Hello, am looking for some great platformers to take me a few years back. I haven't played anything catchy in a while and just finished Steamworld Dig 2, which was very captivating, finished it in 10 hours, played over a week. Now I'm gonna try Steamworld Dig and maybe Spelunky, but am open to any platformer with rpg like elements that's engaging. I finished the Trine games and a few others in the past. What other recommendations do you have?

Edit1: Prefer to be 2D, not too pixelated, not focused on boss battles, more on platforming, puzzles and story, that's why I liked Steamworld Dig 2 and with great platforming challenges and collectibles, don't enjoy hard boss fights and stuff like that, especially bullet hell type of games, so nothing with Difficult in filters like Super Meat Boy, Celeste, VVVVV, even thought Steamworld Dig 2 had the final boss similar to a bullet hell.

Edit2: Only after reading your recommendations I now realise that I like more casual games revolved around puzzles and platforming, rather than fighting, shooting or bosses, don't like bullet hell games, souls-like, nothing too crowded. Had Steamworld Dig 2 for a while in my library, think I got it for free, and always thought about it like 'it's that game like the others'. Now I understand how unique it is regarding its graphics and gameplay. Last games that I enjoyed across the years, 100% completed and reminded me of it are
Yoku's Island Express
Samorost 3
Machinarium
Bastion
Child of Light (coop with the wife)
Deadlight
Dynamite Jack
Fortix 1&2
Gunpoint
Hero of the Kingdom 1,2,3
Incredipede
Inside
Lara Croft Go
Limbo
Mark of the Ninja
The Plan
Ronin
Spirits
Splice
Stories the path of Destinies (heard there's a sequel)
Superfrog HD
The Swapper
Tales from space: mutant blobs attack
Toki Tori
Transcripted
Rayman Legends, Origins,

1 year ago*

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1 year ago
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2D, platforming and collectibles are attractive. I played Bastion also which sort of reminds me of Steamworld Dig 2 because they're forced to leave at the end

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Thanks for the input, but out of those I will try Ori since I already own it and will look for Owlboy. I don't like the graphics style of the rest and definitely nothing with Difficult in filters, especially no games like Super Meat Boy, Celeste, VVVVVV. After a day's work I want to play something with a good balance of casual and difficult to relax, not become frustrated.

1 year ago
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You own Ori and haven't played it yet? Do it now.

1 year ago
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If you like Steamworld Dig, I bought one in the summer sales (on my to play soon list) called "Something Ate My Alien" which might be interesting to you.

1 year ago
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I don't know, if thats exactly your definition of 2D platformers:

Super Meat Boy
N++
Shovel Knight
Celeste
VVVVVV
The End is Nigh
Electronic Superjoy
Cave Story
Ori Franchise
Yoku's Island Express
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

will edit, if i remember more games

1 year ago*
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There's some good ones on your list.

I've been wanting to get Celeste and Shovel Knight Treasure Trove for a long time. I definitely need to get these soon.

1 year ago
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Unfortunately, looking for something with a good balance between casual and challenging, most of those look frustrating apart from Yoku's Island Express which is one of my favourite all time games and 100% it and Yooka-laylee whichj is 3d and didn't quite like. Will try Ori though, thanks for the recomendations

1 year ago
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3000th Duel
Grime
Hollow Knight (I kn ow it was mentioned but it can't be mentioned more)
Wife Quest

Edit- Adventure Pals
Dust en Elysium Tale

Edit 2- Blasphemous
Bloodstained Ritual of the Night

1 year ago*
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Dust: An Elysian Tale* That's one I've wanted to get and play for awhile now.

Hollow Knight = One of the best Metroidvanias ever created. Can't wait for Silksong.

Blasphemous and Adventure Pals are really good.

I own 3000th Deul, Grime and Bloodstained Ritual of the Night, but haven't played them yet.

I've never heard of Wife Quest. It looks good, added it to my wishlist, thanks!

1 year ago
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I noticed most recommended games focus on one thing: BOSSES, while Steamworld Dig 2 focused on the exploring and digging part more. That's why games like Grime, 3000th duel, Hollow knight are a pass for me. I don't want to constantly fight, I like platforming, puzzles.
But thanks for the input

1 year ago
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Most of Lego games will give you a lot of platforming and collectibles, though they're 3D. More traditional are Giana Sisters, GRIS, Never Alone, Yoku's Island Express.

1 year ago
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Also for Giana Sisters, only recommended Twisted Dreams & Twisted Dreams - Rise of the Owlverlord, not the 2D one (this one)

1 year ago
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Yes, Yoku's Island Express was one of the latest games I reeally enjoyed and 100% finished. Also tried Giana Sisters and Never Alone but found them very buggy 1-2 hours into the story. Thank you!

