Thanks so much for watching. As this was my first video covering a more general topic rather than diving deep into a single game or series, it was pretty challenging and I had to draw a line regarding the amount of games I could reasonably talk about. Please let me know if there are any other games I may have missed that could have taken the spotlight here, or even if I'm completely wrong on this! Right now I'm playing Super Sami Roll and having a blast. My extended absence was due to working on a much bigger project in the background. Truthfully, I'm under a lot of pressure trying to put my best work into it, so when I got a spark of inspiration regarding this topic I felt it was necessary to take a break and seize the moment. Let me know if you like this style of video from me, as I've got a bunch of ideas regarding more general topics that have been stuck in my head for awhile now. Cheers!
I think a big reason for 3D platformers being made more frequently is because people who grew up with them in their most formative years are now old and experienced enough to make them. Before it was more of people who grew up on the SNES generation making all the indies. Drawing inspiration from what was the biggest part of their childhoods.
@@pacomatic9833 I immediately think of Sker Ritual, which is basically CoD Zombies: the game. Multiple maps, each with their own story and easter eggs to find. Even just dropping a new map, completely free, as an update. Multiple free battle passes, with no time limits, which include unlockable masks, player icons, and menu music. Multiple types of enemies, ranging from exploders to laser shooters and map specific bosses. Good stuff.
Not discussing Spark 3 in a video about "saving 3D platformers" is fucking criminal. Spark 3's ability to design challenges around moving fast while also giving the player enough control to make it more than just a reflexive twitch game is masterful. The levels are huge, have so much opportunity for creative movement strings, and the marriage of SA2 style platforming with DMC style fighting mechanics manages to extend the game's playtime in a way that is much less intrusive than the other "alternative playstyles" seen in adventure era Sonic. You also just feel like a badass sprinting into a combat arena and performing insane combos and air juggles on the mooks. The game also has plenty of collectibles and difficult, time based rankings like all good level-based platformers to encourage the player to explore large levels and create efficient routes. It's one of my favorite 3D platformers, and that's my favorite genre.
@@Will_-it3mh Spark the Electric Jester 3 is on Steam and Switch. It's a 3D speed platformer that takes platforming inspiration from Sonic Adventure 2, while taking combat inspiration from Platinum style action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Speed platforming in a cluster of enemies and raining down sick combos on them while hype electronica and rock music play in the background is absolutely peak
One thing to note about frontiers is that the developers added the spin dash seemingly just due to popular demand, and also gave it the specific mechanics that allowed much more free and advanced movement options, also putting it behind a fairly demanding time trial ranking collectathon, meaning it functions as a good end game reward. But it was a sign that the developers listened to peoples desire to continue developing the movement.
Remember that 3d platforming isnt dead just because we're not getting mario clones. Neon white and ultrakill were both massive success and they're at least 50% 3d platforming.
@kylespevak6781 Genres getting combined definitely not a bad thing, but I do believe one of the main issues with "AAA" gaming is that a they often try to be an "everything game". You often see them trying to be both an open world game and a linear "cinematic" story. Be a skill-based action game but also have XP-based progression and loot and crafting. They all end up being this blob of mechanics mashed together because they're all popular without much thought whether doing so is a good idea to begin with. You don't really get a clear specific experience these games are trying to provide but rather a broad range of trends being covered.
Penny’s Big Breakaway was a really good 3D platformer that managed to exceed even the greatness of Mario 3D World. And I *finally* got around to A Hat In Time in 2024 despite it sitting in my library since 2017; I’m glad I waited until I had a Steam Deck that runs the game better anyways and got to immediately hop into the DLC chapters. A Hat In Time holds up phenomenally 7 years on and I hope Gears For Breakfast will have a sequel or new IP in the pipeline sooner than later. Most recently though, The Big Catch has me more excited than I have ever been for an indie game; its Tackle Box demo was easily the most fun I’ve had in 2024, and despite Tackle Box being just a demo, it’s already one of my favorite platformers of all time. 2025 can’t come soon enough!
For as much as I enjoyed Sonic Frontiers, your points are spot on. I still stand that Pseudoregalia was my game of the year last year. It was also brought up elsewhere, but Corn Kids 64 is a absolute jam too.
This is a great look back at the recent history of this genre and an exciting look forward to what's coming on the horizon. Odyssey's movement truly is legendary, and thinking about a brand new Bowser's Fury style 3D Mario game gets me incredibly hopeful. I'll also always wish for a new 3d DK game, as I think there's so much potential there. I've had Tacklebox installed for a few weeks now and haven't played it yet, and I think this video will finally be the push I needed to start it up. This video was full of that vibrant platforming energy we all love so much, great job with this one!
Maybe this could be Retro's next project for the Switch 2 after Metroid Prime 4 Beyond finally (and I mean finally!) gets released. They successfully revived Donkey Kong Country, so 3D DK would be the next logical step. I just hope we don't have to wait until the 2030's for it to come out!
I can't in good faith say that The Big Catch is my most anticipated game. (Metroid Prime 4) But it is my most anticipated Indie title. The second I heard that the team who made Yo Noid II - which blatantly looks like a meme game with an unseeming level of depth, quality, and charm packed into it - were taking Yo Noid II's concepts and making a full game with it, I was incredibly excited, and it's only grown further since. If you loved Tackle Box and need something else to tide you over further (or perhaps The Big Catch looks interesting, but you're on the fence about it.) Go find and play "Yo Noid II: Enter the Void - Game of a Year Edition." Go play it a few times even, there's tons more to discover than the game lets on.
This is a fantastic video! I've been playing a bunch of The Big Catch the past few weeks and its such an impressive game. It's an exciting time for indie platformers!
24:33 To be fair Sega and Sonic Team are trying their best to appeal to all audiences. Both casual fans and the hard core fans. Trust me the Sonic fandom is very insane.
One game I really enjoyed recently that I haven't heard many people talk about was Crumble. It's fairly small in scope even by the standards of a lot of indie games I've played, but I find building up and trying to maintain speed really exhilarating, and trying to find ways to recover from mistakes without just dying and going back to a checkpoint almost always put a big smile on my face. I've only very slightly dipped my toe into speedrunning, but if I ever decide to get more into it, Crumble will be pretty high on my list of potential games to start with.
Let's hope some cool adherents to J&D will arise, alongside others such as Rayman and Maximo. I'm here waiting for a proper sequel, second chance or spiritual sequel to Kya: Dark Lineage. One of my favourites for PS2.
Yea Jak and Daxter like platformers are like none. The closest I think in recent years of rerelease atleast is kind of Ty the Tasmanian devil. And honestly with how they have made several rereleases off Jak and Daxter on console it sucks to not see it on PC. I need more Platformers in that style as Jak,and Jak 2 are my favorite in terms of these type of games. As the Adventure,Action,platformer play style is just really fun. And with the Jak games they tried a lot harder for story vs others at the time.
As someone who loves the original Super Mario Galaxy, I can easily recognize that the movement feels clunky in comparison to Sunshine and 64, and that's something I feel was sorely missing from a game that had interesting level design that was practically begging for that style of movement. That being said, I can still understand that galaxy was never trying to be that kind of game in the first place, which is totally fine! It's just something I think could only improve things. But like you said, I feel like that sort of "tighter" movement is definitely a symptom of trying to appeal to as many people as possible and playing it safe, in a way. But I don't always want to play something safe. I want something that will challenge me not just in the sense of difficulty, but challenge my preconceptions of what a 3D platformer is. Those are the games that stick with me longer, and help guide the genre to new frontiers. All I wanted to play when I was a child were 3D platformers. It's my favorite genre of game, easily. I only want to see it grow, and there's still a lot of room for that. The 3D platforming genre is so versatile and so malleable. It's easy to see that there's still so much more room for experimentation, and I cannot wait to see all the new ideas we get to mess around with. Excellent video again!
