Summary
Platforming gameshave been around almost as long as gaming, showing just how popular the genre is among veteran and younger players worldwide. Some developers prefer to focus their titles entirely on traversing from point A to point B while dodging obstacles, whereas others alsocombine platforming with combat.
This genre can be very versatile, asthere are isometric platformers, side-scrollers, and many more options for developers to use and players to enjoy. While a lot of developers use modern hardware to give their games outstanding graphics, others prefer to appeal to the feeling of nostalgia of most players and use vintage designs. Here are some of thebest modern platform games that use PS1 graphics.
Super Kiwi 64follows the story of a small brown Kiwi who sets out on an adventure. When its airplane crash-lands on a mysterious island, it realizes that it must collect Energy Cells to repair its plane and leave the island. While this title’s premise isn’t complicated by any means, it presents players with a very fun platforming experience that will have them collecting various items as they explore the island.
Despite being released in 2022,Super Kiwi 64looks like something straight out of the PS1 orthe Nintendo 64 era.
One of the greatest things about platformers that take inspiration from the PS1’s vintage games is that they often don’t take themselves or their plots too seriously—and that’s a good thing. The plot ofToree 3Drevolves around Toree’s ice cream being stolen by the mischievous Glitchy, which prompts the former to traverse through various obstacles to recover it.
With a beautiful color palette and a few challenges for players to overcome, this title is very fun to play and is reminiscent of some of the best3D games from the PS1 era.
Players who love Halloween-themed platformers will immediately be captivated byPumpkin Jack. Not only is this title very fun to play, but it also looks like something straight out of a Tim Burton movie. With some noticeable inspiration taken fromThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandtheMedievilfranchise,Pumpkin Jackdelivers an outstanding platforming experience.
Granted, the graphics of this title do not really look like they came from the PS1 era, but they also don’t have that modern look that many current games feature, leaving it somewhere between vintage and contemporary.
Like other titles on this list,Frogundoesn’t have a very complex plot, yet it manages to deliver an outstanding platforming experience to players. The game focuses on Renata, a little girl who travels through a mystical world with the help of her best friend, a frog-shaped grappling hook.
Although it could be argued thatFrogunfeatures the freedom and visual stylistic choices that could put it in the same category as3D platformers from the PS2, it does retain other elements that make it fit this list and would have made it a great PS1 title as well.
3Kaze and the Wild Masks
A Side-scroller With Much To Offer
While the PS1 already featured some 3D platformers that allowed for many different choices in terms of where to move and how to explore the world, side-scrollers were also still very popular at the time.Kaze and the Wild Masksrelies heavily on this and presents players with a fun side-scroller adventure full of different enemies, colorful areas, and interesting combat mechanics.
Although not the hardest platformer out there, this title is known for seeming simple at first and shifting into fifth gear within the first few hours, presenting players with considerable challenges early on.
While other games on this list seem to simply be inspired by PS1 graphics,Macbat 64takes this to an entirely different level. This title not only has the classic look of games from the PS1 and the Nintendo 64 era, but also offers players gameplay, music and even bonus levels that feel true to the consoles.
Players who miss that nostalgic feelingof waking up on a Saturday morning and firing up their favorite PS1 game will love playingMacbat 64and the various fun things it has to offer.
1Lunistice
A Fun Adventure Through A Mind’s Interesting Dreams
Lunisticeis a vibrant and lively platformer that focuses on Hana the Tanuki on an adventure through her dreams. Like other platformers, this title is fairly linear, but that does not mean that it’s not fun or that it lacks elements to make it interesting.
Although it’s evident that the game was designed to look like a vintage title rather than actually feeling like one, it’s still a blast to explore Hana’s dreams and face the various challenges players will encounter along the way. Moreover, the color palette is gorgeous and works very well with the overall concept.
