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GamingPlaystationPS4Playstation Games

What are the best platformers on PS4?

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28 Games Considered

Best platformers on PS4	Price	Genre	Platforms
-- Salt and Sanctuary	$17.99	-	-
-- Terraria	$19.99	2D platformer / Minecraft-like	Windows, Mac, Xbox 360/One, Playstation 3/4, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
-- Rogue Legacy	$16.99	-	-
-- FEZ	$12.99	-	-
-- Ratchet and Clank (2016)	$39.99	Platformer, Shooter	PlayStation 4

Salt and Sanctuary

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Top Pro

Risk reward gameplay

The player throughout the game is always earning salt when defeating enemies. This salt is used to purchase upgrades and items in the game, so the more you have the more you can purchase. The thing is though that you can lose all of the salt you have collected if you die, and being that this is a difficult game, you will die a lot. The risk reward mechanic in this that you can either push on with low health, venturing into the unknown and possible death, but if you die, you will lose your money. This choice can be tough to make, but will constantly be on your mind, which elevates the risk of play. See More

Top Con

Difficult to know where you are

There is no map in the game, making navigation quite difficult at times. Most of the locations look very similar, so you can't really use them for orientation either. Sometimes it might even feel like you're running through the same area multiple times. This can be especially confusing if you're backtracking towards a locked area. You might faintly remember it being somewhere, but you won't be exactly sure where, causing you to re-explore everything. See More

Top Pro

Great difficulty mechanics

If you're struggling to get past a certain area or boss you can simply grind out levels or upgrades in the previous areas until you are able to proceed. This works due to enemies being the same level no matter what your level is. See More

Top Con

May be too niche

The setting of the game is quite morbid and the gameplay is rather difficult. This causes it to be mentally draining even during short play sessions. As a result Salt and Sanctuary won't be very appealing to players looking to relax while playing a game. See More

Top Pro

You can make a character that fits your playstyle

Your character has large skill tree with many branching paths. It contains most abilities you see in a fantasy game, including spells, martial arts, and many others. This means you can make a fast mage, a bulky fighter, a mix of the two, or whatever fits your playstyle, making it a more enjoyable experience as a whole. See More

Top Pro

Good use of metroidvania level design

Metroidvania genre games tend to lock portions of the game behind elements that can not be traversed until a certain item or skill is earned. This makes for a world that requires a lot of backtracking and familiarity, meaning the player needs to keep track of all the areas they have already explored. Once a certain item or skill is found that will allow the player to get past what was once a road block, new areas can then be explored and the story can be advanced. The mechanic of this used to be to save space while elongating a game, but now is used as a way to get the player to feel connected and familiar with the world. There is also a pleasure to be found once new areas can be unlocked as it gives a sense of satisfaction that you are progressing past a point that you never knew when it would be unlocked. See More

Top Pro

Deep combat

While the combat may seem simple at first, it's actually quite diverse. A lot of it depends on your equipment, where the weight and reach affects how you can play. For, example heavy armor will make you slower, but you'll be able to take more hits. This enables a safer playstyle, where you're allowed to make more mistakes. Large weapons have a better reach, but swing slower, so you'll need to have good timing to combat enemies effectively. During combat, you'll be alternating between a light attack and a hard attack. These can charged to alter the timing and increase the damage of each swing, allowing you to perform very varied combos. As a result the combat stays exciting for the entirety of the game. See More

Top Pro

Immersive storytelling through exploration

Salt and Sanctuary doesn't tell you much in terms of story, so it's up to you to explore and figure it out. You can do it by talking to NPC's, reading item descriptions, and observing the environment. You'll piece the story together bit by bit, filling in the gaps with your imagination. This makes it feel like you're truly exploring the world of Salt and Sanctuary, finding out what interests you, without having exposition constantly thrown at you. See More

Top Pro

Creed mechanic keeps subsequent playthroughs interesting

There is a feature in the game called "creeds" that allows you to ally with a faction of NPCs. You can only ally one creed at a time, giving you access to their unique perks, items, quest givers, and access to fast travel points. All of this offers just enough variety to keep subsequent playthroughs interesting. See More

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Terraria

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Fun combat

It starts out simple, with you whacking away at slow moving zombies and flying eyes, gradually shifting to more fierce and fearsome enemies such as flying demons, agile lizardmen, and many more. To survive you'll have to be always on the move, dodge enemy attacks, and be accurate when you retaliate. There are also plenty of weapons to choose from. Melee weapons such as swords, hammers, lances, and flails. Ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows, rifles, and miniguns. And various items that allow you to cast spells. Whatever you choose, it feels great to destroy hordes of enemies. See More

Top Con

Progress can feel slow

Quite often you'll have to collect tons of materials to craft the necessary tools, equipment, and boss summoning items to advance. This can take a really long time, especially if you're unlucky with the items dropped by mobs. See More