1 year ago
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It's strange since I don't remember any serious bugs in Never Alone...
Anyway, according to your updated list you seem more into exploring/puzzles thus I'd recommend to try Another World, Aquaria (it's not quite a platformer but a great exploring still), Transistor, Capsized, Rochard, Saira, Beatbuddy (if you don't mind rhythm-based games), Oddworld series, Transiruby, Crypt of the NecroDancer (also rhythm-based), Hob (it's 3D but very nice), Ghost Song, Stick it to The Man, Axiom Verge.
Some of the games are pretty old but there's still a chance you haven't seen them.

1 year ago
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Iconoclasts
Levelhead (nice mario maker like, but pretty hard)
Rayman Legend & Origin (also pretty hard)
Guacamelee! 1 & 2.
Crash N Tense Adventure (Free game - 2 fan game created as a crash bandicoot 2d game, each game have 4 levels and take around 30-60 minutes for complexion / Demo 1 / Demo 2 )

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I've only played Guacamelee! from this list, but it was great. I definitely recommend it.

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Rayman Legends and Origins are amongst my favourite games even thought I didn't manage to 100% them because they were really hard towards the end, but dumped a lot of enjoyable hours with my wife into them. The others seem focused on combat and bosses. After reading more and more recommendations from users here, I begin to understand that my choice of games revolves around puzzles, platforming, non-fighting stuff, while most games recommended are literally about fighting and bosses and dodging spikes and stuff

1 year ago
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Into more puzzle focus 2d game, i will recommend Teslagrad / Escape Goat 2 and Hue

1 year ago
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I really enjoy 2D platformers so I have a pretty decent size list to recommend. Here's some of the ones I've enjoyed.

Hollow Knight
Dead Cells
Gris
Neon Abyss
Rogue Legacy
The Adventure Pals
Broforce
Guacamelee!
Risk Of Rain
Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight
Have A Nice Death
Castlevania Anniversary Collection
Yoku's Island Express
La-Mulana
Scourgebringer
Sundered
Ducktales Remastered
The Disney Afternoon Collection
Valfaris
Blasphemous
Dandara
Monster Sanctuary
Odallus: The Dark Call
Seals Of The Bygone
The Bug Catcher
Chasm
Cave Story+
Guns, Gore & Cannoli
Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)
Limbo
Squidlit

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ARGH! I can't believe I forgot to say Dead Cells.

1 year ago
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Did you see the upcoming Castlevania DLC for it? $10 and a March 6th launch. Steam store page hasn't been updated yet with that info.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2101430/Dead_Cells_Return_to_Castlevania/

1 year ago*
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Already have money earmarked for it.

1 year ago
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Thanks for all those, unfortunately most are focused on fighting and bosses, the ones I enjoyed are the likes of Limbo, Yoku's Island Express and Never Alone, focused more on puzzles and exploring.

1 year ago
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Good list, you just miss Ori franchise to be a list on my taste :P

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I haven't played any games from that franchise.

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I'd say to give them a chance if you'll have the chance in future, you won't regret it 😊

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Flynn Son of Crimson

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2D platformers:
20XX (Megaman X-like with co-op and new modes)
Ball frog - physics-based frog game
Battleblock theater - has great online/local coop
Braid - famous indie platform puzzler
Celeste - acclaimed indie platformer with good accessibility functions
DuckTales Remastered (the original is 8 bit NES classic)
Inside - puzzle platformer with eerie designs and very atmospheric from Limbo Devs
Limbo - classic puzzle platformer
N++ - solid platformer from the past but revamped to be more modern
Rain World - survival 2d Platformer with a cute protagonist (has a recent DLC and will increase in price soon)
Super meat boy - classic indie challenging platformer
Ultimate chicken horse - party platformer game where you make the level as you play
You said you played the trine games, but just want to recommend them to anyone else reading as well
Will You Snail? - AI predicts your movement and places obstacles

3d platformers:
It Takes Two (AAA game with great required coop game for 2 players - lots of variety. Won GOTY in lots of places.)
A Hat in Time - very fun, not too challenging, indie collectathon
Spark the Electric Jester series - some 2d and some 3d, but basically what you wish Sonic could consistently be with the most recent entry
Sonic Mania - the best sonic game in ages
Yooka-Laylee - Banjo Kazooie devs made a new game

Think that's enough for now. Btw, this is just what was properly tagged from my Steam library as a 2d or 3d platformer. I'm sure there are more.

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Sonic Mania is 2D though. ;P

1 year ago
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Thanks for reminding me I forgot to play Braid, as for the rest, nothing that's focused on fighting, that's why I only like and already 100% Inside and Limbo from your list

1 year ago
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Let's see, no Bullet Hell means Rabi-Ribi is unfortunately out (even though it's everything else you're looking for) and people mentioned quite a few of the other stuff I'd bring up so I guess I'll resort to the super obscure stuff. XD

Recently played Gunman Clive 1 and 2. They are very straightforward, cheap and short (and kinda silly) old school platformers. No collectibles though.

