Almost as old as the video game itself, the platform genre is a must in the video game landscape and bears true icons like Mario, Sonic, Crash Bandicoot, Rayman, and so many others. It therefore seemed essential to us to offer you our selection of the best platform games of recent years.
From indie titles paying homage to their illustrious ancestors to impressive AAAs, we've tried to cast as wide a net as possible to find the crème de la crème. Obviously, some tenors of the genre like Mario have still found a way to be among the absolute references presented in this selection of games that have marked us.
Celeste: strawberry flavor excellence
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celeste
- Gameplay as enjoyable as it is precise
- Well-balanced difficulty
- Enjoyable and gripping story
- Truly superb soundtrack
Surprise, however, it is not this dear Italian plumber who leads the way, but an adorable character with fiery hair, with celeste ! This independent title developed by Matt Makes Games has indeed, in our opinion, made a real ascent to become a classic of the genre.
As her name suggests, Celeste invites us to embody Madeline in her quest to climb the summit of the same name and unravel its mysteries, while the character is in the grip of anxiety attacks and carries a strange power. allowing him to teleport. The stage is set for an intriguing and sympathetic story.
Besides its narrative part, it is especially in its gameplay that Celeste climbs new heights in terms of platform game. Unmistakably reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, the game will take us through tables with a masterfully arranged level design requiring ever sharper reflexes (especially to recover the famous strawberries scattered throughout the game). And let's not talk about the diabolically difficult B-Side levels. A real indie nugget, in short.
Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart: A Magnificent Multiverse
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See the priceSee the testRatchet & Clank Rift Apart
- Very successful characters and a compelling storyline
- Alternation between humor and more "serious" scenes perfectly balanced
- Graphically and technically superb
- PS5 features all well used
- More than adequate lifespan
- Impeccable Spanish soundtrack and dubbing
Exactly 20 years ago, Insomniac Games created a new flagship franchise for PlayStation in the person of the happy duo Ratchet & Clank and its very colorful universe. Last year the PS5 exclusively hosted their new adventures, superb in more ways than one.
The last Lombax in the galaxy and its robotic sidekick are now true legends. A parade was also organized in their honor, with a surprise from Clank. But the jubilation turns into a nightmare when Nefarious steals the famous present to open rifts in all directions and sow chaos.
Ratchet and Clank (and a certain Rivet) therefore take us on an inter-dimensional journey like no other, which takes up and perfects the well-established codes of the famous franchise. But where Rift Apart impresses is of course in its technical prowess, which harnesses the power of the PS5 wonderfully. A beautiful and devilishly fun title that has certainly not stolen its place in the pantheon of platform games.
Psychonauts 2: a cerebral platform game
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See the priceSee the testPsychonauts 2
- Excellent writing quality
- Dubbing (VO) impeccable
- Wacky and brilliant universe...
- ... which retains its consistency
- Varied and effective gameplay
- Always very inspired bestiary
- Always Right Soundtrack
In 2005, Double Fine and the brilliant Tim Schafer came to spin our brains with the very sympathetic Psychonauts, in which we accompany the young Razputin endowed with psychic powers. With his talents, his dream was to join the eponymous elite group. 16 years later, we reconnect with Raz, sworn Psychonaut, in a high-flying title.
Our hero is now a seasoned psychic soldier and has fully mastered his powers. The story of the second opus, however, follows the plot depicted in a VR game released in 2017, which unfortunately went relatively unnoticed. Psychonauts 2 revives the very typical platform formula of the first episode and completes the original work on all points.
Whether it's the storytelling as funny as it is cerebral, the dynamically psychic gameplay or a level design as tortured as the brains we visit, this title ticks all the boxes for an excellent sequel. If the first opus was held in high esteem in the sphere of platform games, Psychonauts 2 is the culmination of it, which therefore deserves its place in our selection.
Super Mario Odyssey: the Italian plumber with many hats
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PriceSuper Mario Odyssey
- A titanic content
- Constantly changing gameplay
- Gameplay mastered in every aspect
It was obviously impossible to offer you a selection of the best platform games without mentioning the most eminent representative. Our dear Italian plumber, an absolute Nintendo icon born in the 80s, continues to be the ultimate ambassador of this beloved genre.
After the excellent Mario Galaxy first and second of the name, the master of the platform returns to us with Odyssey in a new adventure which will bring its share of crazy novelties. In this opus, his iconic cap is swapped by Cappy, an entity that can serve as a projectile or copy enemies it touches, to open up a whole range of gameplay possibilities.
If the framework of the game remains practically identical to that of the legendary Super Mario 64, this new companion has once again demonstrated Nintendo's undeniable know-how in terms of innovation. Despite his great age, Mario continues to amaze us, and it is with great pleasure that we jump at the chance to accompany him on his Odyssey.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury: the classic revisited
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See the priceSee the testSuper Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
- The varied levels of 3D World which are constantly renewed...
- …with visually very impressive sequences
- This ever-so-friendly multiplayer
- A really long overall lifespan
- Bowser's Fury, a real new adventure in 3D
- The legendary moments when Bowser appears
- Cats absolutely everywhere!
Before leaving this dear Mario for a while, there is still a title that we believe represents the best in platform games. Released in 2013, Super Mario 3D World sixth of the name continued the mark of excellence of its predecessors. Instead of offering yet another opus, Nintendo was going to enhance it in 2021 with Bowser's Fury to complete the picture.
The Japanese giant has thus taken advantage of this addition to remaster an already excellent title in what it offers, with a nice surprise in addition. Bowser's Fury can indeed be considered a new game within the game, bringing a whole new world, new transformations, but also finally a free camera.