Specs

Genre:2D platformer / Minecraft-like

Co-Op:8 Player Online / 8 Player LAN

Controller Support:Android (MOGA / HID), Steam (Full)

Top Pro

Intriguing world

Terraria uses a bright color palette and an upbeat chiptune soundtrack to ease you into its world. However, once you start exploring and spend time in it you'll notice it's not as cozy as it first seemed to be. Blood Moons that rouse the dead from their graves. Goblin armies trying to destroy everything in their wake. Vast and dark cave systems, filled with odd creatures and various dangers. Ancient ruins, teeming with the restless dead and evil spirits. Pockets of decaying land, thriving with misshapen monstrosities. It's really fun to explore and discover something new about the world of Terraria. See More

Top Con

Low replay value for those who play it as an adventure game

Terraria is a sandbox platform-adventure game, so it partly hinges on beating various bosses. If you play it purely for the sake of defeating all the bosses, you might have little else to do afterwards. Restarting the game won't be as enjoyable either because you'll already know what to expect, causing continued play without a new goal feel mundane or boring. See More

Top Pro

Lots of community servers, tutorials, and streams

Terraria has a large community of players on every platform including mobile, desktop, and console. Because of this, there are many servers to play on, as well as tutorials and Let's Plays. Finding content or help getting started is quite easy. See More

Top Pro

Playing with friends allows for endless scenarios

Up to 8 players can join any Terraria world. You can progress through the game normally, build a race course and compete in it, or split into factions and wage war against each other. The scenarios are endless, you just have to let loose your creativity. See More

Top Pro

Allows for freedom of expression for all ages, all at your own pace

Terraria has all kinds of tools and materials you can use to build whatever you can imagine. From housing, to furniture, to weapons, to types of structure, the possibilities are almost endless. This is great for children who enjoy building and problem solving, and for adults who enjoy the same. It also makes for a great objective-less game, where you can do just about anything you want at your own pace. See More

Rogue Legacy

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Lots of upgrades to buy

The upgrade system in Rogue Legacy works by spending the money you gained in the last level (you lose all your money when you start a new one), with upgrades passing down through generations by being either upgrades to the family manor, or family heirlooms. See More

Top Con

Repetitive gameplay

Upgraded monsters are just palette shifts of old monsters that throw more projectiles. Even with the upgrade tree and armor/runes, the game always feels the same. See More

Top Pro

You don't lose purchased loot

The upgrade system in Rogue Legacy works by spending the money you gained in the last level (you lose all your money when you start a new one), with upgrades passing down through generations by being either upgrades to the family manor, or family heirlooms. This way even when the player dies (which happens a lot) the player will not loose their purchased items allowing them to continue without starting completely over. See More

Top Pro

Lineage affects gameplay in an interesting way

Rogue Legacy has an interesting mechanic where each play-through is with a new descendant from the previous character, and they each have various traits and disabilities they inherit that effect how they play. See More

Top Pro

Tons of replayability through procedurally generated levels

Rogue Legacy has procedurally generated levels, which means every time a player restarts the game it will be a different experience that plays out making for a ton of replayability. See More

FEZ

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Top Pro

Great atmospheric soundtrack

Soft synth sounds mixed with chiptunes makes for an enjoyable soundtrack that evokes a feeling of nostalgia while creating a fitting atmosphere that complements the graphics. See More

Top Con

Slow gameplay

Navigation isn't quick, and each missed jump can make ascending an area feel like a laborious chore. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Charming graphics and world

The characters are interesting and expressive and the world they inhabit varies between vibrant forests and villages, foreboding caves, rainy cityscapes, and more. See More

Top Con

Loads of backtracking

The world is an intertwined maze that rely on specific portals to travel between. Since the entire game revolves around locating cubes -- a minimum of 32 cubes are required to reach the game's ending (64 cubes and "anti-cubes" exist in total). A considerable amount of backtracking is needed to locate the needed cubes; which are intentionally difficult to find and acquire. See More

Top Pro

Mysterious world with lots of depth

FEZ goes beyond just being a great puzzle platformer. It also has a very clever storyline and game world with a mysterious bygone civilization that fits perfectly with the mysterious puzzles of the game. See More

Top Con

Phil Fish made it

Phil Fish has had a long rap sheet of being incredibly arrogant and toxic in his behavior, purchasing this game is an implicit endorsement of this kind of behavior. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant puzzles

Fez has some deviously hard puzzles and mysteries that will require gathering clues from around the world to solve them. See More

Top Con

Guess-and-check instead of intuitive puzzles

Unlike other great puzzle games like Portal or Braid, many of the levels in Fez are unpredictable. You can't just look at the map and predict exactly what to do. You have to guess and check, and not all of the results are intuitive. While guess-and-check puzzles works well for games like The Witness, it's really tedious in a game like Fez. See More