It's... not quite what you asked for, but Dustforce is a very nice and engaging fast-paced platformer that focuses on the platforming the most. Check out the second video on its store page to get an idea of what it's about. (It's mostly about speedrunning, tbh. ^_^' )

Indivisible has some platforming, but it's an RPG first and platformer second. (A really good RPG with very awesome combat.) It's not cheap at all though... ^_^'

RIVE is so obscure, you'll basically never hear of it ever again. It's a cool "twin-stick shooter" so it does kinda focus more on blowing stuff up than on platforming, but it is very good and deserves more attention than it gets. ^_^

Hell Yeah! (yes, that's the name) is nice, easy and ridiculous.

Cargo Commander is probably the closest I have to your description. You go into space containers with varying gravity and monsters to bring back crates with goods in them. Super obscure and... huh, I didn't know it was that cheat.

Fly'N is a cute little level-based collectatron-style platformer. Very nice.
(OK, it's been mentioned in the thread already, but I can't bring up Fly'N without also recommending Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams. It is very good.)

The Messenger - probably my second go-to Metroidvania recommendation after Rabi-Ribi. It is that good! :D

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse - Odd that no-one's brought up any Shantae game yet. But, yeah, they all are pretty much exactly what you asked for... ;P

Double Cross - a fun charming little action-platformed with quirky characters. Story has that 90s cartoon vibe to it. ^_^

Teslagrad - a short, nice little puzzle platformer. :)

Ok, I should stop now. :X

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None of those sadly, most are focused on fighting. I tried Giana and it was buggy, I tried Cargo commander, too much fighting. I tried Fly'n but can't remember why I uninstalled it, will give it another go

1 year ago
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Hmm, ok. Let's see if I can make a better list with the new information then.
...
...
Ok, this might be slightly difficult. ^_^'

Diamond Dan maybe? Honestly I've played this so long (over a decade) ago that I barely remember it.

Closure is a neat little puzzle platformer with a solid core mechanic (objects, including walls and the floor, "exist" only when they're lit up).

Nihilumbra is another puzzle platformer...

Pikuniku is probably the closest fit of "exploration with no combat and the occasional puzzle"... (It's also very cute and funny.)

The Bridge? It's another game I played a decade ago so I barely remember it, but it was very Braid-like.

Scribblenauts maybe??? (Honestly, I'd describe that one as too casual.)

I still stand by Teslagrad as fitting what you're looking for. It's a puzzle platformer first- it doesn't really have any "fighting" and the (few) bosses are generally the puzzle type.

Goblin and Coins is a nice old school platformer (and, no, I'm not saying that because it was made by a SteamGifts member :P ). This is where "difficulty is subjective" comes into play, coz I disagree with that tag.

I, uh... yeah, this is the best I've got. "No fighting but also engaging; casual but also challenging" is a very hard (and subjective) set of criteria to narrow down. :X

1 year ago*
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I really like Super Meat Boy, The End is Nigh, Celeste, Shovel Knight, Cuphead, Skul: The Hero Slayer, Cave Story+ and Dead Cells.

However, I don't know how many are too pixelated or difficult for you, but I added them just in case. I highly recommend checking them out on YouTube, or looking up demos, so you don't waste money on a game you'll hate. Here's a bite-sized bit of Cave Story to hopefully enjoy.

As for others browsing this thread, I recommend VVVVVV. It's just too pixelated to recommend to cRookie, and maybe too difficult. Its aesthetics and gameplay are pure 8 bit.

1 year ago*
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Prefer to be 2D, not too pixelated, not focused on boss battles, more on platforming, puzzles and story

I didn't realize it at first because you were asking for platformers but that sound very much like you're describing Valiant Hearts 😅

1 year ago
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if 3d platformer is your thing, i think you'll like https://store.steampowered.com/app/1561660/The_Lightbringer/
it's priced at $4.49 last sale.

also, a puzzle platformer: https://store.steampowered.com/app/337490/Four_Sided_Fantasy/ - $0.99 on last sale.

1 year ago
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Have you played
Forgotton Anne

Some 2d-platformers i loved
Horace
Ghost 1.0

Just for for fun
DLC Quest

1 year ago
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Prefer to be 2D, not too pixelated, not focused on boss battles, more on platforming, puzzles and story
don't enjoy hard boss fights and stuff like that, especially bullet hell type of games, so nothing with Difficult in filters

Oh man, I don't get to recommend this game enough! Have you...

games that I enjoyed across the years
Toki Tori

...oh...you have!! 😂
ok, hang on. I wasn't prepared for that! It's my go-to suggestion as a game that largely flew under the radar for a long time. Well if you haven't played it, Toki Tori 2+ is a massive improvement compared to the first and is one of my favorite games ❤️.