I feel completely opposite about the movement in galaxy. Sunshine could have been a best 3D Mario contender vs odyssey if it had smooth movement, but it's super janky and hard to control which is really frustrating especially in the platforming challenges where you don't have FLUDD to compensate. It felt like night and day when I played 3D all stars going from sunshine to galaxy. Galaxy isn't as smooth as odyssey of course, but it felt so much easier to control than sunshine
@@TheBlueGoldenHawk I can definitely agree that sunshine is probably a step too far in regards to some of it's movement. Mario feels waaayy too quick on his feet especially when you're changing directions quickly. I guess I just kind of saw what they were trying to do and I appreciated that they were trying to make the movement feel more free form for players who like to experiment. But I feel like there's enough jank to it that sort of sours it for sure.
@@Brian.Henken yeah I think sunshine has more Freeform experimentation/expression, but yeah it’s too slippery and frustrating to control even basic things you need to do for different objectives
We def in the N64-GC indie platforming saga right now. While the AAA industry struggles by making products instead of games, the indies are keeping the medium alive and fresh. Great vid as always Wiz. Great callback to your SteveOHobo years too.
This was a great watch! It was incredibly cathartic to hear my thoughts on Odyssey echoed, as well as see some great looking indies! Really glad you brought The Big Catch to my attention too!
This was a wonderful video and analysis! I wish I could say something more elaborate, but honestly, I'm just shocked at how relatively few views this video has, haha, it's just really solid. And I've got to love some appreciation being given to 3D platformers! It's much more tricky to give a player full freedom when you have a whole other dimension to consider, and it's great to see you spotlight examples of this idea being done justice.
Man, this video feels weird to me, as someone who Loves A Hat in Time thoroughly, but got bored with Super Mario Odyssey's overload of empty tasks, finding the game more and more unpleasant to revisit until I stopped revisiting it entirely. Expressive movement is great to have, but so is a fun goal to use that movement to tackle. I enjoy scouring for Yarn more than Moons, when Yarn is scarce enough and placed in places with deliberate challenges to encounter, but Moons just exist anywhere you check, being abundant and unsatisfying to simply get on any scattered pillars to pound for one. Super Mario Galaxy is a game which reeled back expressive movement, to hone in on the power of just pushing a vibe, and giving engaging challenges and variety within the stripped back systems, and I love that game for it as well.
I know I only touched briefly on rewards, but to elaborate on that a bit, the reason the over abundance of Moons never bothered me was because from my perspective, I'm never as interested in the reward as I am simply exploring and engaging with level set pieces, often in unconventional ways. It's maybe more of an intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation thing? Maybe this will drop my credibility, but I never sought to 100% complete Odyssey, so I valued the freedom it provided without having to deal with the tedium of collecting every last moon.
@@wizawhat No need to play a game to 100% to have a valid take on it Mario Odyssey and Pizza Tower would have like, a few hundred people in the world each who'd have the right to an opinion on them it that were the case. Intrinsic motivation only goes so far for me when there's only so much to do, and and the places I could think to try to worm my way into with the movement were populated with moons and Coins. I find in some games, I have fun returning to them if say, the game's systems allow me to do stuff like completing the same objectives in silly self imposed challenges, or simply taking a different route through the game, like playing Super Metroid or Pseudoregalia sequence breaking to put together the moveset in a different order, or playing with a randomizer to really shake that up, or doing a daytime stage in Plants vs Zombies with only mushrooms and single use plants. I'm not exactly the type to push a game's systems to their absolute limits like a speedrunner, but I definitely appreciate the room to do things differently, just when it's just running around without aim or further apparent expression available, I just end up wanting to play something else, or just express myself by drawing.
Really well summed up the state of 3d platforms, very excited for whats coming. I did definitely feel frustrated by how punishing tackle box could be at times but also it made success all the sweeter so in a weird way I hope they do keep it as punishing
I've heard some others hope that it remains punishing, and I think there's potential in that. We've seen plenty of "rage games" really blow up, but there needs to be a delicate balance in something as complex as a 3D platformer. I think this game has the potential to hit a good balance.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom!, Corn Kids 64, etc. a decent amount of good indie new comers exist now but many other good platformers are childishly easy and/or stuck on nintendo consoles
Then you definitely should try Geometry Dash, at least Platformer mode How to find levels: click the right button, then Search, then star and "plat.", then you can search whatever types of levels you want
@@KirikkSiSq Interesting. I've seen the game before and how creative people get with the custom levels, but never thought of it like a platformer. Do those platformer levels auto scroll, or am I in full control?
@@kylespevak6781 original game mode ("Classic") was autoscroll, and 97% of rated levels are autoscroll ("star rated levels") But 20 December 2023, Platformer mode was added, here you are in full control Still, even though these are just 3% of rated levels, there already are over a thousand of them ("moon rated levels")
i feel like the core gameplay of a 3D platformer is/should always be the movement and level design, so it makes perfect sense that this is where the evolution is happening
Super Mario 64 is still to this day my favorite 3D platformer and I think I know why. Nearly all of its levels are built with verticality in mind. Think about it. Cool, Cool, Mountain, Whomps Fortess, Etc.. These aren’t flat stages with platforms they’re basically mountains. You start at the very bottom and have to climb to the top or vice versa. When I played A Hat in Time I got the same sense of wonder as Super Mario 64 in its first level Mafia Town because it was designed with the same level of verticality. But I quickly lost that excitement as I progressed because most levels felt too flat/and or linear. I love the freedom in Super Mario 64 to collect any star I want when I enter a level. I love the vast number of movement options that you have right from the start of the game. Other than it’s outdated camera Super Mario 64 is truly a timeless game and I would love to see new 3D platformers taking inspiration from it.
I’m a proud backer of The Big Catch. It’s the first Kickstarter project I’ve ever backed and the tacklebox demo proved to me that it was worth it. It’s insane how modern it feels yet it also fills me with the same nostalgia I get playing the original Spyro 1. Can’t wait for its full release. Really glad you mentioned the game in this video.
Funny, just put the demo for this on my Steam Deck yesterday. Everybody's talking about The Big Catch (among others) and I can totally see why. Indie studios are absolutely destroying the AAA ones with these innovative new games!
I always loved 3D platformers and with the pandemic I found Demon Turfs Trial demo and it reminded me how fun the genre can be. That has set me out to seek any platforming game AAA or indie and try to capture the feelings I had playing Demon Turf where any challenge I see I can over come with a fine understanding of mechanics and the characters movement!
The movement is what I love about games like Tony Hawk, Skate, and Rolling Rascal. Games where movement itself is fun is probably one of the greatest things to come out of gaming.
I'll have to give Corn Kidz a look, but unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of Cavern of Dreams. It emulates and polishes up the Nintendo 64 experience very well, but as I found myself getting lost more and more as the levels became a bit more complex I started to realize that wasn't what I was looking for. I'd put it in a similar category to Yooka Laylee and A Hat in Time, but that's just me.
@@wizawhat I personally was more disappointed with the very limited scope of Cavern of Dreams, so I thought it might be more up your alley with the momentum-based platforming. Corn Kidz however feels so amazing to me so I hope you'll like it.
I didn't know it was possible to make it to chapter 4 without accidentally getting enough yarn to craft all the hats! I'm kind of amazed you managed to bounce off in such a weird way
It's interesting because I played a selection of 3D platformers recently and realized people like you and I are seeking fundamentally different things out of 3D platformers. I played Pseudoregalia, Corn Kids 64, and Cavern of Dreams. While I did beat Pseudoregalia, I found its sparse amount of detail in its environment art to be a huge detriment to the game, and I felt that the tight player controls didn't matter much to me if the world wasn't engaging enough to make me utilize them. I saw in a comment here that you tried Cavern of Dreams and bounced off it. To me this game is going for the other crowd 3D platformers cater to. It's not looking for extensive player expression through movement or tight gameplay segments to run through. In behind the scenes materials the dev expressed that they wanted to make a game world that reflects the feeling of being a kid playing an N64 game. The graphics were hazy and you were young, so you didn't know what to expect when playing a video game. The old TV would fuzz out the already low-res textures, so you just kind of had to interpret what strange things you were looking at, and around every corner could be a new mystery or something frightening, but you would push through because you were on an adventure. That's what Cavern of Dreams is going for, and you're not wrong for disliking it, because while it suited my needs, it didn't suite yours. Like I said, I think we represent two different crowds.