Top Pro

Clever 2D rotation game mechanic

The core mechanic of FEZ is the ability to spin the world around in 3D, and then traverse and interact with the resulting terrain in 2D. This allows you to experience navigation puzzles that are rarely found in any other game. See More

Top Con

Very limited depth

The core gameplay loop of "jump until stuck, then rotate" is boring and repetitive within the first hour. Aside from this perspective-shifting mechanic, the game does not have much to offer. See More

Top Con

Pen and paper absolutely required for full completion

There is a lot of backtracking and so, you need to keep a pen and paper near you to take notes, because you might need something very important later on. For some people this might be a fun killer. See More

Top Con

Minimal direction

The lack of clear direction + the mysteries of the foreign writing alphabet and numeric systems may overwhelm players who got in expecting a simple & cute platformer game about a white dude with a red hat (a traditional Ottoman hat, which is called a "fez"). See More

Ratchet and Clank (2016)

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Narration used during gameplay

While not always a bad thing when done well (such as Bastion), a lot of the gameplay in the game is narrated in a sens of humor told through Captain Qwark. Telling the player if a certain box has ammo and such things. Not only does the humor not always match with the cut-scenes of the game and the character overall, but it becomes tiring to hear over and over again. See More

Top Pro

Tons of humorous weapons

One things this series is known for is the amount of weapons and their humorous powers. Of course this title does no disappoint as there are many many weapons to be found to use, with each having some crazy mechanic as to what and how they shoot. See More

Specs

Genre:Platformer, Shooter

Top Con

Is a remake

While the graphics are all new as well as many elements of play the game itself is a remake of the first title. So for those that have played the first game, this will be mostly a rehash with a few new things. See More

Top Pro

Rewarding level up mechanic for weapons

Each weapon will level up as you use it, meaning the game will levels to your own play style. This is also a good system as it rewards experimentation, as each weapon levels up it gains new powers, so to see what each weapon will grow into it has to be used. See More

Top Con

Somewhat short

The game can be beaten easily in under 10 hours, though there is a fair share of replayability thanks to all the collection aspects of the game. See More

Top Pro

Amazing graphics

The graphics are quite impressive, giving a feeling of Pixar like animation, but in a videogame. While a bold claim, the graphics are some if not the best on the PS4 to date. See More

Top Pro

Unlocks are all part of the game, no DLC

There are many unlockables in the game including new costumes. Frankly it is refreshing to see a title include this with the core game instead of locking it behind a paywall. See More

Top Pro

Expands on the original story

While the game is pretty much a remake, there are added elements tot he game that expand on the story and character development. Overall this is a way more fleshed out title than the original. See More

Top Pro

Great mix of gameplay elements

While the game does focus on third person shooting, there is also many platforming elements along with dogfights in space, chase scenes, hoverboard racing, etc. This makes for a good mix so the player never gets too board of doing the same thing over and over again. See More

Limbo

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Artistic puzzle

Limbo has very unique environment with highly creative puzzles that offer a great experience with monochrome, b/w and other dim colors. See More

Top Con

Has some pacing issues

The first half of the game is filled with interesting creatures that you as a player encounter on the journey. While in sharp contrast, the second half of the game takes place in a deserted industrial area devoid of any lifeforms and even though puzzles become more and more interesting as you approach the end of the game, this sharp contrast between the two halves of the game creates some serious pacing issues. The pacing issues are even more evident as you reach the ending, which while good comes quite unexpectedly. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Manages to communicate circumstance and casualty in a unique way

Being completely devoid of text, dialogue, and explanation Limbo manages to communicate circumstance and casualty to the player in a simple way not found in other games. Having a game completely devoid of those three things is hard but Limbo manages to pull it off perfectly. See More

Top Con

Somewhat short

Limbo can be finished in about 5-6 hours on average. See More

Top Pro

Astonishing sound design

The sound design is simply great. Even though there's virtually no soundtrack to speak of, the sound effects do a great job of creating the perfect atmosphere in which the players immerse themselves. What's more is that if you pay close attention to the sound cues while solving a puzzle, you will find out that the sound effects are quite helpful in reaching your objective. See More

Top Con

May be too dark for children

The game, by design, has the main character dying quite a bit, often very gruesomely, and so may not be appropriate for younger players. See More

Top Pro

Immerses the player fully

Since there are no cutscenes or loading screens, Limbo makes you fully immerse yourself in the puzzles and atmosphere of the game. See More

Top Con

Ending comes somewhat abruptly

There's little lead up to the ending so it comes a little too suddenly and unexpectedly. See More

Top Pro

Good for people who don't want to waste too much time on a game

Being a relatively short game (five or six hours long), it's perfect for people who love interesting puzzle games that don't overstay their welcome. See More

Top Pro

Unique black and white aesthetic

Limbo uses (what was once) a very unique monochromatic color scheme to give an atmospheric feel. See More