Well then. Potentially overwhelming list incoming!
2D Puzzle Platformers

  • Minute of Islands Sounds like exactly what you're looking for. Hand drawn, puzzle platformer, and story rich.
  • Hue Change the color of the background to cause objects in the foreground to disappear
  • Ibb & Obb Co-op gravity manipulation (playing alone is possible but playing with a +1 is highly recommended!)
  • FEZ "2D" game that uses perspective to change the world.
  • Four Sided Fantasy Freeze the screen to allow your character to wrap around to the other side.
  • Escape Goat 2 Pretty straightforward puzzle platformer...but with a goat(?)
  • Greak: Memories of Azur Swap between three siblings, each with their own approach to platforming, exploration, and combat. (Fair warning. This is still on my todo list and I haven't played it yet. I can't verify how intensive the combat gets, but from what I can tell, it seems to put more focus onto the puzzle-platforming)
  • Monster Sanctuary Collect monsters and use them to solve environmental puzzles. So...pokemon meets metroidvania.
  • Mable & The Wood Play as a girl who can't even lift her own magical sword. Defeat beasts to shapeshift and take their form. RIP. Difficult Tag + Pixels
  • Semblance Bump into deformable terrain to reshape the edges and curves of the world around you.
  • Seasons after Fall Toggle between the four seasons to open new paths as you explore a land governed by magic and nature.
  • SHEEPO Quirky metroidvania platformer. Transform into different species by first locating their unhatched eggs. Features no direct combat, but each egg is guarded by a boss.
  • Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap An HD reskin/remake of an old retro game. A little clunky in places due to the age of the original game, but full of charm!
  • Maptroid: Worlds A minimalist metroidvania experienced entirely in the map. Based on the games you've listed earlier, I don't expect this to 'wow' you. But it's short and cheap enough to consider it as a wildcard suggestion.
  • The Gardens Between a 2.5D puzzle game that uses time manipulation as its primary puzzle-solving experience. Relaxing, ambient soundtrack with an accessible design.

Ok! That's one heck of a list, so that's all from me for now. Hope you find something you like!! glhf😄

1 year ago
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Now that I've got a sense of what you're looking for, you might like:

Offspring Fling
Thomas Was Alone
LostWinds
Wandersong
The Floor is Jelly
A Short Hike (not exactly a platformer but has nice movement!)

Will also second Seasons after Fall, Nihilumbra, Forgotton Anne, and Fly'n!

(and if you're ever up for more actiony platformers a huge recommendation for Freedom Planet, Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls, Spark the Electric Jester, Pizza Tower, and Copy Kitty)

1 year ago
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Some recommendations:

Black The Fall
Dust
Fez
Gris
Knytt Undreground
Never Alone
Ori
Rochard
The Way
Thomas was alone
Trine 1 &2
Vessel

Have fun!

1 year ago
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I remember that I played Rochard few years ago on Android, very good game. However problem might be that can't be bought directly at Steam (developers have gone bankrupt) and none of official international stores have it too

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I didn't see these mentioned. I played and thoroughly enjoyed all of them.

  1. Super Panda Adventures
  2. MagiCat- Reminiscent of SMB3
  3. Mekabolt - Very short, I recommend waiting for a sale,
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If you have it you could give Rochard a try. There is some combat but the focus is on puzzles/traversal as far as I remember. It might be hard to get a hold of if you don't have it, but it was bundled so there likely are keys out there somewhere.

Speaking of Out There Somewhere, that wasn't mentioned yet I believe. It also has some combat but focuses on the traversal with the teleport gun. And it definitely fits your ask for cheap games with frequent 50%+ sales and a base price of $1.

Another one you could take a look at is Mechanic Escape. There are 50 small and 5 big TVs on every level you can collect while you try to get to end of the level (as) fast (as you can.) And you will go fast, thanks to a boss that hunts you for most of the level. I don't know how easily you get frustrated when playing games. Since you probably will die a lot it might be too frustrating. But it worked out for me. That is, it felt like it was doable and most of the deaths were my fault or due to the fact that running full speed in a level you have never seen usually ends with an obstacle you didn't expect. But on the next try it's not a surprise anymore. It's helped by the fact that a successful run of a level usually takes less than a minute, and on most levels the TVs act as breadcrumbs that lead your way. That worked especially well in the first half, though in the second half there were a few levels that had me struggling with the floaty controls. Luckily you don't have to collect all the TVs on every level to unlock all achievements so missing a few isn't that big of a deal if you care about that (unless you do care about collecting them all on every level.)