Yeah. Cavern is cool and I love it down to its low res pixels. Have you tried 'Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom'? Its game full of charm and detail but also is pretty mehanical without being ball busting if you dont wana 100%.
Firstly, You DO NOT need the time hat for Alpine Skyline. It only makes the level easier. It is not mandatory. It is ONLY mandatory in the race level in Mafia town. Secondly, have you played any of the Billue Bust Up demo's? It's a game I am REALLY looking forward too! And finally, I need to finish this one, But, I played a game called Blue Fire once. It is basically if AHIT and TLOZ had a baby! I haven't finished, cos I ragequit a platforming puzzle. But I often think bout it and how I need to go back to it. I liked it's unique platforming.
The moment I saw the Big Catch being revealed I've added it to my wishlist, also can't wait for Nikoderiko: The Magical World, the new Astro game and Bakeru.
I feel like AstroBot, should have gotten a mention at least, it is Sonys love letter to 3D platforming and fun as can be. Can't wait for the new one to come out in a few weeks.
Project Feline isn't out yet, but it has this one demo stage that I really love. There's a clear, normal way through it, but you can only complete it so quickly. To get the higher rankings at the end, you need to essentially play on top of and around the level, traversing across what would just be "background elements" in another game. It's still super enjoyable playing this way too...! I think it really embodies the essence of parkour.
The Big Catch (or "Tacklebox" as of right now) reminds me so much of that lost beta version of Malice on PSX. like, the way everything looks, the sounds, the aesthetics, visuals. also it reminds me alot of LoveDeLic games in the characters design
If there’s one thing that indie gaming is teaching me it’s when AAA developers fail to make a product akin to those people have been asking for forever, indie devs will make them, themselves. It goes beyond platformers. Revivals of F-Zero and Punch out are coming…they just won’t be called F-Zero and Punch Out. Hell my favorite franchise Ace Attorney got some pretty great passion filled influences (Tyrion Cuthbert anyone) already out there Though as a 3D platformer fan just having more of these high quality games is just nice (but I’ll always defend the qualities people like to bash DK-64 and even Yooka-Laylee for) Indie devs will make everyone’s dream games a reality at some point. Keep an eye on what’s to come everyone!
@hawawa675 well. I think we've moved forward a lot. Only recently has 3D stuff gone in vogue, we've had good 2D indies going back about 15 years but better tools & a new generation of developers have moved us from NES / SNES worship. The tech change is big, it's hard to imagine psuedoregalia being developed through 5 months if this was 10-12 years ago
@@AB1138- Oh I do agree. I think maybe around the time Cuphead came around, I realized that pretty much any stylized game could be produced. It was definitely more 2D back then (and honestly I hope those keep coming cause Celeste is so good) I think Indie games are gonna just keep getting better honestly and as long as they keep listening to what people want, could end up overtaking the popularity of what Triple A games we have now (honestly i'm way more excited for indie releases this year)
This video is pretty sick. I find it hard to voice what I love about platforming, expression through movement is the best way to say it. Funnily enough when I was much younger I found that in Mario Galaxy! I would try and complete the levels without the spring powerup because it was slow, just using the backflip/wall jump/ spin combos. When Odyssey came out my mind was blown. Tacklebox is definitely a contender for game of the year for me, absolutely loved it as well. One game you didn't mention but weirdly has quite a bit of this movement expression, is Another Crab's Treasure. Its mainly a soulslike but if you watch some speedruns of it, you can see how versatile the platforming actually is. Anyway great video I will be subscribing :)
I felt the need to share this I've always hated 3D platformers; I tried Mario 64 and found it lacking, and that was supposed to be the best the genre had, right? I tried Spyro and couldn't quite figure out why he felt so...sluggish to control. I also rarely played indie games because I always saw them as quick-and-cheap asset flips put up on Steam made by incompetent devs for a shitpost. Then I played Pseudoregallia, and I *got* it--the momentum, the fluidity, the exploration, the *zoom*--it was so good! A whole new world of experiences and fun opened up! I can't find any more games that really tap into the feeling of that game, but Project: Feline is a close second. Now I'm genuinely excited for new indie games, and especially paltformers! That's the post. Have a good day.
I saw you mention it in the future block but I would definitely recommend bomb rush as something you might like based on the premise of a new style platformer. Very fun game, great movement, it’s not too long.
Idk If you mention it here or not but I really enjoyed the game "Hell Pie" It feels like a spiritual successor to the game "Whiplash". I played tf out of Whiplash as a kid and loved it very much. Hell Pie has a similar "2 characters chained together but moving as 1" type of thing. But with dark humor, demons, angels, and gathering ingredients for a chef from various open zone levels. The main power up gimmick is that you can swap to different demon horns that allow you to do different things. Like one lets you super sprint, one lets you ride zip lines, charge attack, etc.
Does anyone else remember a recent trailer for a new game that "I Believe" has people who worked on Banjo Kazooie making it, and the new game has a Backpack companion also?????
Mario 3d world with bowsers fury is my favorite Mario game. 3d world is a really fun co-op game and if bowsers fury was longer it would probably be my favorite Mario game by itself
Neat to see someone with a similar feeling to myself about how a lot of stuff in some 3d platformers of the collectathon sub genre lean more into the collectathon and down play the platforming trading it out for mini-games and such. Honestly even with Mario I still feel SM64 did the most integrating of platforming into its open areas instead of shoving it off to side areas. As early as Whomp’s fortress you get moving platforms for example and you end on stuff like Tick Tok Clock filled with moving obstacles to time jumps around well its vertical nature allows Mario’s wide move set to let you find all sorts of ways to move around it. But by Odyssey often you’re jumping form un-moving land to un-moving land and the focus seems to have shifted form timing of your interactions with the environment to timing complex inputs. With any moving elements tucked away in sub areas. Even Sunshine felt like it had more moving elements in the open environments Hopefully some of the new ones bring back that back and forth with the environment well in an open area instead of it all being about how tricky the inputs are and timing those over also needing to time and position leaps with the environment and enemies.
I'm so glad somebody else feels the same as me too :D I have HIGH hopes! Looking forward to what people are going to make, and see even MORE people be inspired by those projects! p.s. do you mind telling me what the game at 27:57 is? It looks so cool
If you're in need of really good 3D sonic-platformer type of game, I think Rollin' Rascal is one the greatest in the genre, it's still only a demo, but the few levels and online multiplayer are a blast
I played the Rollin Rascal demo during the kickstarter. I think at that time I had a few too many issues to really love it, particularly with the enemy controlling mechanic and some momentum killers in the level design, but the changes they outlined recently looked like a big step in the right direction. Overall I'm still very optimistic about it and looking forward to the full release
I really wish we had a BOOM of 3D platformers because they really are the best of the best. They remind us why we love playing video games and they let us be involved in a world that is fun, unique, and creative. Why can't most developers see that as well as many people show more of the indie scene?
Thanks for putting The Big Catch back on my radar! I had briefly forgot about and will definitely be trying the demo! Also thanks I'm now going to go replay Mario Odyssey for the 8th time lol.
I found out that basically grappling hooks are the most fun mechanic for movement options if done right, but movement can still be fun without it. I know graple hooks and such have been around for ages, but it feels like almost no game uses them anymore. Until these platformers, and a game which is the one that made me realize it, a game that is not a platformer whatsoever. MH Rise Wirebug system, made me realize how much fun that shit is. Then I bought a 2D indie game called SANABI which solidified this opinion for me. I just need more games especially platformers 3D or 2D to use it more.