Top Pro

Quite addictive

Limbo manages to keep your attention all throughout the game by consistently presenting new, interesting things for you to solve. It starts out simple, but increasingly gets more intricate and grows into smart multi-part puzzles. See More

Top Pro

Does not become frustrating even if you die a lot

Most players die a lot in Limbo. fortunately this does not translate to a frustrating experience while playing the game. If you die from a trap, the game immediately reloads and takes the character right before reaching that very same puzzle. This way you can try again immediately and find a solution. See More

Risk of Rain

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Easy auto matchmaking

New to the game over its PC release the Vita and PS4 version get an automatic matchmaking feature for multiplayer. This makes it nice and easy to find other players to join up with. See More

Top Con

Random loot makes it difficult to always go where you like

There are upgrades to ones jump and run speed, which may not lways be found due to the randomization of the game. This means you may come across ledges you can not jump up to due to never finding an upgrade to jump. This can be frustrating and makes for an imbalance in gameplay. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Partial

Top Pro

10 unique characters

Imagine a small set of DOTA or LOL. These 10 characters can be tankers, DPS, supporters, rangers, carriers, etc depending on your skill and level of use. And they're hard to unlock which makes the challenging to get them even more. See More

Top Con

Unlocks unclear

The game explanation of how unlocks unlock is not very clear or intuitive making for wasted time trying to figure them out. See More

Top Pro

Fun local and online co-op modes

No need to compete as the multiplayer is all cooperative where each player has to help the other survive the harsh world which is a fun setting for friends as it leaves out any competitiveness. See More

Top Pro

Replayability is high

The levels are generated very randomly making for a unique experience every time the game is played which in turn makes for a ton of replayability. See More

Top Pro

Time equals difficulty

It gets tougher as time passes by. That means by minute 40, you are playing at hardcore difficulty. This makes for an experience that is good for learning the mechanics as once you can not advance due to the difficulty you will die which means the game has to be repeated which help learn the ins and outs more and more each time it is done. See More

Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty

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Great platforming gameplay

The gameplay consists of exploring the many locations within Oddworld. Along the way you’ll encounter various obstacles and puzzles you’ll have to pass. This can be simple stuff like hopping through a minefield. It can be a very intense chase sequence where you have to make very precise jumps and rolls to survive. Or it can be complex puzzles with switches and security systems that even require explosives. Whichever it might be, Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is always a blast. See More

Top Con

Can be quite frustrating

A lot of the levels require really fast and precise movements/jumps. If you miss the timing even slightly, your character will most like die, causing you to restart the entire section. This gets really annoying when you miss the same jump more than 10 times. To make it slightly more bearable, you should switch to the classic control scheme, which offers a lot more precision than the defaults. See More

Top Pro

Twisted but refreshing sense of humor

While Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty has the occasional fart joke, it mostly filled with pretty dark humor. Things like posters saying "No talking to other employees" while the mouths of said employees are sewn shut. A company turning their employees into produce just to increase profits. Characters getting addicted to a drink made out of the bones of their ancestors. All of these really bizarre situations are made funny by the goofy characters with rather wacky reactions. It's the type of humor that most modern titles shy away from. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful environments

There’s just so much detail in every location it’s very hard to not stop and take it all in. From the interior of the meat processing plant, filled with machinery, containers, and posters. To massive caves filled with giant tree roots, wooden structures, and enormous boulders covered in ancient writings. There’s just always so much to look at and it’s a treat for the eyes. See More

Spelunky

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Provides an interesting challenge by heavily relying on increasing your skill

Spelunky gives the player everything needed to succeed from the start so it is only when the players skills get better will they advance. See More

Top Con

Difficult to the point of frustration

Spelunky is pretty difficult and some could say abusive, but with practice and a desire for masochism the game can be mastered. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Platformer / Indie / Roguelike

Co-Op:4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Up to 4 player local co-op

Spelunky features 4 player local co-op where players share the same screen, which can get a bit hectic. See More

Top Con

Co-op is boring and confusing

In co-op this game is very confusing with little instruction on how to play. With little to spice up the game play, it gets boring quickly. See More

Top Pro

Expanded gameplay through mods to improve replayability

Ranging from Mega Man to Metroid, there are a tone of great mods for Spelunky all of which make for a new experience in the game which vastly expands the replayability. See More

Top Pro

Quick sessions so you can play in short bursts

Being that Spelunky is at its heart a roguelike the gameplay sessions can tend to be quick as the player will die quite often. This makes for something that can be played in quick bursts throughout the day. The convenient saving also lends to this as a game that is still ongoing can be quickly saved in order to be picked up at a later time. See More

Lovers In A Dangerous Spacetime

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Adorable aesthetic

Both the story and art style are beautiful and playful, encouraging a fun atmosphere even in difficult or complicated scenarios. The soundtrack carries you along with a light but fast-paced beat to maintain the balance between fun and focus. See More

