What are the best Side Scroller games on Steam?

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Jul 2, 2018

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The Best 2 of 16 OptionsWhy?

Best Side Scroller games on Steam	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
92 Limbo	-	Very Positive	Very Positive
92 Inside	$19.99	Very Positive	Puzzle-Platformer
-- Shovel Knight	-	–	Action, Platformer
-- This War of Mine	-	–	–
-- Rayman Legends	$29.99	Very Positive	Platformer

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Inside

Top Pro

Deeply layered story left up to interpretation told completely through visuals and atmosphere

The world they've built is completely intriguing, as stated there is no exposition or text. The ending lends itself to endless conversation and analysis. See More

Top Con

Very short

Only from 2 to 3 hours long. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle-Platformer

Top Pro

Remarkable storytelling via environmental navigation

The story is told through exploring and there is no written exposition or dialogue, so the story is left up to the player's interpretation. See More

Top Pro

Unparalleled creepy yet intoxicating atmosphere

This game's world is colorless and soundless, which makes the bright player character really stand out. Occasional sound cues add to the tense and creepy atmosphere. See More

14 Other Options Considered

Shovel Knight

Top Pro

Retains an original feel despite clear influences

The art design, music and writing maintain a very original feel to the game despite its obvious influences, which is what helps the game stand out, which makes it enjoyable in its own right. See More

Top Con

Enemy design is not always great

Some of the more recurring enemies often have just a pallet swap in order to differentiate them, which comes off as a bit lazy and uninspired. See More

Specs

Genre:Action, Platformer

Co-Op:2 Player Local

Platforms:Nintendo Switch, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Windows, Mac, Linux

Top Pro

Combination of the best gameplay elements of retro pixel games of the NES era

Combining elements from Mega Man, Mario 3, Duck Tales, Zelda II and Castelvania Shovel Knight excels over the rest of the games trying to cash in on the 2D pixel art revival of recent years. See More

Top Pro

Risk reward system

Players can risk destroying checkpoints for loot, which means if one does die after destroying their checkpoints they will have to start from the beginning of the stage. Basically this is a gambling system that can pay off or cause a crushing blow. See More

Top Pro

Competent loot system that allows for purchasing upgrades

User can upgrade their armor and weapon through earning loot drops from enemies or digging. The earned cash allows one to purchase upgrades that help the player advance in the increasingly difficult game. See More

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This War of Mine

Top Pro

Realisticly tough decision making

Users must make many choices in game that can result in many realistic consequences. Should the player take a gun out with them to scavenge, what if they run into enemies and didn't bring one? What if they brought the gun but now don't have room in their inventory to collect all the items needed to survive the next day? See More

Top Con

Crafting is difficult to grasp

While playing a huge role in the game the mechanics of crafting are not explained that well leaving the player to guess as to what they need to do, which can be frustrating. See More

Top Pro

Creates a sense of fear

Through using the use of sound/graphics as well as how pertinent it is to find supplies, going out into the world where almost all interactions are fraught with danger give a real sense of fear as to not get killed by the worlds survivors. Every sound or shadow moving makes for a world that should worry the player and then some. See More

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Rayman Legends

Top Pro

Visually impressive boss stages

The visual mechanics in the boss stages are pretty impressive as they use 3d rendering but still hold to the 2D graphical look of the game. This allows for bosses that weave in and out of stages as well as attacks that can come from the foreground or background depending on where the boss is located. See More

Top Con

No online multiplayer

In this day and age it is disappointing to see a multiplayer game released that does not support online. For a company like Ubisoft this kind of cost should not be an issue which makes it puzzling as to why such a standard feature is missing. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Platformer

Co-Op:Local Wireless

Controller Support:Full

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Top Pro

One of the best platformers released in years

From the beautiful design of the 2D cartoon graphics to the level design, soundtrack and multiplayer, Rayman Legends is on par with the best of platformers. See More

Top Con

Jump is floaty

The jump action feels a bit floaty which may take a bit to get use to. Normally platformers will offer tighter controls, which people tend to get used to making games that stray from that more difficult or just not something that appeals. See More

Top Pro

Fun cute characters

The cartoony design of the characters is animated smoothly and looks great on screen. For each their design is cute an amusing while also showing differentiating characteristics. See More

Top Pro

All powers unlocked from beginning

Unlike Rayman Origins, Legends has all of Rayman's powers unlocked from the beginning. Players are able to jump float, wall run and attack starting at the first level. See More

Top Pro

Daily and weekly online challenges

There are daily and weekly online challenges that users can compete in, against their friends or just the high scores listed. See More

Top Pro

Up to four player local Co-Op so you can help children through hard parts

Up to four local players can play sharing a single screen at the same time in Rayman Legends which is great for when kids get stuck on hard parts as another sibling or parent can jump in and help them out. See More

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Trine

Top Pro

It's like a fairy tale come to life in game form.