I loveee 3D platformers!! A Hat in Time was my first experience in this genre and I still play it every year. My love for platformers actually started with a side scroller game called Limbo. Although it's not a 3D collectathon, the platforming elements still influenced me to try "3D" platformers. I saw my uncle play it when I was a kid was so blown away haha. My first personal experience with one was Little Nightmares, also released in 2017! What a special year that was. Both AHiT and LN released, which shaped my love for these types of games
Got this recommended and watched the whole video. it was really interesting, and I completely agree with you (and I just played tacklbox - its amazing) Subbed!
You mention a lot about Sonic; have you heard of Spark the Electric Jester 3? It's a very good high speed 3d platformer that takes the best bits of Sonic and alters and improves them. It also has a bit of brawling in it, but the movement in the game is lovely. They even manage the batshit story tone and punk rock that made SA2 so iconic somehow, yet also hide an entire world of lore in the game. Yeah it's at the end of a trilogy too; the first game is more like Sonic with Kirby's powerup system, and the second was the _sole dev of the game_ literally making a 3d Sonic engine from scratch to give to the modding community, so it's unpolished. Spark 3 is the culmination though, and I love it.
I mean the Ocarina of Time rom hacking scene has really been blowing up recently ever since the decomp was finished. I really recommend checking out the rom hack called Indigo it's amazing. You can also find other good ones on Hylian modding if you want more.
I recommend checking out Animal Well, Tunic, Isles of Sea and Sky, Minishoot’ Adventures, and the up-and-coming Mina The Hollower from Yacht Club Games. ABYSS X ZERO is another one to look out for.
@@radiorah768 familiar with most games on this list besides minishoot and isles. what i really want to see is someone capture a classic oot/mm style 3d action adventure game like how the big catch captures mario 64, rayman and collectathons
@@anonwalkerr Same. I'm hoping ABYSS X ZERO is able to scratch that itch with it being a 3D metroidvania with carefully crafted dungeons. Check out Game Maker's Toolkit video: "An excellent block-pushing puzzler on an open ocean". It was what sold me on Isles of Sea and Sky. Minishoot’ Adventures is a unique take on the top-down Zelda formula that combines shmup elements.
if i can offer some criticism, i think when you're making your points about the individual games you should be backing up your claims. you talk about how yooka laylee controls worse than banjo, explain it! give an example! you're talking about how "fluid" Odyssey is, prove it! i played the games, i know what you mean but i think its needed for the sake of the essay
Pseudoregalia is my favorite platformer. I consider myself someone who is bad at platformers but that game was so much fun ahhh I’m gonna play it again :3
Old games: Heres a virtual world you can play in. Have fun. See if you can get all the collectibles if you want to. Modern games: Heres a list of things to collect because collecting things is "Fun". Oh and this is how you play through this virtual world.
I've really enjoyed the demo for 500 Caliber Contractz recently. It doesn't seem as cohesive as the games you talked about, but the sniper-rifle-based platforming was really interesting and I kept finding new ways to move around. It's more about the momentum you can build rather than the actual jumps.
We literally should take inspiration from smash bros for movesets and attacks and feature different interactive activities from battle for bikini bottom with hitting buttons to manipulate the environment.
The Big Catch needs some Prince of Persia "reverse time" mechanics to compensate for failed execution of strings to at least keep the momentumn for the player in regards to flow.
I honestly think mario odyssey is the most polished fleshed out accessible and maliable 3d platformer ever. So many movement options with a huge skill ceiling and peak level design based around all those movement options.
Ari Buktu is a cool 2.5D platformer coming to Steam that feels really fresh. It has like Klonoa style paths. It's a time-travel adventure where history's greatest tomb raider is after you.
Ooh wow The Big Catch looks so good! Even with your criticisms I can just tell I will vibe with it to a real extent. This video brought it from something Id vaguely heard of to something Ill 100% play when it comes out. So thank you! Theres a ton of value in this kind of video, thanks for making it :)
interesting watch, might try that big catch game since it's kinda doing stuff with the fishing rod I thought would make big the cat more fun in sonic games but they never making him playable any time soon. I also thought taking notes from stuff like THPS would actually benefit sonic as well over a decade ago and it is kinda sad that they never capitalize fully on anything they do try to do. Like, while I enjoyed frontiers, it wasn't really what I was hoping for with a open world sonic when all these old fan games kinda showed what was possible long before hand. Just felt like it was just doing it on a surface level mostly because it was following the trend Breath of the Wild started.
Tacklebox is so fun but SO difficult. I hope the full game gets some better checkpoints but I honestly really love the difficulty. It scratches the same itch as Celeste for me, but in a 3D setting instead. It’s super difficult and can get very frustrating, but MAN does it feel good when you finally get it. Very excited for the full game!!
The mountain levels are exactly where I stopped playing AHIT myself. I think I actually didn't enjoy the open ended design because I wasn't expecting the game to do that
Thanks so much for watching. As this was my first video covering a more general topic rather than diving deep into a single game or series, it was pretty challenging and I had to draw a line regarding the amount of games I could reasonably talk about. Please let me know if there are any other games I may have missed that could have taken the spotlight here, or even if I'm completely wrong on this! Right now I'm playing Super Sami Roll and having a blast.
My extended absence was due to working on a much bigger project in the background. Truthfully, I'm under a lot of pressure trying to put my best work into it, so when I got a spark of inspiration regarding this topic I felt it was necessary to take a break and seize the moment. Let me know if you like this style of video from me, as I've got a bunch of ideas regarding more general topics that have been stuck in my head for awhile now. Cheers!
Corn Kidz 64.
Play It!
Trust me
Yo, I'm down for more of this!
I already knew about these games cause I watch nitro rad
You for certain put in your best work! Very thoughtful topic that makes me wanna look at games with that perspective.
There other platefromer still being made name Project Feline by Raymond Cripps
I think a big reason for 3D platformers being made more frequently is because people who grew up with them in their most formative years are now old and experienced enough to make them. Before it was more of people who grew up on the SNES generation making all the indies. Drawing inspiration from what was the biggest part of their childhoods.
You're absolutely right and I'm here for it
Cant wait for the time when people from this generation grow up an make Fortnite 2
Wonder what'll happen with the generation that grew on the PS3 and 360.
Shooters, maybe? COD was huge back then.
@@pacomatic9833
I immediately think of Sker Ritual, which is basically CoD Zombies: the game.
Multiple maps, each with their own story and easter eggs to find. Even just dropping a new map, completely free, as an update. Multiple free battle passes, with no time limits, which include unlockable masks, player icons, and menu music. Multiple types of enemies, ranging from exploders to laser shooters and map specific bosses. Good stuff.
@@pacomatic9833mario and luigi partners in time type game
thank you for using my song from the pseudoregalia soundtrack!!!!
It's an absolute banger!
Omg it's stillcrisp I love your music :3
Not discussing Spark 3 in a video about "saving 3D platformers" is fucking criminal. Spark 3's ability to design challenges around moving fast while also giving the player enough control to make it more than just a reflexive twitch game is masterful.
The levels are huge, have so much opportunity for creative movement strings, and the marriage of SA2 style platforming with DMC style fighting mechanics manages to extend the game's playtime in a way that is much less intrusive than the other "alternative playstyles" seen in adventure era Sonic. You also just feel like a badass sprinting into a combat arena and performing insane combos and air juggles on the mooks. The game also has plenty of collectibles and difficult, time based rankings like all good level-based platformers to encourage the player to explore large levels and create efficient routes. It's one of my favorite 3D platformers, and that's my favorite genre.
Basically why I clicked the video.
…Well, really I thought it was a Kbash video since the thumbnail styles are near identical lol
what game is spark 3? where can i play it?
