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What are the best platformers on PS4?

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10 Games Considered

10 Options ConsideredPriceGenreSteam Rating
Rayman Legends
PlatformerVery Positive
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty
––
Shovel Knight
Action, Platformer–
Salt and Sanctuary
––
Ratchet and Clank
––
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Rayman Legends

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Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty

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Kristaps
Top Pro

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 r...
Kristaps
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. Charac...
Kristaps
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 wri...
Kristaps
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 s...
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Shovel Knight

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Kristaps
Top Pro

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 ca...
Kristaps
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...
Kristaps
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...
Kristaps
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 t...
Specs
Genre:Action, Platformer
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Salt and Sanctuary

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Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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...
Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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 p...
thermoplastics
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 d...
Stuart Kearney
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.
Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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 imaginat...
thermoplastics
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 explore...
Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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 e...
Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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 y...
Andris Pelcbergs
thermoplastics
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.
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Ratchet and Clank

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Harvey Rose
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.
Harvey Rose
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.
Harvey Rose
thermoplastics
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.
Harvey Rose
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.
Harvey Rose
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.
Harvey Rose
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.
thermoplastics
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.
Harvey Rose
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.
Harvey Rose
Top Con

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...
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Risk of Rain

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thermoplastics
Top Pro

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.
thermoplastics
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.
thermoplastics
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.
thermoplastics
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.
thermoplastics
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 a...
Patricia Q
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.
thermoplastics
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.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
Controller Support:Partial
Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch
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Sonic Mania

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Kristaps
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 c...
Kristaps
Top Pro

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...
Kristaps
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. Ev...
Kristaps
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...
Specs
Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive
Genre:Platformer, Action
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Strider

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Ryan
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.
Ryan
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 wit...
Ryan
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...
Ryan
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 re...
Ryan
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.
Ryan
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.
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Crash Bandicoot

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Celeste

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Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

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. Anoth...
Yoshiyuki
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...
Yoshiyuki
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...
Yoshiyuki
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...
Yoshiyuki
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. Ju...
Yoshiyuki
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 e...
Yoshiyuki
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 t...
Yoshiyuki
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...
Specs
Genre:Platformer
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25 Community Recommendations

Bec
Kristaps
Callixtus
thermoplastics
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Yoshiyuki
MomoIshida
Izem Lavrenti
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ConsiderateArnapkapfaaluk
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