Summary
- Mario games like Super Mario Bros. Set the standard for 2D platformers.
- Switch offers a variety of 2D platformers beyond Mario, like Sonic Mania and Pizza Tower.
- Diverse titles like Kirby Star Allies and Rayman Legends provide unique 2D experiences.
Super Mario Bros. Was the reason to get an NES at launch in 1985. It’s a bit archaic now, but at the time, it was a mind-blowing 2D platformer. The Mario series only got better from there, including some of his best games on the Switch. Beyond Mario games, though, the Switch has all kinds of 2D platformers from indie developers to AAA studios.
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Platformers were among the first games to take over home consoles, and with their current resurgence, it's time to look at the best of the genre.
Mario will indeed make the list in some form, but variety is the spice of life. Do any of the other titles do a better job of perfecting the 2D experience? Let’s jump in and find out, ranking their overall quality as platformers.
8 Disney Illusion Island
A Passive Metroidvania
Disney Illusion Island
- Released
- July 28, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Dlala Studios
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Disney Illusion Island is a Metroidvania at its core, but unlike most in the genre, it’s a passive experience. Players can choose to play as either Mickey, Donald, Goofy, or Minnie, alone or in four-player co-op, and they can get new powers along the way, like a pencil to help with scaling walls.
It’s one of the best-looking 2D games on the Switch, certainly thanks to the cartoon-infused designs of the characters and environments, almost like the characters are running around old cartoon cels.
7 Kirby Star Allies
Party Up With Four
Kirby Star Allies
- Released
- March 16, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- HAL Laboratory
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Fair
Kirby Star Allies is one of two big 2D platformers starring the pink puffball, with Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe being the other. Kirby Star Allies was designed from the ground up for the Switch, featuring four-player co-op and tons of powers to find, from swords to fireballs.
It doesn’t do anything that new for the Kirby franchise, but anyone looking to get a group of friends together for an easier platformer experience on Switch will find this game at just the right difficulty level.
6 Sonic Mania
Sonic’s Back!
Sonic Mania
- Released
- August 15, 2017
WHERE TO PLAY
It had been a while since a good Sonic game was released at this time in 2017, let alone a 2D one. That’s why Sonic Mania was such a revelation, feeling like both a throwback and a new step forward after a long list of disappointments.
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It was clear that this small team understood what made Sonic games good in the 90s, from the music to the intense level design. The two-player co-op, pixel-perfect graphics, and the anime intro helped too.
5 Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The Kongs Bundle Up
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
- Released
- February 21, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone due to Mild Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
- Retro Studios
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Switch, Nintendo Wii U
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze started as a Wii U game before it got a port to the Switch, just like its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze added a lot of cool gameplay mechanics from the previous game, like new Kongs, including Cranky Kong as a playable character who could hop around on his cane, akin to Scrooge in the DuckTales games. Dixie Kong made her return as well in the core game, Funky Kong was added for Switch, and there was two-player co-op.
4 Rayman Legends
A Series Gone Too Soon
Rayman Legends
- Released
- August 30, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ due to Cartoon Violence, Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Montpellier
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PS Vita, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Stadia
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Rayman Legends is another amazing-looking 2D platformer akin to Disney Illusion Island, which also features four-player co-op. It was a bigger and more ambitious game than its predecessor, including more levels and ones that experimented with what it meant to be a platformer.
One of the levels that stick out has players jump or attack things to the tune of “Black Betty” by Ram Jam, sung in a more exaggerated style, and this isn’t the only music level either.
3 Pizza Tower
Food-Based Wario Mayhem
Pizza Tower
- Released
- January 26, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- Tour De Pizza
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- PC, Nintendo Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Wario Land: Shake It! Might be THE best-looking 2D platformer of all time, but it is trapped on the Wii. Nintendo didn’t make any sequels on the Switch either, but fans were treated to something better anyway: Pizza Tower.
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Pizza Tower borrowed the manic style of platformers that the Wario Land games were known for, along with the process of going through levels backwards to escape. Pizza Tower has a bit of Sonic DNA, too, thanks to the speed factor.
2 Celeste
Prepare To Die
Celeste
- Released
- January 25, 2018
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Extremely OK Games
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Dark Souls is to challenging RPGs as Celeste is to hardcore platformers. It’s strange given the bright colors and young female heroine, Madeline, but it’s one of those games that demands pixel-perfect platforming akin to Braid and Limbo, or else players are going to die and cry after the hundredth attempt.
Still, it’s not impossible, and that sense of reward is intoxicating for those who can figure it out. Plus, accessibility options can make the ascent easier, which is always nice to see in a game.
1 Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Truly A Breath Of Fresh Air For The Mushroom Kingdom
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Released
- October 20, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
- Platform(s)
- Switch
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
It may be cliche to put a Mario game at the top of a Nintendo-based platformer list, but Super Mario Bros. Wonder is simply wonderful, all pun intended. Every single level has a twist, thanks to the Wonder Flowers, which can feel more like an induced trip than a platformer level.
From swirling colors to singing plants, Nintendo breathed new life into this franchise through the power of 2D, and that was truly remarkable for a thirty-plus-year-old character like Mario.