Groups comparison
Platformer - 1981 to 2021
Informal group for finding platformer sub-genres.
Vertical platformer - 1982 to 2014
A platforming sub-genre where player traverses mainly vertically up or down, often scaling a tower or similar.
Comical Action (コミカルアクション) - 1983 to 2020
An action/platformer genre characterized by single-screen levels (limited scrolling) and cooperative 2-player action. A level is usually cleared when all enemies on the screen have been defeated (who usually drop random score bonus items).
Endless Runner(Infinite Runner)[Endless Running] - 1983 to 2018
An auto-scrolling platformer characterized by simple controls - usually just one or two buttons - and randomly generated levels.
Metroidvania - 1983 to 2024
Explorable platformer. Action-adventure or action-platformer sub-genre with a lot of backtracking, a superficial sense of exploration to find locations to which you later gain access to via new abilities, tools, or such.
Puzzle platformer - 1983 to 2023
Puzzle platformers are characterized by their use of a platform game structure to drive a game whose challenge is derived primarily from puzzles.
Hop and bop [Head jumping;Jumping on heads;jump and run] - 1984 to 2022
A platformer genre characterized by jumping on the heads of your enemies being the primary (and possibly the only) method of disposing of them.
Precision platformer - 1984 to 2021
A platformer genre where the focus is extreme precision in movement, either player fails competely (needs to restart the level/game) from tiniest failings, get horrible score for it, or such.
Action Runner - 1988 to 2021
A genre similar to Endless Runners but rather is split into (presumably handmade instead of randomly generated) levels with specific challenges and with an actual end somewhere along the line.
Cinematic platformer - 1989 to 2018
Distinct from typical platform games in that they focus on fluid, life-like movements, without the exaggerated physics found in other platform games.
Platform Hell - 2008 to 2011
A variety of platformers that are utterly unfair, requiring memorizing every little detail of the game to beat them as anything you see or don't see can't be trusted to be what they appear or don't appear to be.
Turn-based platformer - 2013 to 2015
A platformer sub-genre where the platforming activity runs in turns rather than real-time.
Informal group for finding platformer sub-genres.
Vertical platformer - 1982 to 2014
A platforming sub-genre where player traverses mainly vertically up or down, often scaling a tower or similar.
Comical Action (コミカルアクション) - 1983 to 2020
An action/platformer genre characterized by single-screen levels (limited scrolling) and cooperative 2-player action. A level is usually cleared when all enemies on the screen have been defeated (who usually drop random score bonus items).
Endless Runner(Infinite Runner)[Endless Running] - 1983 to 2018
An auto-scrolling platformer characterized by simple controls - usually just one or two buttons - and randomly generated levels.
Metroidvania - 1983 to 2024
Explorable platformer. Action-adventure or action-platformer sub-genre with a lot of backtracking, a superficial sense of exploration to find locations to which you later gain access to via new abilities, tools, or such.
Puzzle platformer - 1983 to 2023
Puzzle platformers are characterized by their use of a platform game structure to drive a game whose challenge is derived primarily from puzzles.
Hop and bop [Head jumping;Jumping on heads;jump and run] - 1984 to 2022
A platformer genre characterized by jumping on the heads of your enemies being the primary (and possibly the only) method of disposing of them.
Precision platformer - 1984 to 2021
A platformer genre where the focus is extreme precision in movement, either player fails competely (needs to restart the level/game) from tiniest failings, get horrible score for it, or such.
Action Runner - 1988 to 2021
A genre similar to Endless Runners but rather is split into (presumably handmade instead of randomly generated) levels with specific challenges and with an actual end somewhere along the line.
Cinematic platformer - 1989 to 2018
Distinct from typical platform games in that they focus on fluid, life-like movements, without the exaggerated physics found in other platform games.
Platform Hell - 2008 to 2011
A variety of platformers that are utterly unfair, requiring memorizing every little detail of the game to beat them as anything you see or don't see can't be trusted to be what they appear or don't appear to be.
Turn-based platformer - 2013 to 2015
A platformer sub-genre where the platforming activity runs in turns rather than real-time.
platformer
verticalplatformer
comicalaction
endlessrunner
metroidvania
puzzleplatformer
hopandbop
precisionplatformer
actionrunner