As its name suggests, this extension brings a special emphasis to the great villain of the Mario universe: Bowser. Mad with rage and become gigantic, this one will sow a terrible mess which will make the new levels all the more interesting to go through. And that's not all, since a truly epic finale awaits Mario at the end of this new game. For all these reasons, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury is a must in the genre.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time - the marsupial is finally back
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See the priceSee the testCrash Bandicoot 4: It's about Time
- A "real" old-school (but modern) Crash Bandicoot!
- Very visually pleasing
- The first levels, fantastic
- Great gameplay finds
- A varied and well-paced game "as before"
- The gameplay rather rather well balanced…
Another absolute icon of the platform that made Naughty Dog famous before the studio took off with the franchises Uncharted et The Last of Us : the spinning marsupial Crash Bandicoot! No less than 22 years after the canonical third opus, it was time to find it again with a fourth opus from Toys for Bob, aptly titled It's About Time !
New studio, but still this good old Crash and its universe as crazy as it is colorful, for the great pleasure of young and old. Without revolutionizing an already very solid formula established more than twenty years ago, It's About Time comes, like many games in this selection, to perfect all the points.
Faster, more nervous, more difficult on the last section too, this fourth opus is a true modernized tribute to a monument of the platform. Thanks to its precise gameplay and its dizzying level design, It's About Time marks a masterful return of our dear marsupial.
Rayman Legends: the Spanish punch argument
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See the priceRayman Legends
- Dynamic and very well calibrated gameplay
- Generous content
- Visually sublime and timeless
- Enchanting soundtrack
To complete our overview of the icons of the platform, a last stop leads us quite logically to the mascot of Ubisoft, courtesy of the legendary Michel Ancel: Rayman ! After a powerful transition to 3D in the early 2000s, the Spanish giant hit hard with a return to 2D on the well-named Origins in 2011, and especially with Legends in 2013.
Sleeping cheerfully in the trees, our dear Rayman, Globox and their friends will discover a mysterious tent filled with paintings opening onto fantastic worlds. True to the crazy spirit of this colorful universe, this twist will offer great creative freedom to Ubisoft, for our greatest pleasure.
In addition to a nervous and hard-hitting gameplay or even an impeccable level design, Rayman Legends commands respect thanks to its sublime artistic touch drawn by hand. To further magnify this sumptuous journey, we can count on a masterful soundtrack provided by Christophe Heral. For all these reasons, this title clearly lives up to its legend.
It Takes Two: two, the platform is better
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See the priceSee the testIt Takes Two
- Breathless rhythm
- Ideas everywhere, all the time
- Visually successful
- Good lifespan
- Accessible and (sometimes) funny
- Local or online co-op (with only one game)
The beauty of platform games is also their ability to unite players and make even neophytes want to try them out. Solo games are great, but co-op is even more fun. Hazelight and the exuberant Josef Fares understood this well and illustrated it superbly with their latest title: It Takes Two.
Cody and May, two happy parents of their adorable daughter Rose, find themselves shrunk following a spell cast inadvertently by the latter. Our couple will therefore have to cooperate to regain their normal state, not without going through moral and physical trials in this new psychedelic reality.
Quite logically, the game is appreciated even more with its half as the mechanics of the couple are intelligently used both in the narration and in the gameplay. The cooperative adventure is made even more unforgettable thanks to an art direction as cute as it is varied. It's clearly not for nothing that It Takes Two was crowned game of the year 2021 at the Game Awards. Quite simply, a true masterpiece of the platform.
Solar Ash: a gliding machine with heart
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See the Solar Ash test
- A quality artistic direction
- Le gameplay ultra fluide
- A level design that borders on perfection
- The compositions of Disasterpeace
Let's continue our selection with the second game from the talented Heart Machine studio. After charming us with Hyper Light Drifter, an excellent action-RPG in isometric view, here comes Solar ash, a real treat for the senses, this time in 3D.
In a way a spiritual sequel to their first title, Heart Machine offers us with Solar Ash to embody Rei, a runner of the void fighting an entity capable of devouring entire galaxies. Relying on her incredible agility, our heroine embarks on a speedy and fluid adventure that is as spectacular as it is enchanting.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, Solar Ash shines with its dynamic gameplay, its high-level artistic direction, and its truly Dantesque boss fights. On the soundtrack side, Disasterpiece is back in service to delight our ears and accompany this journey in the most beautiful way. For a first attempt in the arena of platforms, Heart Machine is undoubtedly a masterstroke.
Shovel Knight: retrogaming homages in spades
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Shovel Knight
- Gameplay as satisfying as it is demanding
- Dense content thanks to numerous DLCs
- Deliciously retro art direction
- Soundtrack paying homage to the 16-bit era
To close our selection of the best platform games, we invite you to come full circle in this prolific genre with Shovel Knight. A true tribute to the golden age of 8-bit 2D platformers while keeping its own identity, the title of Yacht Club Games has arguments in spades to be among the best representatives of its category.
As its name suggests, Shovel Knight invites us to embody a knight whose noble weapon is none other than… a shovel. Logically very useful for digging up objects, this weapon will allow its wearer to bounce on his enemies, which is one of the major pillars of the game's gameplay.
Also drawing on the side of the metroidvania genre, the title will allow us to discover many hidden treasures and levels by unlocking new skills. In addition to its extremely varied gameplay, Shovel Knight excels thanks to its deliciously retro artistic touch and its unique and cartoonish universe. Be careful, however, not to be fooled by its cute attire: the Yacht Club Games title offers a devilishly tough difficulty that will put your reflexes to the test!