Its gorgeous and feels like a storybook the whole way through. See More

Top Con

Rather little variation in combat/gameplay

After you've fought your first fight, you've practically seen them all. There are no real boss fights like in Trine 2, the only distinction is made between shooty-wights and stabby-wights. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Puzzle / Platformer / Indie

Co-Op:Local / Online

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Fun local co-op that lends itelf well to the chracter switch design of the gameplay

Trine has support for up to 3 player local co-op, which works very well with the way the mechanics of the game demand use of each character throughout each stage. See More

Top Pro

Appealing graphics reminiscent of vibrant cartoons shows off a very individualistic design

The graphics are 3d rendered with vibrant colors. They utilize pleasing cartoon like graphics, which give a real sense of the fantasy world they are meant to illustrate. Everything about the design of the characters and world stand out as highly polished and breathtaking. See More

Top Pro

Challenging and fun puzzle platforming that uses an interesting character switch mechanic

Each playable character has their own abilities and features that you must use in order to solve puzzles, platform, and battle to beat each level. You will be switching back and forth throughout the game in order to progress, which can be fun when trying to figure out how to utilize each characters skills. See More

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Cave Story+

Top Pro

Multiple versions available

After the initial release in 2004, the game has been ported to other platforms and updated along the way by various fans and indie devs. See More

Top Con

Getting the best ending is almost impossible without a guide

Getting the best ending requires a few highly counter-intuitive if not nonsensical actions to be taken. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Great storyline

Cave Story offers a pretty deep storyline, more than one would think by just taking a quick glance at the game. There is a reason this game is still so popular after being around for so many years and it's story is it. See More

Top Pro

Tons of fun and unique weapons

In cave story you have access to tons of upgradable weapons with unique properties for different situations. See More

Top Pro

Incredibly challenging, with hard mode for veterans

Cave Story is hard and the hard mode even harder, which makes this game great for players looking for a new challenge. See More

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Dead Cells

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Roguelike, Metroidvania, Action, Platformer

Platforms:PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Mac, Windows, Linux

Mark of the Ninja

Top Pro

Original gameplay mechanics

Especially the fighting and stealth mechanics. See More

Top Con

Puzzle stages in mid game feel out of place

About midway through the game users will run into puzzle platforming sections, these feel as if they were added to add longevity to the game and feel out of place with the rest of the gameplay. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Great art

The art was done by the same team that did the Shank series, which itself is also known for great art. It is clean yet well illustrated, which shows a lot of polish. See More

Top Pro

Pure stealth gameplay

Mark of the Ninja requires stealth throughout the whole game, getting spotted will get the player killed pretty much instantly. See More

Top Pro

Freedom of gameplay style

Whether you want to stealthily evade everyone, silently kill everything, or stab everyone in the face, you can play how you want. The game doesn't tell you how it should be played and the choice is up to you. See More

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Child of Light

Top Pro

Mix of real time and turn based battles

The combat system is an interesting mix of real time and turn based battles. See More

Top Con

Story and experience may not stand out

The users experience of the game may not truly stand the test of time as the story feels a bit too familiar, having a feel of been there done that. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Platformer/RPG

Release Date:Mon Apr 28 2014 21:00:00 GMT-0700 (PDT)

Multi-Player:Local Co-Op

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Top Pro

All text is written in rhymes

Top Pro

Balanced RPG mechanics

Child of Light strikes a good balance of RPG systems and options. See More

Top Pro

Enjoyable hand painted art style

Child of Light uses an interesting hand drawn art style for its graphics, something that definitely gives it an appeal to the eyes. See More

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Broforce

Top Pro

Everything is over the top

Much like an 80s action movie, the violence, destruction and plot is all overly exaggerated. Players can blow apart their enemies with bullets as well as blow up whole section of the game with explosives. There will be blood everywhere and explosions all around. See More

Top Con

Single player not as fun as multiplayer co-op

The single player mode becomes boring pretty quick making the game more of a puzzle platformer than a multiplayer co-op frag fest. See More

Specs

Genre:Action / Indie / Platformer

Co-Op:4 Player Online / 4 Player Couch

Controller Support:Full

Platform:Win / Mac

Top Pro

Excels at co-op

Broforce features 4-player couch and online co-op and it truly shines in that environment. Each additional player will increase the hilariously frantic nature of the game by a significant margin. See More

Top Con

Large amount of repetition

Enemies are repeated often and environments do not change up that much either, the majority of time is spent in a jungle with a few urban or tunnel environments thrown in the mix with enemies that look and act the same scattered around too much. There is a level of "sameness" with this game that may tire some people out. See More

Top Pro

Tons of level destruction

Many objects in the levels are destructible allowing for large explosions, which keeps the gameplay frantic. This will multiply depending on how many players are playing at the same time making for a very hectic gaming session. See More

