game with platforming.
Broforce - less platforming and more explosions, but ridiculous amounts of fun and has up to 4player coop as well.
Axiom Verge - Solid metroidvanian, delightfully oldschool feel, and some very unique takes on weaponry/tools. Still working my way through it, but it just feels amazingly polished all around.
Dex - more of a side scroller, cyberpunk, rpg hybrid, but it does have a fair bit of platforming as well.

Haven't played yet, but Ultimate Chicken Horse I've heard nothing but good things about.