The timeless appeal of the 2D platformer has nothing to do with mere nostalgia.
There are times when it feels like everyone of a certain age harbors some nostalgia for the 2D platformer.
No, the 2D platformer is more relevant than ever because it outlived the 3D revolution.
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What a vision it was.
Shigeru Miyamotos desire to make a 3DMariogame reportedly began around the time thatStar Foxwas released.
Programmer Giles Goddardrecallshow obsessed Miyamoto was with perfectingSuper Mario 64s controls.
He was absolutely right.
The entire game was a playground designed to make you feel like a superhero.
The industrys inability to immediately answer that question triggered a 3D platformer gold rush.
In a way, this gold rush was a golden age for the 3D platformer genre.
Each of those games and more like them challenged our ideas regarding what video game technology was capable of.
At least thats how fans of this genre and this era usually choose to remember that time period.
Still, many early 3D platformers found success simply because they were fully-3D games.
This approach had its limitation but meant we could build a lot of content incredibly quickly.
This is how games likeBubsy 3D,Glover, andChameleon Twistoversaturated the 3D market while it was still young.
That is the key to understanding how the industry inadvertently paved the way for the 2D platformers return.
When the 3D revolution hit, it interrupted a special time for the 2D platformer.
Even so, Inafune pushed Capcom to let him develop such a game, and Capcom eventually yielded.
Whether they achieved that goal is up for debate, butMega Man 9was a market success.
Capcom stated it exceeded their sales expectations and inspired them to greenlight the similarly retroMega Man 10.
Suddenly, outdated became retro.
The developers of these games werent trying to capitalize on the harbored love of something that once was.
Jonathan Blow discovered this when he designed the revolutionaryBraid.
The appeal and mechanics of the 2D platformer are rooted deep in the design of gaming.