Top Con

Co-op is local only

Unfortunately, online co-op is not an option. However, forcing the players to be side by side aids in coordination and makes for a more personal experience. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Shooter, Platformer

Co-Op:4 Player Local

Top Pro

Gameplay focuses on relying on the other player

Much like a good marriage the game focuses on having each player rely on the other in ties of need. This makes for an experience that when executed properly shows how much of a team two people can be. See More

Top Pro

Teamwork is demanded

As offense, movement and defense are entirely separate stations, you simply cannot beat the game alone in co-op mode, regardless of any single player's skill level. This holds true especially in harder difficulties where constant communication and coordination is critical. See More

Top Pro

Catchy techno soundtrack

Lovers has a very interesting and catchy soundtrack that goes great with its retro, neon-based aesthetic. See More

Thomas Was Alone

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Polished ethereal soundtrack

Haunting guitar strums mixed with beautiful piano chords and bits of chiptune creates a very fitting soundtrack that allows for an experience of polish not often found. See More

Top Con

Some puzzles can be difficult

Here an there are a few really tough puzzles in the game which can be frustrating, luckily they are few and far between as the gameplay does not tend to repeat itself too often. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle, Platformer

Top Pro

Great story

For what is a pretty simplistic looking game, Thomas Was Alone offers a truly great story that actually gets the player to care about what are basically squares and rectangles. See More

Top Con

Short

The gameplay only lasts about 3 or 4 hours. See More

Top Pro

Enjoyable professional narration

What really drives the well crafted story home is the wonderful narration done by British filmmaker, comedian, writer, actor, and presenter of radio and television, Danny Wallace. Not many indie small budget games receive the polish this game has in their voice acting, which really adds to the experience when playing the game. See More

Strider

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Top Con

No "Fast-Travel" really

It is a big game world, and most of the time you are stuck exploring it all by foot. There is something that lets you travel between areas, but they are few and far between and not really all that helpful. Plus, it is unlocked fairly late into the game. If you know there is something you need to return to on the other side of the game, you are in for a good hike. See More

Top Pro

Fast, fun combat

Strider is a really fast-paced side-scrolling hack and slash. The enemies will never stop trying to shoot your or end you in any way possible. This could easily become punishingly difficult, but is avoided thanks to the very responsive controls. You'll scale walls and kill groups of enemies within seconds, which truly makes you feel like an assassin with inhuman reflexes. The boss fights increase the tempo and may seem really cheap at first. Luckily, you'll learn their abilities over time, which will allow you to predict and counter them all. Defeating a boss without taking a single hit feels incredibly satisfying. See More

Top Con

Cannot skip pre-boss chatter

This is not an issue if you don't die to a boss, but if you do, you have to sit through their introduction and banter every time. You cannot skip talk scenes you've already seen. The final boss, in particular, is quite the chatter-box. See More

Top Pro

Tons of collectibles

You can find new upgrades, concept art, story info, character info, and costumes during the game. There are also hidden challenges such as Survival and Beacon. Only the upgrades are marked on the map, so the rest can be difficult to find, making 100% completion a tough goal to reach. See More

Top Con

Story is not explained

Strider has a very simple "good guy defeats evil tyrant" type of story, but none of the characters are truly fleshed out. See More

Top Pro

Big game world that rewards exploration

The world of Strider is massive city where you'll be climbing a lot of high walls and tall buildings. It also hides a lot of upgrades that will help you clear a level or beat a boss a lot easier. Most of these can only be accessed later when you have the right type of weapon (similar to Metroid Prime). So you'll be spending a lot of time exploring (backtracking) if you decide to access these new locations. See More

Dead Cells

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Satisfying combat with a good amount of depth to it

Dead Cells encourages fast-paced gameplay and requires quick reactions. The hits are impactful, the controls are super-responsive, and it's overall very fluid. The game has a good variety of weapons, skills and enemies that all change how the game plays out. Some weapons work best if the enemy is bleeding, some skills hurl enemies at you, some enemies are immune to attacks from the front. Which items you find and decide to keep will change what approach to combat you need to take. See More

Top Con

Shallow story

The story feels totally inconsequential. There isn't much going on with the plot, and what little is there is pretty forgettable. You feel motivated by the progression of the game rather than any emotional connection to the story. If you're looking for something with a stronger narrative to go with the good gameplay, this isn't it. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Roguelike, Metroidvania, Action, Platformer

Top Pro

Beautiful pixel art graphics

The pixel models for your character and the enemies manage to feel modern in the way the animations flow swiftly from movement to movement. The colorful art design is a nice throwback to the retro games that inspired Dead Cells. It goes hand-in-hand with the side-scrolling gameplay, with a cool look to the monster and gadget designs. The reds, blues, and greens especially pop a lot to give the game a distinct look to help it stand apart from others in the same genre. See More