Top Pro

Things are kept fresh by requiring you to switch up your gameplay style often

The game has 30+ different characters and each character plays differently. You change them every time you die or save a hostage which can be anywhere from every few minutes to seconds. See More

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Rogue Legacy

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 Con

Keyboard controls are a bit finicky

The game is better played with a controller. It is possible to play with the keyboard, but it's a lot more precise and responsive with a controller. 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

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

Player does not loose 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

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

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Night in the Woods

Top Pro

The simplistic gameplay is surprisingly fun

Running around the side-scrolling town as Mae day in and day out is more enjoyable than it sounds at first. It's mundane, but there's a lot of meaning to find around the town if you're willing to look for it. You go wherever you want, finding out stories about the townspeople and the town itself, or hanging out with friends for scripted story moments. Poking around all over town to find out the history is pretty cool, like the underground diner that Mae used to steal from back in the day, or the old shopping mall that barely gets any customers anymore. When you're not talking to people or going somewhere, you can play around with the rhythm mini-game as you practice with Mae's bass either in her room or in her old band with her group of friends. You can fall into a nice habit of checking in with the NPCs and locations you care about most, almost like in real life where you prioritize the people and places you spend the most time around. See More

Top Con

Some pacing issues with the story

The story slogs through the premise of Mae's anxieties and disillusionment for a long time until it suddenly switches somewhere in the middle. There are a few hints here and there about how and why the plot becomes a murder mystery, but these things seem inconsequential and not as important as Mae's personal issues. It ends up feeling strange to change things up partway through to something unrelated to the original premise. While the murder mystery isn't necessarily bad, it would have been nice to see a more focused insight and resolution to Mae's young adult troubles. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Platforms:PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Windows, Xbox One, Linux, macOS

Top Pro

Great coming-of-age story

The coming-of-age story in Night in the Woods is unconventional for a video game, making it more unique and intriguing. After dropping out of college, the main character, Mae, struggles with her own disillusionment in life and refusal to grow up, all the while her old friends find success and move on without her. You join in on that struggle as you live as Mae: aimlessly going around town talking to everyone and listening to their worries, browsing your laptop when you're supposed to be doing other important things, and even pressing a button to wake up in bed every morning as a reminder of how mundane life can be. You see all the ways she doesn't necessarily want to grow up, wishing she could stay a kid forever, but then she talks to an old acquaintance who thinks she's washed up now, making her feel anxious about her failings as a young adult. This type of story is familiar for anyone who has also had a hard time with similar problems, and eye-opening for anyone who hasn't. See More

Top Con

The main character is insufferable at first

It's hard to like Mae from the start for a few reasons. She's extremely self-centered, she likes to steal for the thrills, and she has no interest whatsoever in fixing her shortcomings. Her life seems to be one awkward moment after another where you can't help but cringe in embarrassment, like in one early scene where she gets drunk at a party and blabs away about her personal problems after spending hours telling herself she wouldn't. As you get to know her, Mae might grow on you, but if you're the type to lose your patience with people who are immature, then you probably won't like her all that much. See More

Top Pro

Tragic, realistic setting and NPCs

Night in the Woods is set in Possum Springs, once a booming mine town but now a forgotten speck on the map, rife with poverty and decay. Its history is based on several real Adirondack towns, and its portrayal of rural decline is painfully accurate. The townspeople you talk to lament about having to close down their businesses, or wonder out loud how they'll make ends meet. Everyone's economic hardships feel real and relevant to anyone who's gone through the same thing or knows someone else who has. See More

Top Pro

Well-written side characters

Every character feels like they have a history and realistic personal motivations, even when they're left unexplained. Mae's friends are all different yet interesting in their own ways, like Gregg who's always happy to see her and helps Mae feel like someone truly cares, and Bea with her biting sarcasm and apathy that seem to cover up her more complex issues. The residents of the town also talk about things in ways that are true-to-life, like how they gossip about their neighbors as you listen in, or just flat-out tell you sometimes to leave them alone. Every character in the game feels like a real person, whether they're central to the story or just one of the NPCs you see sitting on their porch all the time. See More

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Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition

Top Pro

New and additional content released with the definitive edition

Uses beautiful painting-like art esthetics, while also having a clear story. See More

Salt and Sanctuary

Top Pro

Huge selection of upgrades

The player earns salt by killing enemies in the game. This salt can then be used to purchase upgrades and new abilities for their character on a large spherical grid. This grid has many branching paths that cover just about any skill or ability one can think of for a dark fantasy game. Want to branch off into magical abilities, you are free to do so. Similarly, you can branch off into more of a fighter build. You can even create a hybrid build of fighting and magic to suit you. There is no limit to the choices you can make, which allows for a game that is highly customizable to fit anyone's playstyle. See More