1 year ago
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Okay, I knew that I have played several platformers but the list ended up longer than I though ^^' I know some of them have been mentioned already. Also, some of them might be to difficult for you, to be enjoyable. I will nonetheless name most of the games I played (sorry for the wall):

  • Crystal Caves HD: Not much of exploration and puzzles. Consisting of single level of small sizes with collecting stuff for points while avoiding and shooting monsters. Great Workshop though.
  • Fly'n: Beautiful game, great level design, strong aestehtics, collectibeles. But can get difficult in the later levels. The last level is pure bullshit.
  • Miracle Fly: Looks so cute and has many levels with many different gimmicks every four maps and clever puzzles to get the collectibles or speedrun times. But holy shit, this game is fiendishly difficult. As long as you avoid the achievements, you might safe yourself from getting a brain aneurysma.
  • Super Life of Pixel: Simply platformer through different eras of gaming. Got tedious for me though. Probably from playing through twice and to much speedrunning.
  • Super House of the Dead Ninjas: Um ..... mostly about fighting. But if you like dying with style. Maybe?
  • Cave Story+: Has this been mentioned already. One of the most well known Indies Platformers. Tough boss battles though and some evil platforming. Especially if you go for the true ending.
  • Blocks that Matter: Puzzle Platformer with some creative puzzles and collectibles. This one should fill your bill, although on the simple side concerning graphics.
  • Toki Tori: Another puzzle platformer with clever and difficult puzzles.
  • 1001 Spikes: Puzzle? Platformer. Small levels where you have to reach the end. Full of traps, so that the main difficulty is remembering the right path and executing it. Difficult.
  • Full Bore: Another cute and clever puzzle platformer within one consistent overworld, so it could be considered a Metroidvania. Several collectibles and good world and puzzle design. This one should fit your bill and should be worth a look.
  • MagiCat: The easier brother of Miracle Fly. Clever maps, nice puzzles, crystals to collect. And easier to beat.
  • Adventures of Shuggy: Another puzzle platformer with changing gimmicks per world. Nice game.
  • Shu: Another good adventure platformer with a cute story and some nice level design and some collectibles. The chase sequences might be a bit tough but it think the difficulty is very fair overall. Consider giving this one a chance.
  • Toki Tori 2+: Similar to Full Bore, a puzzle metroidvania where accessing certain areas and getting collectibles is locked behing knowledge. If you are clever enough, you can get everything the first time you see it.
  • JumpJet Rex: Platformer mostly aimed at speedrunnners. But if you ever wanted to play a T-Rex with jet boots, here it is. Can be a bit difficult at times. Although if you skip on achievements, it gets a lot easier.
  • Chronicles of Teddy: Another Metroidvania platformer. Has fighting, but the core aspects lies within the expolration and puzzle solving. However, there are some "unobtainable" achievements if you care for that.
  • Squirreltopia: Momentum based platformer with some collectibles. More on the difficult side.
  • Songs for a Hero: Nice platformer where your level progress is sung upon. Some collectibles and overall more on the easy side. If you like the singing it is worth a look.
  • Guns, Gore and Cannoli: Fighting platformer with lots of shooting. Just adding but probably not your thing unless you like killing zombies as Mafiosi.
  • Giraffe and Annika: 3d platformer, mostly about exploring and a cute story. Has some boss battles in the form of a rhythm game with adjustable difficulty though. Check this totally unrelated to me video link to get a feeling for the rhythm game. Be aware though that this is for the highest difficulty and also contains story spoilers.
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And second part due to character limitation:

  • Contry Anniversary Collection: It is contra. You are a soldier, killing aliens. Mostly about fighting, and technically some games are identical.
  • Tembo - The Badass Elephant: If you crossbreed Rambo with an elepant you get this. So naturally there is a lot of fighting but it is mainly about the platforming. And destruction.
  • Element4I: This one is different in a sense as you don't move directly the character. You switch between different forms and depending on form, the behaviour changes. Quite puzzling and momentum based.
  • Catmaze: Metroidvania platformer with lots of fighting though. But also lots of exploration.
  • Castle in the Darkness: Another exploration based, consistent world platformer. But also heavy on the fighting enemies side.
  • Forgotton Anne: Story platformer with some light puzzles. Sometimes a bit slowpaced but an enjoyable experience nonetheless. Also has some collectibles.
  • Wandersong: You are not the Hero. You are a Bard, running around, trying to help people. The make your own song sections are a bit awful. But the overall game is an interesting experience with one of the most amusing achievement systems I have seen.
  • Minoria: Find and kill the Witches. Metroidvania platformer, naturally based around fighting and strong bosses.
  • Owlboy: Metroidvania platfomer with some puzzles and lots of exploration. But has enemies too.
  • DLC Quest: Two short episodes with some slight humour around DLC buisness. Stereotypical in most regards with some enemies and lots of jumping.
  • La Mulana: The definition of Puzzle Metroidvania. The game and puzzle design is nothing short but a masterpiece. But be aware that this can not be beaten without a guide. And the boss battles are brutal.
  • FEZ: Excellent world and puzzle design, also one of the most well known puzzle platformers. The normal game should be beatable halfway easy. The extra puzzles though ..... I never used a guide, so I never got it completed :P
  • Super Win the Game: Metroidvania platformer with lots of exploration and some enemies.
  • INMOST: Puzzle Platformer with different collectibles and a depressing story line. Contain some fighting levels.
  • Guns, Gore and Cannoli: Same as part one
  • Poncho: You are a robot wearing a poncho, hopping between different layers. Mostly on the easier side for a platformer. Be aware though, another one with an unobtainable achivement
  • Songbird Symphony: You are a cute bird, searching about his origin. Lots of cuteness, some exploration and collectibles and a lot of nice songs. But also with equally lots of rhythm sections. You can fail the hard though and still progress the game.
  • Derrick the Deathfin: Does this count as platformer? Anyway you are a Deathfin, taking revenge on everything. Unique graphics and design, lots of fun. Everybody should know about Derrick.
  • Lunnye Devitsy: You are stranded on a planet and you want to return home. One large map with several puzzles. Six different ways to complete and quite short.
  • Moonlight: Cute creature wants to get to the moon. And .... oh wait, can't be bought anymore ^^'
  • Inside: Puzzle Platformer with some freaky elements. Certainly interesting for the trip and the weird ending.
  • Escape Goat: Puzzle Platformer with single levels.
  • Shadow Puppeteer: Nice puzzle platformer around some shadow mechanics and quite nice for co-op. Has some boss fights. Hm, now I remember there was another shadow platformer. Cant remember the name though.

I think I missed some in my list of played games and a lot of these contain heavy fighting elements (I actually skipped on all Mega Man games). But there should also be a lot of interesting titles to check out.

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Hey buddy, I found your post by looking for suggestions myself, here's a list of what I've acquired through the years, you might find a couple of treasures. I've got a mix of Platformers, Metroidvanias and plain simple 2D adventure games. I'm sorry I didn't filter everything but we never know.

If you're a fan of those games, I'm opening a twitch channel focused on them in September, make sure to follow the link: https://www.twitch.tv/qctank

Here is a brief description of each type of game:
2D Souls Like: 2D game focused around combat and skills (ex: Dark Souls, but in 2D)
Action Platformer: 2D game where you shoot or hit things (ex: Mega Man, Shinobi)
Action RPG: Games with overhead view, sometimes more combat-oriented (Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening)
Adventure: Focused around the story, atmosphere, light puzzle/combat (sometimes RPG system) with mostly linear levels (ex: Zelda II)
Isometric adventure: Adventure game that has an isometric view like Diablo games (ex: Bastion, Sonic 3D Blast)
Metroidvania: Adventure game with mix of platforming, puzzles, action with a touch of limited ''open world'' (ex: Metroid, Castlevania)
Precision Platformer: Game focused on platforming skills to get around levels (ex: Super Meat Boy)
Puzzle Platformer: More focused around solving puzzles than anything else (ex: Braid, Limbo)
Roguelike: Adventure game with procedurally generated levels with random/progressive elements to help you make it easier (ex: Hades)
Shoot'em up: 2D games where you shoot all enemies with minimal platforming (ex: Contra)
Traditionnal Platformer: Something of a mix of everything, but a little more casual (ex: Mario Bros, Sonic, Donkey Kong)

Here's 487 games inspired by your preferences:

10 Second Ninja X - Precision Platformer
20XX - Action Platformer
30XX - Action Platformer
3000th Duel - 2D Souls Like
8 Doors - Arum's Afterlife Adventure - Metroidvania
9 years of Shadow - Metroidvania
A Boy and his Blob - Puzzle Platformer
A Juggler's Tale - Adventure
A Robot Named Fight - Metroidvania
Abyss Odyssey - Roguelike
Adventure Pals - Traditionnal Platformer
Adventures of Chris - Action Platformer
Aegis Defenders - Action Platformer
Aeterna Noctis - Metroidvania
After Death - Action Platformer
Afterimage - Metroidvania
Ageless - Puzzle Platformer
Aggelos - Adventure
Airscape - Precision Platformer
Alchemist's Castle - Precision Platformer
Alwa's Awakening - Adventure
Alwa's Legacy - Adventure
Anatine - Metroidvania
Angel's Gear - Metroidvania
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures - Action Platformer
Angry Video Game Nerd II ASSimilation - Action Platformer
ANNO: Mutationem - Adventure
Anuchard - Action RPG
Apotheon - Metroidvania
ARES Extinction Agenda - Action Platformer
Arietta of Spirits - Action RPG
Arise - A Simple Story - Adventure
Armed with Wings: Rearmed - Action Platformer
Assault Suit Leynos - Shoot'em up
Astalon: Tears of the Earth - Metroidvania
Astlibra Revision - Action Platformer
Astral Ascent - Roguelike
Atma - Action RPG
Ato - Metroidvania
Axiom Verge - Metroidvania
Axiom Verge 2 - Metroidvania
Azure Strike Gunvolt - Action Platformer
Azure Strike Gunvolt 2 - Action Platformer
Azure Strike Gunvolt 3 - Action Platformer
Ballpoint Universe - Adventure
Bastion - Isometric Adventure
Bat Boy - Action Platformer
Batbarian: Testament of the Primordials - Metroidvania
Batora: Lost Haven - Action RPG
Battle Axe - Action RPG
Battle Princess Madelyn - Action Platformer
Beard Blade Traditional Platformer
Beatbuddy: Tale of the Guardians - Adventure
Beholgar - Action Platformer
Beyond the Long Night - Roguelike
Black Future '88 - Roguelike
Black: The Fall - Puzzle Platformer
Blackhole - Puzzle Platformer
Blade Assault - Action Platformer
Bladed Fury - Souls Like
Blasphemous - Metroidvania
Blasphemous 2 - Metroidvania
Blazblue Entropy Effect - Roguelike
Blazing Beaks - Action RPG
Blazing Chrome - Action RPG
Bleed - Shoot'em up
Bleed 2 - Shoot'em up
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon - Metroidvania
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 2 - Metroidvania
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - Metroidvania
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus - Action Platformer
Bookbound Brigade - Metroidvania
Braid - Puzzle Platformer
Bread & Fred - Puzzle Platformer
Broforce - Action Platformer
Candle - Puzzle Platformer
Candle Knight - Metroidvania
Carrion - Action Platformer ?
Carto - Puzzle
Castle in the Darkness - Adventure
Castle of Illusion - Traditional Platformer
Castlevania - Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate - Metroidvania
Cathedral - Metroidvania

10 months ago*
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Part 2
Catmaze - Metroidvania
Cave Story+ - Metroidvania
Celeste - Precision Platformer
Chariot - Puzzle Platformer
Chasm - Metroidvania
Chiaroscuro - Metroidvania
Children of Morta - Action RPG
Findinf Teddy 2 - Chronicles of Teddy - Metroidvania
Chronology - Puzzle Platformer
Clunky Hero - Metroidvania
Crashlands - Action RPG
Creaks - Puzzle Platformer
Cross Code - Action RPG
Crownsworn - Metroidvania
Cuphead - Shoot'em up
Curse of the Sea Rats - Adventure
Cyber Shadow - Action Platformer
Dad Quest - Metroidvania
Dandara: Trials of Fear - Metroidvania
Dark Devotion - 2D Souls Like
Dark Light - 2D Souls Like
Darkest Tales, The - Adventure
Dave the Diver - Action RPG
Dead Cells - Metroidvania
Deadlight - Adventure
Death's Door - Action RPG
Death's Gambit - Souls Like
Deepening Fire - Souls Like
Demoniaca: Everlasting Night (18+) - Metroidvania
Dex - Adventure
Doomblade - Metroidvania
Double Cross - Action Platformer
Dreamscaper - Roguelike
Ducktales Remastered - Traditionnal Platformer
Dust - An Elysian Tail - Metroidvania
Dustforce DX - Precision Platformer
Eagle Island Twist - Action Platformer
Eastward - Action RPG
Elderand - Metroidvania
Eldest Souls - Souls Like
Ember Knights - Roguelike
ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights - Souls Like
Enter the Gungeon - Roguelike
Ethan: Meteor Hunter - Puzzle Platformer
Etherborn - Isometric Puzzle Platformer
Evan's Remains - Puzzle Platformer
Even the Ocean - Puzzle Platformer
Evergate - Puzzle Platformer
Evil Wizard - Action RPG
Exception - Action Platformer
Expendabros - Shoot'em up
Explodemon - Action Platformer
F.I.S.T.: Forged in Shadow Torch - Metroidvania
Fallback - Action Platformer
FAR: Lone Sails - Adventure
Feudal Alloy - Metroidvania
FEZ - Puzzle Platformer
Figment - Isometric Adventure
Finding Teddy - Puzzle Platformer
Firegirl: Hack 'n Splash Rescue - Roguelike
Fly'N - Puzzle Platformer
Flynn: Son of Crimson - Action Platformer
Forager - Action RPG
Forgotten Anne - Adventure
Four Sided Fantasy - Puzzle Platformer
FOX n' FORESTS - Action Platformer
Freedom Planet - Traditionnal Platformer
Freedom Planet 2 - Traditionnal Platformer
Full Moon Rush - Shoot'em up
Fury Unleashed - Shoot'em up
Gal Guardians: Demon Purge - Action Platformer
Gastova: The Witches of Arkana - Adventure
Gato Roboto - Metroidvania
Gestalt: Steam & Cinder - Metroidvania
Ghost 1.0 - Metroidvania
Ghost Parade - Adventure
Ghost Song - Metroidvania
Giana Sisters - Traditionnal Platformer
Giana Sisters - Rise of the Owlverlord - Traditionnal Platformer
Giana Sisters - Twisted Dreams - Traditionnal Platformer
Gigantic Army - Shoot'em up
Glimmer in Mirror - Adventure
Gloom - Roguelike
GoNNER - Roguelike
Gravity Circuit - Action Platformer
Gray Destiny - Precision Platformer
Greak - Memories of Azure - Adventure
Grime - Metroidvania
Gris - Traditionnal Platformer
Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition - Metroidvania
Guacamelee 2 - Metroidvania
Gunborg: Dark Matters - Action Platformer
Gun Crazy - Shoot'em up
Gunman Clive - Action Platformer
Gunman Clive 2 - Action Platformer
Guns, Gore & Cannoli - Shoot'em Up
Guns, Gore & Cannoli 2 - Shoot'em Up
Gurei - Souls Like
HAAK - Adventure
Haiku the Robot - Metroidvania
Have a Nice Death - Roguelike
Headlander - Metroidvania
Heart Forth, Alicia - Adventure
Helheim Hassle - Puzzle Platformer
Hell Yeah! - Shoot'em up
Hoa - Traditional Platformer

