What Are the Top Platformer Games of 2017?
The platforming game genre has seen a resurgence this year, with new titles from Nintendo, Sega, Capcom and other studios not only coming up with fresh ideas but gaining commercial success as well. Indie makers also took on the genre and came up with award-winning entries, as well.
At its core, the platformer game is as simple as it gets; players run, jump or slide from one object to another, sometimes fighting enemies or solving puzzles along the way. It's a video game genre that may be less realistic or narrative than most, but major and indie studios have managed to keep it fresh this 2017.
This year has seen some of the best platformers from major studios like Nintendo and Sega, as Polygon points out. For one, "Super Mario Odyssey" is an excellent mix of new and old ideas that somehow works uniquely well with Nintendo's newest console.
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The game was highly praised even as it was first announced in E3 2017, and it has delivered with its launch. Reviewers and players agree in giving the new "Super Mario" title from Nintendo some of the highest scores ever given to a video game.
Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog, while not as successful, did come back with a new "Sonic Mania" this year, even as Sega took its time putting out the new "Sonic' title. Re-releases of old platformer games are also on the rise, starting with the "Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy" for the PlayStation 4.
The spotlight shone brightly on indie game makers, as well, led by "Cuphead" and its challenging gameplay. It's the art direction of the indie game that captured players everywhere, too, as it hauled in not one, but three awards in the recent Game Awards 2017, where it won "Best Indie Debut," "Best Art Direction," and "Best Independent Game."