Top Con

Difficult to know where you are

There is no map in the game, which is exacerbated by the fact that this is a 2D title. In 2D there is basically no way to tell where you are in relation to where you want to go other than from memory. This can be troublesome if it has been a few days since you last played, as you now need to remember where you need to go and where you have been and how that all relates to where you are now, all without being able to see anything other than what is immediately in front of you on the screen. See More

Top Pro

Exploration based gameplay

The player does not start with much in items or story. It is up to the player to explore and figure out little by little what is going on in the game. This makes for an adventure that the player can be immersed in by filling in any gaps with their own imagination, which in turn allows the player to be invested. See More

Top Con

May be too niche

The setting of the game is quite dark and may be draining to spend any significant amount of time in the world. The gameplay itself can be quite difficult as well, which means this may not be the game for everyone. See More

Top Pro

Deep combat

While this is a 2D platforming game, the combat is actually quite diverse, depending on what equipment one is using (and there is quite a lot of equipment). Players have a light and hard attack that each can be charged. They can also be combined to create combos, with some that may even result in some juggling of enemies. Being that this is in 2D, the controls for the combat is quite responsive and there is a good bit of verticality (since there is no third plane to worry about) thanks to the level layout and jump mechanics. All of this combines to make for some deep combat that is enjoyable through customization, speed and level design. See More

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 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

Interesting perk mechanic

There is a feature in the game called "creeds" that allows on to sign up for one creed at a time. These creeds will give you access to certain specific perks such as building out their sanctuary (of which each creed has one) where you can customize vendors of items, find new quest givers and access fast travel points. All of this offers a level of customization that can give the player advantages in the game. See More

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Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

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Limbo

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 Con

Keyboard controls not that good

Movement is locked to the arrow keys instead of wasd. See More

Experience

Francisco

Playing Limbo is such a nice experience. It's beautiful, intriguing and interesting, even if basic gameplay is very simple (it's a simple side scroller). And it can manage to provide some scary moments for players. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

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

The Best 2 of 16 OptionsWhy?

My Recommendation for Limbo

My Recommendation for Limbo

Unique black and white aesthetic

Keyboard controls not that good

Francisco

Artistic puzzle

My Recommendation for Inside

My Recommendation for Inside

Deeply layered story left up to interpretation told completely through visuals and atmosphere

Very short

Remarkable storytelling via environmental navigation

Unparalleled creepy yet intoxicating atmosphere

14 Other Options Considered

My Recommendation for Shovel Knight

My Recommendation for Shovel Knight

Retains an original feel despite clear influences

Enemy design is not always great

Combination of the best gameplay elements of retro pixel games of the NES era

Risk reward system

Competent loot system that allows for purchasing upgrades

My Recommendation for This War of Mine

My Recommendation for This War of Mine

Realisticly tough decision making

Crafting is difficult to grasp

Creates a sense of fear

My Recommendation for Rayman Legends

My Recommendation for Rayman Legends

Visually impressive boss stages

No online multiplayer

One of the best platformers released in years

Jump is floaty

Fun cute characters

All powers unlocked from beginning

Daily and weekly online challenges

Up to four player local Co-Op so you can help children through hard parts

My Recommendation for Trine

My Recommendation for Trine

It's like a fairy tale come to life in game form.

Rather little variation in combat/gameplay

Fun local co-op that lends itelf well to the chracter switch design of the gameplay

Appealing graphics reminiscent of vibrant cartoons shows off a very individualistic design

Challenging and fun puzzle platforming that uses an interesting character switch mechanic

My Recommendation for Cave Story+

My Recommendation for Cave Story+

Multiple versions available

Getting the best ending is almost impossible without a guide

Great storyline

Tons of fun and unique weapons

Incredibly challenging, with hard mode for veterans

My Recommendation for Dead Cells

My Recommendation for Dead Cells

My Recommendation for Mark of the Ninja

My Recommendation for Mark of the Ninja

Original gameplay mechanics

Puzzle stages in mid game feel out of place

Great art

Pure stealth gameplay

Freedom of gameplay style

My Recommendation for Child of Light

My Recommendation for Child of Light

Mix of real time and turn based battles

Story and experience may not stand out

All text is written in rhymes

Balanced RPG mechanics

Enjoyable hand painted art style

My Recommendation for Broforce

My Recommendation for Broforce

Everything is over the top

Single player not as fun as multiplayer co-op

Excels at co-op

Large amount of repetition

Tons of level destruction

Things are kept fresh by requiring you to switch up your gameplay style often

My Recommendation for Rogue Legacy

My Recommendation for Rogue Legacy

Lineage affects gameplay in an interesting way

Keyboard controls are a bit finicky

Tons of replayability through procedurally generated levels

Repetitive gameplay