@@Will_-it3mh it’s on Steam and Switch. So far it’s a trilogy called Spark The Electric Jester
@@Will_-it3mh Spark the Electric Jester 3 is on Steam and Switch. It's a 3D speed platformer that takes platforming inspiration from Sonic Adventure 2, while taking combat inspiration from Platinum style action games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta. Speed platforming in a cluster of enemies and raining down sick combos on them while hype electronica and rock music play in the background is absolutely peak
Hell Pie is great (if you're not put off by the gross-out humor).
Both recent Smurf games are decent, but I'd wait til they're on sale.
For me it's Corn Kidz 64 who bring me back into the 3D platformer world. :)
One thing to note about frontiers is that the developers added the spin dash seemingly just due to popular demand, and also gave it the specific mechanics that allowed much more free and advanced movement options, also putting it behind a fairly demanding time trial ranking collectathon, meaning it functions as a good end game reward. But it was a sign that the developers listened to peoples desire to continue developing the movement.
Remember that 3d platforming isnt dead just because we're not getting mario clones. Neon white and ultrakill were both massive success and they're at least 50% 3d platforming.
Platforming is definitely a genre that got absorbed into others, kind of like how shooters are now most open world games
@kylespevak6781
Genres getting combined definitely not a bad thing, but I do believe one of the main issues with "AAA" gaming is that a they often try to be an "everything game".
You often see them trying to be both an open world game and a linear "cinematic" story.
Be a skill-based action game but also have XP-based progression and loot and crafting.
They all end up being this blob of mechanics mashed together because they're all popular without much thought whether doing so is a good idea to begin with.
You don't really get a clear specific experience these games are trying to provide but rather a broad range of trends being covered.
Elden Ring has platforming in it as well
These games aren't 3d plataforms. You are forcing.
@@PauLtus_BI cannot overstate how much I agree with this comment. I have all but abandoned AAA games over this.
Penny’s Big Breakaway was a really good 3D platformer that managed to exceed even the greatness of Mario 3D World. And I *finally* got around to A Hat In Time in 2024 despite it sitting in my library since 2017; I’m glad I waited until I had a Steam Deck that runs the game better anyways and got to immediately hop into the DLC chapters. A Hat In Time holds up phenomenally 7 years on and I hope Gears For Breakfast will have a sequel or new IP in the pipeline sooner than later.
Most recently though, The Big Catch has me more excited than I have ever been for an indie game; its Tackle Box demo was easily the most fun I’ve had in 2024, and despite Tackle Box being just a demo, it’s already one of my favorite platformers of all time. 2025 can’t come soon enough!
For as much as I enjoyed Sonic Frontiers, your points are spot on.
I still stand that Pseudoregalia was my game of the year last year.
It was also brought up elsewhere, but Corn Kids 64 is a absolute jam too.
This is a great look back at the recent history of this genre and an exciting look forward to what's coming on the horizon. Odyssey's movement truly is legendary, and thinking about a brand new Bowser's Fury style 3D Mario game gets me incredibly hopeful. I'll also always wish for a new 3d DK game, as I think there's so much potential there. I've had Tacklebox installed for a few weeks now and haven't played it yet, and I think this video will finally be the push I needed to start it up. This video was full of that vibrant platforming energy we all love so much, great job with this one!
I need a 3D Donkey Kong game that translates elements from the country series so bad... Literally my dream game. Thanks!
Maybe this could be Retro's next project for the Switch 2 after Metroid Prime 4 Beyond finally (and I mean finally!) gets released. They successfully revived Donkey Kong Country, so 3D DK would be the next logical step. I just hope we don't have to wait until the 2030's for it to come out!
I can't in good faith say that The Big Catch is my most anticipated game. (Metroid Prime 4) But it is my most anticipated Indie title.
The second I heard that the team who made Yo Noid II - which blatantly looks like a meme game with an unseeming level of depth, quality, and charm packed into it - were taking Yo Noid II's concepts and making a full game with it, I was incredibly excited, and it's only grown further since.
If you loved Tackle Box and need something else to tide you over further (or perhaps The Big Catch looks interesting, but you're on the fence about it.) Go find and play "Yo Noid II: Enter the Void - Game of a Year Edition." Go play it a few times even, there's tons more to discover than the game lets on.
Wow thanks for the recommendation
This is a fantastic video! I've been playing a bunch of The Big Catch the past few weeks and its such an impressive game. It's an exciting time for indie platformers!
24:33
To be fair Sega and Sonic Team are trying their best to appeal to all audiences. Both casual fans and the hard core fans.
Trust me the Sonic fandom is very insane.
One game I really enjoyed recently that I haven't heard many people talk about was Crumble. It's fairly small in scope even by the standards of a lot of indie games I've played, but I find building up and trying to maintain speed really exhilarating, and trying to find ways to recover from mistakes without just dying and going back to a checkpoint almost always put a big smile on my face. I've only very slightly dipped my toe into speedrunning, but if I ever decide to get more into it, Crumble will be pretty high on my list of potential games to start with.
This game looks awesome and I've never heard of it until now! Thanks so much for sharing!
I'm still waiting for someone to make a game based off the original Jak and Daxter game. Still one of my favorite games of all time.
Ah man I love the original Jak and Daxter so much. That's gotta be my favorite Playstation mascot platformer.
I got you bro, check out Akimbot. It's coming out August 29 this year
Let's hope some cool adherents to J&D will arise, alongside others such as Rayman and Maximo.
I'm here waiting for a proper sequel, second chance or spiritual sequel to Kya: Dark Lineage. One of my favourites for PS2.
Yea Jak and Daxter like platformers are like none.
The closest I think in recent years of rerelease atleast is kind of Ty the Tasmanian devil.
And honestly with how they have made several rereleases off Jak and Daxter on console it sucks to not see it on PC.
I need more Platformers in that style as Jak,and Jak 2 are my favorite in terms of these type of games.
As the Adventure,Action,platformer play style is just really fun.
And with the Jak games they tried a lot harder for story vs others at the time.
As someone who loves the original Super Mario Galaxy, I can easily recognize that the movement feels clunky in comparison to Sunshine and 64, and that's something I feel was sorely missing from a game that had interesting level design that was practically begging for that style of movement. That being said, I can still understand that galaxy was never trying to be that kind of game in the first place, which is totally fine! It's just something I think could only improve things.
But like you said, I feel like that sort of "tighter" movement is definitely a symptom of trying to appeal to as many people as possible and playing it safe, in a way. But I don't always want to play something safe. I want something that will challenge me not just in the sense of difficulty, but challenge my preconceptions of what a 3D platformer is. Those are the games that stick with me longer, and help guide the genre to new frontiers.
All I wanted to play when I was a child were 3D platformers. It's my favorite genre of game, easily. I only want to see it grow, and there's still a lot of room for that. The 3D platforming genre is so versatile and so malleable. It's easy to see that there's still so much more room for experimentation, and I cannot wait to see all the new ideas we get to mess around with.
Excellent video again!
I feel completely opposite about the movement in galaxy. Sunshine could have been a best 3D Mario contender vs odyssey if it had smooth movement, but it's super janky and hard to control which is really frustrating especially in the platforming challenges where you don't have FLUDD to compensate. It felt like night and day when I played 3D all stars going from sunshine to galaxy. Galaxy isn't as smooth as odyssey of course, but it felt so much easier to control than sunshine
@@TheBlueGoldenHawk I can definitely agree that sunshine is probably a step too far in regards to some of it's movement. Mario feels waaayy too quick on his feet especially when you're changing directions quickly. I guess I just kind of saw what they were trying to do and I appreciated that they were trying to make the movement feel more free form for players who like to experiment. But I feel like there's enough jank to it that sort of sours it for sure.
@@Brian.Henken yeah I think sunshine has more Freeform experimentation/expression, but yeah it’s too slippery and frustrating to control even basic things you need to do for different objectives
@@TheBlueGoldenHawk I still have nightmares about that watermelon mission and some of the later FLUDDless sections 💀
We def in the N64-GC indie platforming saga right now. While the AAA industry struggles by making products instead of games, the indies are keeping the medium alive and fresh.
