Platform fighter

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Various characters battling on platforms in the video game MultiVersus MultiVersus gameplay screenshot.png
Various characters battling on platforms in the video game MultiVersus

A platform fighter is a sub-genre of fighting games that emphasizes free 2D movement, often with floating platforms that can be traversed on, similar to a platformer game. The central gameplay involves combat between two or more player-controlled characters, with the goal of attacking an opponent's character until they are defeated.

Unlike other fighting games, platform fighters typically do not have a health bar, instead the damage that a player's character has taken increases the distance they are launched when hit by an attack. Opponents are defeated when they leave the boundaries of the arena.

History

While there have been some 2D fighting games that have used mechanics like platforms in stages like in Savage Reign , these games are not considered platform fighters as they play like traditional 2D fighting games with an added gimmick. [1] Though The Outfoxies was an early example of many of the mechanics featured in most platform fighters, the subgenre would be most defined by the release of Super Smash Bros. in 1999, which was the first game in the subgenre to achieve wide success and defined the mechanics for most games that followed. [2] After the release of the original Super Smash Bros., many companies would release their own games similar in style with some being crossover games like DreamMix TV World Fighters [3] [4] or games with licensed characters like Digimon Rumble Arena [5] and Battle Stadium D.O.N . [6] [7] Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up was notably developed by a studio that contributed to Super Smash Bros. Brawl . [8]

In the mid-2010s, indie developers began developing fighting games that imitated the mechanics of Super Smash Bros., including Rivals of Aether , Brawlout , and Brawlhalla . [9] [10] It was around this time that the term "platform fighter" began to be used more frequently to refer to games similar to Super Smash Bros. [11] Following the success of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in 2018, new platform fighters have emerged based on various licensed properties, such as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl , Fraymakers , [12] and MultiVersus . [13]

Related Research Articles

The fighting game genre of video games involves combat between multiple characters, often one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into "combos". Characters generally engage hand-to-hand combat, often with martial arts, but some may include weaponry. Battles are usually set in a fixed-size arena along a two-dimensional plane, where characters navigate the plane horizontally by walking or dashing, and vertically by jumping. Some games allow limited movement in 3D space, such as Tekken, while some are set in fully three-dimensional environments without restricting characters' movement, such as Power Stone and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm; these are sometimes referred to as "3D arena" fighting games.

An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, rhythm games and platform games. Multiplayer online battle arena and some real-time strategy games are also considered action games.

Super Smash Bros. is a crossover platform fighting game series published by Nintendo. The series was created by Masahiro Sakurai, who has directed every game in the series. The series is known for its unique gameplay objective which differs from that of traditional fighters, in that the aim is to increase damage counters and knock opponents off the stage instead of depleting life bars.

<i>Digimon Rumble Arena</i> 2001 video game

Digimon Rumble Arena is a 2001 fighting video game developed and published by Bandai. It is part of a video game series connected to the Digimon franchise and showcases the titular creatures within the context of a fighting video game. The player controls one of several Digimon and engages in combat with other Digimon within a variety of settings. Apart from the central fighting gameplay, a trio of mini-games are available upon the single-player campaign's completion.

<i>Digimon Rumble Arena 2</i> 2004 video game

Digimon Rumble Arena 2, known as Digimon Battle Chronicle in Japan, is a 2004 Digimon fighting video game, released by Bandai for the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and the Xbox. It is the sequel to 2001's Digimon Rumble Arena and has a similar style of gameplay as Super Smash Bros. Melee, except with a health meter. Digimon All-Star Rumble, a spiritual successor to the Rumble Arena games, was later released in 2014.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Brawl</i> 2008 video game

Super Smash Bros. Brawl is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and Game Arts and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, it was announced at a pre-E3 2005 press conference by Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Masahiro Sakurai, director of the previous two games in the series, assumed the role of director at Iwata's request. Game development began in October 2005 with a creative team that included members from several Nintendo and third-party development teams. After delays due to development problems, the game was released worldwide in 2008.

<i>Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up</i> 2009 video game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up is a 2.5D fighting game for the Wii and PlayStation 2 video game consoles featuring characters from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. It was co-developed by Game Arts, Toylogic, and Y's K, and released by Ubisoft in September 2009 in celebration of the TMNT franchise's 25th anniversary.

<i>Super Smash Bros.</i> (video game) 1999 fighting game

Super Smash Bros. is a 1999 crossover fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It is first game in the Super Smash Bros. series and was released in Japan on January 21, 1999; in North America on April 26, 1999; and in Europe on November 19, 1999.

<i>Super Smash Flash</i> Browser game series

Super Smash Flash is a series of fighting browser games published by McLeodGaming, led by Gregory McLeod under the alias Cleod9. It is based on the Super Smash Bros series. The original Super Smash Flash is based specifically on Super Smash Bros. Melee. Its follow-up, also considered a reboot, is Super Smash Flash 2. The developer is currently working on an original crossover fighting game, Fraymakers.