Top Con

Frustrating for players new to roguelikes

If you're new to the genre, this may not be the best place to start. The game gives you one life (except with a certain perk), so if you die, then your whole run is over. This would be fine if it wasn't so easy to lose all your health in an instant and fall back to level one. This makes it frustrating if you spend a lot of time on a run only for it to all go down the drain from a small mistake. The punishing difficulty can be pretty overwhelming for newcomers unless you're really looking to push yourself. See More

Top Pro

Brilliant game design that presents a good challenge

All the little details come together to make Dead Cells incredibly rewarding to play. Making one mistake can mean death, which makes the game challenging but also fun as you learn how to take on certain enemies with different sets of weapons and skills. Also, every level is procedurally-generated, so even when you die and have to restart it feels unique and different every time. This keeps the game from ever getting old, even after you finish the game on the highest difficulty level. See More

Top Pro

The developers put a lot of love and care into the game

Throughout its time in Early Access, the creators of Dead Cells consistently updated the game with new features, adding entirely new areas and weapons each time. The game could have honestly been released a while ago and fared decently, but they kept making it better. Even more importantly though, the developers took player feedback into account many times. The devs love the game and the community and it shows through their work. See More

Shovel Knight

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A unique experience

Shovel Knight has 2D pixel art, a simple gameplay, and a retro feel. It stands out in an era dominated by 3D titles with super detailed graphics and convoluted gameplay because of its influences from classics like Zelda, Castlevania, Duck Tales, and even Super Mario Bros. It’s not just trying to cash in on the nostalgia of older players because it’s a game that can be enjoyed by anyone thanks to its polish. See More

Top Con

Can be frustrating

While Shovel Knight captures a lot of SNES era’s good parts, it also brings back some of the bad parts. It's mostly the hidden enemies that attack you as soon as you approach their hiding spots, causing you to take needless damage or even die. This adds a really tedious trial and error aspect that forces you to memorize all enemy placements just so you can beat a stage. In addition to dealing with the enemies, the timing of jumps or using special skills at the right moment adds to the frustration. Press the button too early or too late and you'll end up back at the start of a platforming section or worse, dead. See More

Specs

Genre:Action, Platformer

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Top Pro

Feels great to play

Shovel Knight has very colorful pixelated graphics, a decent chiptune soundtrack, excellent 8-bit sound effects, and the controls feel really fluid and responsive. So whether you’re just running through a castle, shoveling away at gems in a tunnel, or even jumping on a dragon’s head, Shovel Knight is a blast to play. See More

Top Pro

Pretty fun risk versus reward system

In each stage, there are multiple checkpoints you can revive at if you die. The twist is that you can destroy the checkpoints for extra treasure. Doing this also means you’ll have to start from the beginning of the stage if you die. It’s a pretty cool way to increase difficulty and add tension to a playthrough, especially because it’s never forced on you. See More

Little Nightmares

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Top Pro

Expansion packs available but not necessary to get the full experience

Little Nightmares can be finished in a few hours, and you will get the full game experience if you buy just the basic game. But if you want more of this game, you have the option of getting extra levels by buying DLCs. The latest expansion was released in November 2017, so this game is still growing. See More

Top Con

Lots of unavoidable deaths

The dynamic camera angle can interfere with controls. Because the character can move not only forward/back, but also closer to and further away from the camera, it can be difficult to tell where exactly the character is in terms of space, which makes some jumps more difficult. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Adventure

Controller Support:Yes

Top Pro

Hauntingly beautiful environment design

The objects and environment look very realistic, which does a great deal to boost immersion. Each level has it's own distinct art style, so you get a sense of progression through the game. See More

Top Con

Low replayability

There are a few moments in this game where the element of surprise plays a major role in creating an emotional rollercoaster, so playing it a second time will not be as fun. The levels are linear, so you won't get any open-world experiences from Little Nightmares. See More

Top Pro

Intriguing story with a lot of room for speculation

At first, the story seems almost disappointing- a child is trying to escape monsters. But as you progress further into the game, you find more clues that create more questions about what's really going on. The game boasts a capability to capture the player's imagination, and the seemingly vague yet thought provoking story is a great example of how that is achieved. It's very likely that after finishing Little Nightmares you won't be able to stop thinking about the story and all the questions it raises. See More

Top Pro

Keeps you on edge

Little Nightmares does a great job at immersing the player in the game. This game uses a third-person perspective, where you see everything from a side camera. The protagonist is a little girl called Six, and everything about her surroundings portrays hostility. The oversized objects, gruesome monsters, and the near constant presence of death imagery all combines to keep you on the edge at all times. See More

VVVVVV

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Throwback to Atari/C64 games while playing like a modern game

VVVVVV is very reminiscent of a game one would find for the Atari or Commodore 64 in that the graphics are simple, but the gameplay is anything but as it plays like nothing one would have found back then. It is fast paced and very precise, also extremely tough. See More