Great vid as always Wiz. Great callback to your SteveOHobo years too.
This was a great watch! It was incredibly cathartic to hear my thoughts on Odyssey echoed, as well as see some great looking indies! Really glad you brought The Big Catch to my attention too!
I forgot about Pseudoregalia. Wishlisted it a while back. I need to check it out.
A game that i feel like is heavily underrated is Demon Turf, which has a similar expeessive moveset type deal
This was a wonderful video and analysis! I wish I could say something more elaborate, but honestly, I'm just shocked at how relatively few views this video has, haha, it's just really solid. And I've got to love some appreciation being given to 3D platformers! It's much more tricky to give a player full freedom when you have a whole other dimension to consider, and it's great to see you spotlight examples of this idea being done justice.
Thank you so much :)
@@wizawhat No problem! c:
Man, this video feels weird to me, as someone who Loves A Hat in Time thoroughly, but got bored with Super Mario Odyssey's overload of empty tasks, finding the game more and more unpleasant to revisit until I stopped revisiting it entirely. Expressive movement is great to have, but so is a fun goal to use that movement to tackle.
I enjoy scouring for Yarn more than Moons, when Yarn is scarce enough and placed in places with deliberate challenges to encounter, but Moons just exist anywhere you check, being abundant and unsatisfying to simply get on any scattered pillars to pound for one.
Super Mario Galaxy is a game which reeled back expressive movement, to hone in on the power of just pushing a vibe, and giving engaging challenges and variety within the stripped back systems, and I love that game for it as well.
I know I only touched briefly on rewards, but to elaborate on that a bit, the reason the over abundance of Moons never bothered me was because from my perspective, I'm never as interested in the reward as I am simply exploring and engaging with level set pieces, often in unconventional ways. It's maybe more of an intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation thing?
Maybe this will drop my credibility, but I never sought to 100% complete Odyssey, so I valued the freedom it provided without having to deal with the tedium of collecting every last moon.
@@wizawhat No need to play a game to 100% to have a valid take on it Mario Odyssey and Pizza Tower would have like, a few hundred people in the world each who'd have the right to an opinion on them it that were the case.
Intrinsic motivation only goes so far for me when there's only so much to do, and and the places I could think to try to worm my way into with the movement were populated with moons and Coins.
I find in some games, I have fun returning to them if say, the game's systems allow me to do stuff like completing the same objectives in silly self imposed challenges, or simply taking a different route through the game, like playing Super Metroid or Pseudoregalia sequence breaking to put together the moveset in a different order, or playing with a randomizer to really shake that up, or doing a daytime stage in Plants vs Zombies with only mushrooms and single use plants. I'm not exactly the type to push a game's systems to their absolute limits like a speedrunner, but I definitely appreciate the room to do things differently, just when it's just running around without aim or further apparent expression available, I just end up wanting to play something else, or just express myself by drawing.
The fact you completely skipped over 2022 with Klonoa: Phantasy Reverie and Pac-Man World Re-Pac feels criminal, NGL.
Klonoa, while having 3D elements, is hardly a 3D platformer. Banger series though and definitely needs more attention. Heavily underrated.
Really well summed up the state of 3d platforms, very excited for whats coming. I did definitely feel frustrated by how punishing tackle box could be at times but also it made success all the sweeter so in a weird way I hope they do keep it as punishing
I've heard some others hope that it remains punishing, and I think there's potential in that. We've seen plenty of "rage games" really blow up, but there needs to be a delicate balance in something as complex as a 3D platformer. I think this game has the potential to hit a good balance.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom!, Corn Kids 64, etc. a decent amount of good indie new comers exist now but many other good platformers are childishly easy and/or stuck on nintendo consoles
corn kidz is great!! i’m also keeping an eye on fabraz’s next game, “project tides”
Yellow Taxi is such a good game. Its unique and while it has its hard parts its not too hard. Honestly deserves more recognition.
I will never not-play 2D or 3D platformers. They don't even need to be groundbreaking, I just love the genre
Then you definitely should try Geometry Dash, at least Platformer mode
How to find levels: click the right button, then Search, then star and "plat.", then you can search whatever types of levels you want
@@KirikkSiSq Interesting. I've seen the game before and how creative people get with the custom levels, but never thought of it like a platformer. Do those platformer levels auto scroll, or am I in full control?
@@kylespevak6781 original game mode ("Classic") was autoscroll, and 97% of rated levels are autoscroll ("star rated levels")
But 20 December 2023, Platformer mode was added, here you are in full control
Still, even though these are just 3% of rated levels, there already are over a thousand of them ("moon rated levels")
@@KirikkSiSq Cool AF. Thanks for dropping a knowledge bomb on me!
i feel like the core gameplay of a 3D platformer is/should always be the movement and level design, so it makes perfect sense that this is where the evolution is happening
I think you're seeing connections where there are none. As other comments say, it's because people who grew up with them are getting old enough.
So excited to watch this! Always great listening to others expressing their passion for this genre.
Super Mario 64 is still to this day my favorite 3D platformer and I think I know why. Nearly all of its levels are built with verticality in mind.
Think about it. Cool, Cool, Mountain, Whomps Fortess, Etc.. These aren’t flat stages with platforms they’re basically mountains. You start at the very bottom and have to climb to the top or vice versa.
When I played A Hat in Time I got the same sense of wonder as Super Mario 64 in its first level Mafia Town because it was designed with the same level of verticality. But I quickly lost that excitement as I progressed because most levels felt too flat/and or linear.
I love the freedom in Super Mario 64 to collect any star I want when I enter a level. I love the vast number of movement options that you have right from the start of the game. Other than it’s outdated camera Super Mario 64 is truly a timeless game and I would love to see new 3D platformers taking inspiration from it.
I’m a proud backer of The Big Catch. It’s the first Kickstarter project I’ve ever backed and the tacklebox demo proved to me that it was worth it. It’s insane how modern it feels yet it also fills me with the same nostalgia I get playing the original Spyro 1.
Can’t wait for its full release. Really glad you mentioned the game in this video.
The first half of this video shows the fact that someone can be picky to an extreme... an insane extreme...
I think yooka laylee and a hat in time brought those feelings back for me personally
Funny, just put the demo for this on my Steam Deck yesterday. Everybody's talking about The Big Catch (among others) and I can totally see why. Indie studios are absolutely destroying the AAA ones with these innovative new games!
I always loved 3D platformers and with the pandemic I found Demon Turfs Trial demo and it reminded me how fun the genre can be. That has set me out to seek any platforming game AAA or indie and try to capture the feelings I had playing Demon Turf where any challenge I see I can over come with a fine understanding of mechanics and the characters movement!
impossibly excited every single time i hear pseudoregalia mentioned in a video essay. what a banger of a game
The movement is what I love about games like Tony Hawk, Skate, and Rolling Rascal. Games where movement itself is fun is probably one of the greatest things to come out of gaming.
Sad you didn't talk about Corn Kidz and Cavern of Dreams. Those feel like the most polished versions of those 3d platformers of old.
I'll have to give Corn Kidz a look, but unfortunately I wasn't a big fan of Cavern of Dreams. It emulates and polishes up the Nintendo 64 experience very well, but as I found myself getting lost more and more as the levels became a bit more complex I started to realize that wasn't what I was looking for. I'd put it in a similar category to Yooka Laylee and A Hat in Time, but that's just me.
@@wizawhat I personally was more disappointed with the very limited scope of Cavern of Dreams, so I thought it might be more up your alley with the momentum-based platforming. Corn Kidz however feels so amazing to me so I hope you'll like it.
I didn't know it was possible to make it to chapter 4 without accidentally getting enough yarn to craft all the hats! I'm kind of amazed you managed to bounce off in such a weird way
glad I wasn't the only one who struggled on that one jump in the rail zone of big catch, such good fun regardless
It's interesting because I played a selection of 3D platformers recently and realized people like you and I are seeking fundamentally different things out of 3D platformers. I played Pseudoregalia, Corn Kids 64, and Cavern of Dreams. While I did beat Pseudoregalia, I found its sparse amount of detail in its environment art to be a huge detriment to the game, and I felt that the tight player controls didn't matter much to me if the world wasn't engaging enough to make me utilize them.