<i>Project M</i> Mod of Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Project M is a mod of the 2008 fighting game Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii, created by the community group known as the Project M Development Team. It is designed to retool Brawl to play more like its two predecessors, Super Smash Bros. (1999) and Super Smash Bros. Melee (2001), in response to fan objections to Brawl's physics, slower-paced gameplay, larger use of chance elements, and mechanics of certain attacks. Project M reintroduces Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, and Roy, who were present in Melee but were cut from Brawl due to time constraints. In addition, it features a new art style for in-game menus and allows players to choose certain characters individually when they are only accessible as transformations of other ones in Brawl.

<i>Rivals of Aether</i> 2017 video game

Rivals of Aether is a platform fighter game created by Dan Fornace, and released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2020. It received positive reception from critics, who commended its deep gameplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Smash Con</span> Annual Super Smash Bros. convention

Supernova is an annual Super Smash Bros. convention and tournament series held at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The event is held in early August and focuses on the video game series published by Nintendo along with other video games, and features tournaments for every entry in the series. Side events have featured other platform fighters, including Rivals of Aether, Slap City, and Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

<i>Super Smash Bros. Ultimate</i> 2018 video game

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the Super Smash Bros. series, succeeding Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U (2014). The game follows the series' traditional style of gameplay, in which players control one of the various characters and use attacks to weaken their opponents and knock them out of an arena. It features a wide variety of game modes, including a single-player campaign and multiplayer versus modes. Ultimate features 89 playable fighters, including all characters from previous Super Smash Bros. games as well as newcomers. The roster ranges from Nintendo characters to those from third-party franchises.

<i>Indie Pogo</i> 2018 video game

Indie Pogo is an indie crossover fighting video game developed and published by Lowe Bros. Studios. The game features characters and settings from more than 50 different indie games, such as Shovel Knight, VVVVVV, Teslagrad, the Bit.Trip series, and Freedom Planet. After being successfully funded via Kickstarter in October 2017, the game was released on Microsoft Windows in July 2018. A Nintendo Switch version is currently in development.

<i>Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl</i> 2021 video game

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is a 2021 crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is part of the Nickelodeon Super Brawl series of browser games and mobile games, serving as its first console game. Featuring characters from various Nickelodeon animated television series, the game was released on October 5, 2021, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. A sequel, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2, released in 2023.

<i>Nickelodeon Super Brawl</i> Nickelodeon video game series

Nickelodeon Super Brawl, or simply Nickelodeon Brawl, is a series of crossover fighting video games, featuring characters from various Nickelodeon animated television series. According to the team at Nick Games, the series follows the play style of "popular fighting games like Mortal Kombat, Super Smash Bros., Street Fighter, and Tekken, but with a comical twist."

<i>Fraymakers</i> Upcoming fighting game

Fraymakers is a platform fighting game developed by McLeodGaming. It was released in early access on Linux, macOS, and Windows PC via Steam on January 18, 2023. The game is additionally planned to release on Nintendo Switch once the early access period is complete. The game's character roster is composed of crossover characters from other indie games.

<i>Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2</i> 2023 video game

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 is a 2023 crossover fighting game developed by Fair Play Labs and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is the sequel to Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (2021) and part of the Nickelodeon Super Brawl series. The game was released on November 7, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

References

  1. ↑ Major Mike (October 1995). "ProReview: Neo•Geo CD - Savage Reign". GamePro . No. 85. IDG. p. 80.
  2. ↑ Gerstmann, Jeff (1999-02-18). "Super Smash Bros. Review".
  3. ↑ GameSpot Staff (September 24, 2003). "DreamMix TV: World Fighters update". GameSpot . Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  4. ↑ Irwin, Mary Jane (September 28, 2003). "TGS 2003: Dream Mix World TV Fighters". IGN . Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  5. ↑ Fennec Fox (February 8, 2002). "Digimon Rumble Arena PlayStation Review". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on December 5, 2003. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Battle Stadium D.O.N." Siliconera . July 31, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  7. ↑ Bloodworth, Daniel (October 22, 2006). "Battle Stadium D.O.N." Nintendo World Report. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
  8. ↑ Caoili, Eric (26 January 2009). "Ubisoft Announces Ninja Turtles Wii Fighting Game". gamasutra.com.
  9. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 18, 2015). "Rivals of Aether is like a beautiful, indie version of Super Smash Bros". Polygon. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  10. ↑ Siegal, Jacob (December 20, 2017). "'Brawlout' is an adequate 'Super Smash Bros.' surrogate for the Nintendo Switch".
  11. ↑ The Rise Of The Platform Fighter - Developer Roundtable . Retrieved 2022-06-02– via YouTube.
  12. ↑ "Fraymakers on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  13. ↑ Skrebels, Joe (July 13, 2021). "Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl Is a Smash Bros-alike Featuring SpongeBob, TMNT and More". IGN.
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