Top Con

Not much of a story

The basic plot is that you are trying to save your crew members, but really it is just a loose story to tie the levels together as there is really not much there to discover. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle, Platformer, Metroidvania, Action

Top Pro

Use gravity to solve puzzles

The main mechanic in the game is that the player can switch the gravity in any level allowing the character to flip from the bottom of the screen to the top. This is used in an ingenious way in order to solve puzzles and avoid hazards throughout each level. See More

Top Con

Difficult

VVVVVV is a tough game, one that will cause frustration quite easily. Luckily there are unlimited lives in the game, so areas can be played over and over again with no consequences. See More

Sonic Mania

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Enjoyable and fast platforming gameplay

Sonic Mania is all about running, jumping, and rolling through levels while avoiding obstacles, bumping robots, and collecting rings along the way. What's even better is that you can move at great speeds while doing it, allowing you to perform exciting feats. This can be launching yourself high into the air from a ramp, or rolling upwards around a pillar without losing traction. It simply gives you an exhilarating sense of speed that will keep you wanting more. See More

Top Con

Can be somewhat difficult to beginners

If you're new to platform games or gaming in general, Sonic Mania can feel fairly tricky. Both the levels and the boss fights require accurate jumps and/or split second timing to beat them, which may take more more than a few tries. This is especially the case in the bonus levels where you have to chase a UFO. Fortunately, you can get used to this game after a few play sessions. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Platformer, Action

Top Pro

Great replay value

While a single playthrough may take you around 5 hours, Sonic Mania has enough content to keep you going for dozens of hours. This is achieved with a combination of addictive gameplay, tons of collectibles, bonus stages, extra modes, and 3 unique characters that make the levels play differently. Even after beating the game multiple times, it stays as fun as the first time. See More

Top Pro

Excellent level design

Sonic Mania has 12 levels, each with unique themes, enemies, and gimmicks. This includes a giant sandstone temple filled with water, presenting the danger of drowning, and even a giant chemical plant filled with jelly that can be used as a trampoline. There are also a multitude of secrets and the collectibles are positioned in a way to help you find them. All of this combined makes exploring each level really enjoyable. See More

Celeste

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Great variation in level mechanics to keep players on their toes

Each level features its own environmental hazard, which means players will have to adjust their strategies from time to time. One level is filled with winds that shift, sometimes assisting you across wide gaps and at other times stopping your progression forward or causing you to miss jumps. Another is shrouded in darkness with the area only illuminated when you're in mid-jump. Regardless of the hazard at play, they all add an extra level of challenge to keep players on their toes, even if they're seasoned platforming veterans. See More

Top Con

You'll die a lot

Although dying in this game helps to reinforce the game's overall theme of never giving up in the face of a challenge, this can be a turn off to some players. Missing the same jumps and landing on the same spike traps constantly can only happen so many times before it becomes frustrating more than fun. See More

Specs

Genre:Platformer

Top Pro

Optional assist mode for players who aren't good with platforming

For those who may not be so good at the platforming aspect of the game, Celeste offers an assist mode which allows players of all skill levels to experience the game in full. During gameplay, there are a few on-demand options available to do things such as become invincible (avoid spike traps and enemies), extend the air dash (jump further), and even slow the whole game down in 10% intervals. This is a great addition that makes the game accessible for all skill levels, and it's completely optional so that players who want the full challenge don't have to use it. See More

Top Con

Wind mechanic can be unfair

During one level, there is wind that pushes and blows you around, but it doesn't always work in your favor. It may send you hurtling off a steep drop right into a spike trap or ruin your carefully timed midair dash. It's very random which way it'll decide to move you, and can therefore feel unfair at times. See More

Top Pro

The platforming consistently adds new movement mechanics

The platforming definitely isn't stale and consistently adds new movement mechanics to keep things feeling fresh throughout your run. Glowing red orbs will send you flying in a certain direction, jump pads will blast you high into the air, and diamonds will give you an extra dash in mid air. Jumping, bouncing, and climbing around the various levels just feels fluid and fun with all these extra goodies that are seemingly endless and continually add flavor into the platforming aspect. There's a lot of "oh, that's cool!" moments when playing and discovering something new for the first time such as using a group of diamonds to chain a jump that's not only fun to watch, but fun to perform. See More

Top Pro

Frequent checkpoints keep the game moving along

Checkpoints are encountered quite often, so when you inevitably die, you won't have to replay a huge portion of the level. This helps to keep the frustration to a minimum when tackling a particularly tricky section of a level, and lets you practice the part that's giving you trouble rather than making you replay the entire level. See More

Top Pro

"B side" collectibles for those who crave a deeper challenge

In each level, there is a single hidden cassette tape, often in a hard to reach area. The platforms in these areas move to the beat of the level's soundtrack, and have to be correctly navigated to reach the tape. Similar to how old school cassettes tapes had two sides, collecting this tape will unlock the "B side" of each level. This presents the player with a much more challenging version of the level, adding new jumps, traps, and dangers. These remixed levels are extremely difficult and will provide a challenge for even the most seasoned platforming veteran. So if you've beaten the base game, and crave even more of a challenge, you will be pleased with this feature. See More