I saw in a comment here that you tried Cavern of Dreams and bounced off it. To me this game is going for the other crowd 3D platformers cater to. It's not looking for extensive player expression through movement or tight gameplay segments to run through. In behind the scenes materials the dev expressed that they wanted to make a game world that reflects the feeling of being a kid playing an N64 game. The graphics were hazy and you were young, so you didn't know what to expect when playing a video game. The old TV would fuzz out the already low-res textures, so you just kind of had to interpret what strange things you were looking at, and around every corner could be a new mystery or something frightening, but you would push through because you were on an adventure.
That's what Cavern of Dreams is going for, and you're not wrong for disliking it, because while it suited my needs, it didn't suite yours. Like I said, I think we represent two different crowds.
Yeah. Cavern is cool and I love it down to its low res pixels.
Have you tried 'Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom'? Its game full of charm and detail but also is pretty mehanical without being ball busting if you dont wana 100%.
Firstly, You DO NOT need the time hat for Alpine Skyline. It only makes the level easier. It is not mandatory. It is ONLY mandatory in the race level in Mafia town. Secondly, have you played any of the Billue Bust Up demo's? It's a game I am REALLY looking forward too! And finally, I need to finish this one, But, I played a game called Blue Fire once. It is basically if AHIT and TLOZ had a baby! I haven't finished, cos I ragequit a platforming puzzle. But I often think bout it and how I need to go back to it. I liked it's unique platforming.
The moment I saw the Big Catch being revealed I've added it to my wishlist, also can't wait for Nikoderiko: The Magical World, the new Astro game and Bakeru.
Funny how i caught this video right as I began learning game dev. I'd love to make a 3d platformer someday, although it's notoriously difficult lol.
Check out spark the electric jester 3. Its a sonic game if sonic games where actually good
I feel like AstroBot, should have gotten a mention at least, it is Sonys love letter to 3D platforming and fun as can be. Can't wait for the new one to come out in a few weeks.
big catch is really giving me hope for the future of games
Project Feline isn't out yet, but it has this one demo stage that I really love. There's a clear, normal way through it, but you can only complete it so quickly. To get the higher rankings at the end, you need to essentially play on top of and around the level, traversing across what would just be "background elements" in another game. It's still super enjoyable playing this way too...! I think it really embodies the essence of parkour.
The Big Catch (or "Tacklebox" as of right now) reminds me so much of that lost beta version of Malice on PSX. like, the way everything looks, the sounds, the aesthetics, visuals. also it reminds me alot of LoveDeLic games in the characters design
Also “Corn Kidz 64” was an amazing N64 style platformer!!!!
If there’s one thing that indie gaming is teaching me it’s when AAA developers fail to make a product akin to those people have been asking for forever, indie devs will make them, themselves. It goes beyond platformers. Revivals of F-Zero and Punch out are coming…they just won’t be called F-Zero and Punch Out. Hell my favorite franchise Ace Attorney got some pretty great passion filled influences (Tyrion Cuthbert anyone) already out there
Though as a 3D platformer fan just having more of these high quality games is just nice (but I’ll always defend the qualities people like to bash DK-64 and even Yooka-Laylee for)
Indie devs will make everyone’s dream games a reality at some point. Keep an eye on what’s to come everyone!
@hawawa675 well. I think we've moved forward a lot. Only recently has 3D stuff gone in vogue, we've had good 2D indies going back about 15 years but better tools & a new generation of developers have moved us from NES / SNES worship.
The tech change is big, it's hard to imagine psuedoregalia being developed through 5 months if this was 10-12 years ago
@@AB1138- Oh I do agree. I think maybe around the time Cuphead came around, I realized that pretty much any stylized game could be produced. It was definitely more 2D back then (and honestly I hope those keep coming cause Celeste is so good)
I think Indie games are gonna just keep getting better honestly and as long as they keep listening to what people want, could end up overtaking the popularity of what Triple A games we have now (honestly i'm way more excited for indie releases this year)
A good 3d platformer i feel is less about the level design and more about the way you interact with the level design.
Demon Turf is an amazing indie 3d platformer that I got addicted to and has left me wanting more 3d platformers.
I think A Hat in Time is a great game. It didn't leave me wanting but to each their own.
It is a very good game. Just one of those instances where it was riiiight on the cusp of what I was most hoping for.
@@wizawhat I understand. The 3D platformers that you highlighted look very interesting to me. I love the genre.
This video is pretty sick. I find it hard to voice what I love about platforming, expression through movement is the best way to say it. Funnily enough when I was much younger I found that in Mario Galaxy! I would try and complete the levels without the spring powerup because it was slow, just using the backflip/wall jump/ spin combos. When Odyssey came out my mind was blown. Tacklebox is definitely a contender for game of the year for me, absolutely loved it as well. One game you didn't mention but weirdly has quite a bit of this movement expression, is Another Crab's Treasure. Its mainly a soulslike but if you watch some speedruns of it, you can see how versatile the platforming actually is. Anyway great video I will be subscribing :)
I felt the need to share this
I've always hated 3D platformers; I tried Mario 64 and found it lacking, and that was supposed to be the best the genre had, right?
I tried Spyro and couldn't quite figure out why he felt so...sluggish to control.
I also rarely played indie games because I always saw them as quick-and-cheap asset flips put up on Steam made by incompetent devs for a shitpost.
Then I played Pseudoregallia, and I *got* it--the momentum, the fluidity, the exploration, the *zoom*--it was so good!
A whole new world of experiences and fun opened up!
I can't find any more games that really tap into the feeling of that game, but Project: Feline is a close second.
Now I'm genuinely excited for new indie games, and especially paltformers!
That's the post.
Have a good day.
Pseudoregalia is the GOAT
*Literally*
ive been feeling the same way with not being able to find many games that give the same sense of awe that Wind Waker and Twilight Princess gave me
I saw you mention it in the future block but I would definitely recommend bomb rush as something you might like based on the premise of a new style platformer. Very fun game, great movement, it’s not too long.
Sparks the electric jester 3 deserves to be in this video 👀
A crime right there.
Idk If you mention it here or not but I really enjoyed the game "Hell Pie" It feels like a spiritual successor to the game "Whiplash". I played tf out of Whiplash as a kid and loved it very much.
Hell Pie has a similar "2 characters chained together but moving as 1" type of thing. But with dark humor, demons, angels, and gathering ingredients for a chef from various open zone levels.
The main power up gimmick is that you can swap to different demon horns that allow you to do different things. Like one lets you super sprint, one lets you ride zip lines, charge attack, etc.
omg bomb rush mention!! i worked on that
Does anyone else remember a recent trailer for a new game that "I Believe" has people who worked on Banjo Kazooie making it, and the new game has a Backpack companion also?????
Mario 3d world with bowsers fury is my favorite Mario game. 3d world is a really fun co-op game and if bowsers fury was longer it would probably be my favorite Mario game by itself
Neat to see someone with a similar feeling to myself about how a lot of stuff in some 3d platformers of the collectathon sub genre lean more into the collectathon and down play the platforming trading it out for mini-games and such. Honestly even with Mario I still feel SM64 did the most integrating of platforming into its open areas instead of shoving it off to side areas. As early as Whomp’s fortress you get moving platforms for example and you end on stuff like Tick Tok Clock filled with moving obstacles to time jumps around well its vertical nature allows Mario’s wide move set to let you find all sorts of ways to move around it. But by Odyssey often you’re jumping form un-moving land to un-moving land and the focus seems to have shifted form timing of your interactions with the environment to timing complex inputs. With any moving elements tucked away in sub areas. Even Sunshine felt like it had more moving elements in the open environments
Hopefully some of the new ones bring back that back and forth with the environment well in an open area instead of it all being about how tricky the inputs are and timing those over also needing to time and position leaps with the environment and enemies.
