Summary
Mario is, and will probably always be, the platforming king. Nintendo innovated platformers withSuper Mario Bros.in North America in 1985 and continued to evolve the character and his capabilities over time. Thanks to Mario’s antics, other developers have, in turn, innovated their games to blend genres together.
For example, in 2025, there are now a good number of games out there for players who love platformers and RPGs together. One game may have better platforming than its RPG mechanics, and the opposite may be true of others. These games will be ranked based on the quality of the platforming, next to the quality of the RPG mechanics.
Destiny 2feels good as a first-person game because the controls are tight beyond the shooting components. While more of a looter shooter with RPG elements, traversal and movement have been a key feature in many of the game’s activities, and that’s reinforced by the fact thateach of the three classeshas a unique jump. New additions like Strand’s Grapple, Arc’s Amplified, and Eager Edge as a sword perk have made movement and platforming even spicier.
Some sections of the maps and activities have to be traversed by going from platform to platform, which isn’t always easy in first-person. So, while not a huge platformer overall, the traversal is good inDestiny 2when the challenge arises, and most raids and dungeons will have a dedicated section just for that with a special twist. One of the more hated yet unique platforming sections is the Root of Nightmares jumping puzzle, where players have to jump from one area to another before the wipe mechanic by activating Fields of Dark as safe zones.
Muramasa: The Demon Bladeisa Vanillaware gamethat was released first on the Wii, followed by a PS Vita remaster. Players can choose to play a male ninja, Kisuke, or the princess Momohime, who is possessed by an evil spirit. Both campaigns follow separate stories but through the same levels, albeit in different contexts. Players will go from screen to screen, quickly flipping between tree branches or rock cliffs as they explore. What is nice aboutMuramasa: The Demon Bladeas a 2D action game is that platforming can help during combat.
The Adventure Palsis one of the silliest platformers on current consoles and is also a surprisingly good action RPG. The game stars a young boy, Wilton, who lost his father and has to get him back from his kidnappers.
The humor is similar toCastle Crashers, with characters sporting big googly eyes and saying random lines about rainbows and hot dogs. Wilton has a pet giraffe hiding in his backpack whose tongue can propel Wilton around levels. It’s adorable alone or with a friend via co-op.
5Blade Chimera
A Ghostly Grapple
Blade Chimeraisa newer Metroidvaniawith some solid ideas for the genre. Players are Shin, a demon hunter, who is assisted by a sword possessed by a ghost named Lux. Shin can use multiple weapons, from swords to guns, and level up traditionally, along with equip gear.
Thanks to Lux, Shin can also use his bigger sword to get a leg up or use a grappling hook to swing around. More traversal techniques will unlock, but the starting set putsBlade Chimeraabove other Metroidvanias with platforming.
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruinis a classic entry in the series and an even better Metroidvania overall. Players can swap between the two characters, Charlotte and Jonathan, on the fly, who control the same but have different powers. Charlotte is a trained magician, whereas Jonathan likes to use whips.
Players can use characters in puzzles via this switching technique to reach new sections of the map, a cooperative technique the series hasn’t used much. That’s why the platforming still feels innovative in this entry, even though the game on the whole isn’t as good asotherCastlevaniagames.
Indivisibleis certainly a knockout in the looks department because its 2D aesthetics use a very anime-like art style. It may look and feel like a platformer at first, but it’s alsoa turn-based RPG. Players will engage in battles with four party members, each locked to a button like Cross, Square, Circle, and Triangle on a PlayStation controller.
The heroine, Ajna, is flexible from the start and can hop between walls like a spider, but new techniques will make her even faster, like an axe to knock through barriers. Her speed is what makes Ajna a blast to control.
Kingdom Heartswas a Disney game at its core, with plenty of platforming segments one could find in a movie tie-in game of this era. It also had strong ties toFinal Fantasyas it was developed by Square Enix and featured action-based gameplay.
While the RPG elements kept getting refined in each sequel, the platforming emphasis was slowly getting erased. That’s why this first game is a treat for those who enjoy the best of both worlds,as the hero Soracan jump, glide, swing on vines, and more to get through these Disney-themed worlds.
TheRatchet & Clankseriesstarted as a core platformer, but the sequel,Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando, added RPG elements to further differentiate itself from typical 3D platformers of this era. After this, Ratchet could level up his health and his guns to a greater degree in each sequel. To tie things into the CG movie, a 2016 game reboot was made, which retold the events of the first game and added the RPG elements from later games.
While the movie is not remembered fondly, the game is well worth a playthrough thanks to the Pixar-level graphics, solid platforming and shooting, and the wacky humor. It’s a platformer first, which may be why some players gravitate toward Kingdom Hearts more, but either one is an ace in the hole.