Top Pro

The theme of overcoming anxiety and depression is tied into the gameplay

The game reinforces the attitude of never giving up, even in the face of a seemingly impossible challenge or self-doubt, and does this by tying this heartfelt theme into the gameplay itself. As Madeline sets out to scale to the top of the mountain, she will encounter a lot of depression, anxiety and self-doubt along the way, which literally manifests into an alternative version of herself simply called "Part of Me". A part of ourselves many of us are all too familiar with. During the more challenging parts of the game, this other self will appear to taunt, belittle, and even chase Madeline around telling her she's not good enough, and she'll never reach the top. She'll be a constant source of doubt throughout the duration of the game. But, after every player death, failure, and missed jump, the game will gently remind the player to "Keep going. You've got this!" and "You're learning!" along with other inspiring messages that encourage you to push past the doubt, and keep trying until you beat each challenging level. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful pixel art

Top Pro

Great for Speedrunning

There are advanced movement techniques in the game that allow you to complete a level in multiple ways and to built up a lot of speed. On top of that there is a speedrun timer built into the game. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive controls that “feel good”

Expressive and responsive controls and the ability to jump a few frames after falling off an edge make the game feel good. Game Maker's Toolkit made a video just about this part of the game. See More

Unravel

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Amazing soundtrack

The soundtrack consists of sweet and beautiful instrumental pieces, adding to the overall nostalgic vibe. See More

Top Con

Feels short

Though it's a good few hours of gameplay, the game feels a bit short. A few additional levels(memories to collect) would improve the experience. See More

Specs

Genre:Puzzle, Platformer

Top Pro

Awesome graphics

Though it's a platformer, the graphics are actually very lifelike, just in a side-view. See More

Top Pro

Simple enough for children to play

The puzzles are nothing difficult and the game mechanics are simple enough aswell for children to play through the game. See More

Top Pro

Beautiful environment

The environment is inspired by the beautiful scenery of Northern Scandinavia, including forest, swamps and fields. all during different seasons aswell. The game in colorful, but lifelike, creating a really pleasant vibe. See More

Knack 2

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Great co-op mode

Having two players on screen amps up the action and adds some fun new gameplay mechanics. You'll add a few new moves to your arsenal such as kicking your friend around, or bodyslamming them into enemies. Pushing your friend off the edge or watching them miss a platforming jump can also be quite funny. Thankfully, they respawn right next to you so you'll never have to wait for them to catch back up to you. If one player is having a particular issue with a tough section of platforming, you can just complete it and then warp your friend to your location. Nobody has to feel left out, and it keeps the action moving along at a steady pace. See More

Top Con

Characters are underdeveloped

Knack, the main playable character, seemingly only serves to pummel enemies and platform around the levels. He has very little personality, oftentimes only uttering generic lines such as "let's do this!". Additionally, he never seems to build up any kind of relationship with his human buddy, the protagonist Lucas. In fact, there's barely any meaningful interaction or dialogue between the two at all. This underdevelopment makes it really hard to have any connection with the characters. See More

Specs

Genre:Action-Adventure, Platformer

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Top Pro

Difficulty level feels just right

The platforming and puzzle solving feels like just the right amount of difficulty without being overly frustrating. Most environmental puzzles and challenges have pretty clear solutions while still requiring you think a bit. Most of the challenge stems from being able to execute the jumping or other platforming mechanics just right, as opposed to trying to decipher cryptic or unintuitive jumping schemes. If you fail, checkpoints are usually nearby, so you rarely ever have to replay much. See More

Top Pro

Engaging mix of enemies

There's a good mix of enemies, and the game likes to change them up often enough to where adjusting your strategy is necessary. For example, some may have an electrical shield that will have to be disabled before you can hit them. Other enemies will throw projectiles at you which have to be dodged. Some carry heavy shields that you have to break before you can damage them. Each one requires a different strategy and use of your abilities. All in all, there's enough variety in enemy types to keep you engaged and keep the fighting fresh throughout your run. See More

Top Pro

Solid gameplay with interesting platforming elements

Knack 2 has all the goodies and puzzles of most platformers - moving platforms, traps, tricky jumps, and pushing blocks onto pressure switches. But, what makes it interesting is that Knack can change his size and use various elemental armors to solve the environmental puzzles you encounter. If there's a small doorway or opening, you can shrink yourself to fit. If there's moving gear puzzles, you can freeze them in place with your ice armor to open and close passageways. You can also make a stone version of yourself to depress pressure plates. You can only jump so many platforms before gameplay starts to feel stale, so the addition of these clever mechanics is a refreshing change and helps keep you interested until the end. See More

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