I am loving expressive platformers
I'm so glad somebody else feels the same as me too :D
I have HIGH hopes! Looking forward to what people are going to make, and see even MORE people be inspired by those projects!
p.s. do you mind telling me what the game at 27:57 is? It looks so cool
That game is Super Sami Roll! I've having a ton of fun with it right now.
@@wizawhat Thank youuu! So glad to hear that :)
Thanks for another great video. Loved it!
If you're in need of really good 3D sonic-platformer type of game, I think Rollin' Rascal is one the greatest in the genre, it's still only a demo, but the few levels and online multiplayer are a blast
I played the Rollin Rascal demo during the kickstarter. I think at that time I had a few too many issues to really love it, particularly with the enemy controlling mechanic and some momentum killers in the level design, but the changes they outlined recently looked like a big step in the right direction. Overall I'm still very optimistic about it and looking forward to the full release
9:55 When gameplay comes first, it's always a banger
This guy gave Super Mario Odyssey the review modern Sonic games have always wanted 😂
Me: Time to save money like a responsible adult
Pennys Big Brewak Away: Allow me to introduce myself
This
Pseudoregalia mentioned. This video is peak
I really wish we had a BOOM of 3D platformers because they really are the best of the best. They remind us why we love playing video games and they let us be involved in a world that is fun, unique, and creative. Why can't most developers see that as well as many people show more of the indie scene?
Thanks for putting The Big Catch back on my radar! I had briefly forgot about and will definitely be trying the demo!
Also thanks I'm now going to go replay Mario Odyssey for the 8th time lol.
Side note, I love Spark the Electric Jester 3, and Zineth
I found out that basically grappling hooks are the most fun mechanic for movement options if done right, but movement can still be fun without it. I know graple hooks and such have been around for ages, but it feels like almost no game uses them anymore. Until these platformers, and a game which is the one that made me realize it, a game that is not a platformer whatsoever. MH Rise Wirebug system, made me realize how much fun that shit is. Then I bought a 2D indie game called SANABI which solidified this opinion for me. I just need more games especially platformers 3D or 2D to use it more.
I loveee 3D platformers!! A Hat in Time was my first experience in this genre and I still play it every year. My love for platformers actually started with a side scroller game called Limbo. Although it's not a 3D collectathon, the platforming elements still influenced me to try "3D" platformers. I saw my uncle play it when I was a kid was so blown away haha. My first personal experience with one was Little Nightmares, also released in 2017! What a special year that was. Both AHiT and LN released, which shaped my love for these types of games
Got this recommended and watched the whole video. it was really interesting, and I completely agree with you (and I just played tacklbox - its amazing)
Subbed!
You mention a lot about Sonic; have you heard of Spark the Electric Jester 3? It's a very good high speed 3d platformer that takes the best bits of Sonic and alters and improves them. It also has a bit of brawling in it, but the movement in the game is lovely. They even manage the batshit story tone and punk rock that made SA2 so iconic somehow, yet also hide an entire world of lore in the game.
Yeah it's at the end of a trilogy too; the first game is more like Sonic with Kirby's powerup system, and the second was the _sole dev of the game_ literally making a 3d Sonic engine from scratch to give to the modding community, so it's unpolished. Spark 3 is the culmination though, and I love it.
I need a big catch zelda equivalent. The classic adventure puzzle game needs some love too
I mean the Ocarina of Time rom hacking scene has really been blowing up recently ever since the decomp was finished. I really recommend checking out the rom hack called Indigo it's amazing. You can also find other good ones on Hylian modding if you want more.
I recommend checking out Animal Well, Tunic, Isles of Sea and Sky, Minishoot’ Adventures, and the up-and-coming Mina The Hollower from Yacht Club Games. ABYSS X ZERO is another one to look out for.
@@radiorah768 familiar with most games on this list besides minishoot and isles.
what i really want to see is someone capture a classic oot/mm style 3d action adventure game like how the big catch captures mario 64, rayman and collectathons
@@anonwalkerr Same. I'm hoping ABYSS X ZERO is able to scratch that itch with it being a 3D metroidvania with carefully crafted dungeons. Check out Game Maker's Toolkit video: "An excellent block-pushing puzzler on an open ocean". It was what sold me on Isles of Sea and Sky. Minishoot’ Adventures is a unique take on the top-down Zelda formula that combines shmup elements.
if i can offer some criticism, i think when you're making your points about the individual games you should be backing up your claims.
you talk about how yooka laylee controls worse than banjo, explain it! give an example! you're talking about how "fluid" Odyssey is, prove it!
i played the games, i know what you mean but i think its needed for the sake of the essay
Pseudoregalia is my favorite platformer. I consider myself someone who is bad at platformers but that game was so much fun ahhh I’m gonna play it again :3
The Big Catch is really cool. I'm surprised that how much is packed in the demo.
Cant wait for Big Catch!!
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is my goty so far, such an instantly fun and charming game
Old games: Heres a virtual world you can play in. Have fun. See if you can get all the collectibles if you want to.
Modern games: Heres a list of things to collect because collecting things is "Fun". Oh and this is how you play through this virtual world.
I've really enjoyed the demo for 500 Caliber Contractz recently. It doesn't seem as cohesive as the games you talked about, but the sniper-rifle-based platforming was really interesting and I kept finding new ways to move around. It's more about the momentum you can build rather than the actual jumps.
You should take a look at Blue Fire, might be what you're looking for.
the big catch looks SOOOOO good! i downloaded the demo as soon as I saw it and I cant wait to play. it’s everything i’ve ever wanted also :)
Yooka-Laylee's 2D sequel is pretty good though. Plays a lot like Donkey Kong Country
We literally should take inspiration from smash bros for movesets and attacks and feature different interactive activities from battle for bikini bottom with hitting buttons to manipulate the environment.
The Big Catch needs some Prince of Persia "reverse time" mechanics to compensate for failed execution of strings to at least keep the momentumn for the player in regards to flow.
That could be a good idea. Personally I like the way the checkpoint system works right now, just think they could be a little more forgiving.
5:42 Hilariously i thought the levels were already too big, so when i got the option to expand them i was like 😮
I honestly think mario odyssey is the most polished fleshed out accessible and maliable 3d platformer ever. So many movement options with a huge skill ceiling and peak level design based around all those movement options.
Ari Buktu is a cool 2.5D platformer coming to Steam that feels really fresh. It has like Klonoa style paths. It's a time-travel adventure where history's greatest tomb raider is after you.
Ooh wow The Big Catch looks so good! Even with your criticisms I can just tell I will vibe with it to a real extent. This video brought it from something Id vaguely heard of to something Ill 100% play when it comes out. So thank you! Theres a ton of value in this kind of video, thanks for making it :)
Thank you Skye! So glad to hear that!
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom!!! my favourite platformer in a long time and possibly my GOTY
interesting watch, might try that big catch game since it's kinda doing stuff with the fishing rod I thought would make big the cat more fun in sonic games but they never making him playable any time soon. I also thought taking notes from stuff like THPS would actually benefit sonic as well over a decade ago and it is kinda sad that they never capitalize fully on anything they do try to do. Like, while I enjoyed frontiers, it wasn't really what I was hoping for with a open world sonic when all these old fan games kinda showed what was possible long before hand. Just felt like it was just doing it on a surface level mostly because it was following the trend Breath of the Wild started.
Tacklebox is so fun but SO difficult. I hope the full game gets some better checkpoints but I honestly really love the difficulty. It scratches the same itch as Celeste for me, but in a 3D setting instead. It’s super difficult and can get very frustrating, but MAN does it feel good when you finally get it. Very excited for the full game!!
The mountain levels are exactly where I stopped playing AHIT myself. I think I actually didn't enjoy the open ended design because I wasn't expecting the game to do that