7 months ago*
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Part 3
Hob - Isometric Adventure
Hole New World - Action Platformer
Hollow Knight - Metroidvania
Horace - Adventure
Hue - Puzzle Platformer
Huntdown - Action Platformer
Hyper Light Drifter - Action RPG
Iconoclasts - Metroidvania
Immortal Planet - Action RPG
Indivisible - Adventure
Inexistence Rebirth - Metroidvania
Infernax - Metroidvania
Inmost - Puzzle Platformer
Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet - Metroidvania
INSIDE - Puzzle Platformer
iO - Puzzle Platformer
Islets - Metroidvania
Itorah - Adventure
Ittle Dew - Puzzle Platformer
Ittle Dew 2 - Action RPG
Jotun: Valhalla Edition - Isometric Adventure
Jumpjet Rex - Traditional Platformer
Katana Zero - Adventure
Kaze and the Wild Masks - Traditional Platformer
Kingdom Classic - Adventure
Kingdom: New Lands - Adventure
Kingdom Two Crowns - Adventure
Kingdom Eighties - Adventure
King's Bird - Precision Platformer
Kunai - Metroidvania
Lair of the Clockwork God - Puzzle Platformer
La-Mulana - Metroidvania
La-Mulana 2 - Metroidvania
Legends of Ethernal - Adventure
Levelhead - Precision Platformer
Liberated - Adventure
Life on Mars Remake - Metroidvania
Light Fall - Precision Platformer
Lila's Sky Ark - Action RPG
Limbo - Puzzle Platformer
Linked Mask - Precision Platformer
Little Nightmares - Adventure
Little Nightmares II - Adventure
Lone Fungus - Metroidvania
Loot River - Souls Like
Lost Ruins - Metroidvania
Lost Words - Beyond the Page - Puzzle Platformer
Luna Sky - Traditional Platformer
Mages of Mystralia - Action RPG
Magicat - Traditional Platformer
Mago - Traditional Platformer
Marble and the Woods - Metroidvania
Mark of the Ninja - Action Platformer
Marsupilami: Hoobadventure - Traditional Platformer
Master Spy - Action Platformer
Mechanic Escape - Traditional Platformer
Mega Man Legacy Collection - Action Platformer
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 - Action Platformer
Mega Man X Dive - Action Platformer
Mega Man X Legacy Collection - Action Platformer
Mega Man X Legacy Collection 2 - Action Platformer
Mega Man Zero/ZX Legacy Collection - Action Platformer
Megabyte Punch - Action Platformer
Metal Unit - Action Platformer
Midnight Castle Succubus DX (18+) - Metroidvania
Mighty Goose - Shoot'em Up
Mighty No. 9 - Action Platformer
Mighty Switch Force! Collection - Puzzle Platformer
Mimpi Dreams - Puzzle Platformer
Mindseize - Metroidvania
Mini Ghost - Action Platformer
Minoria - Souls Like
Mists of Noyah - Adventure
MO: Astray - Adventure
Momodora III - Adventure
Momodora: Reverie Under the moonlight - Metroidvania
Monochroma - Puzzle Platformer
Monster Boy and the Cursed Kingdom - Adventure
Monster Sanctuary - Adventure
Moonlighter - Action RPG
Moonscars - Souls Like
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes - Action RPG
Mr. Run and Jump - Precision Platformer
Muffin Knight - Action Platformer
My Friend Pedro - Shoot'em Up
My Memory of Us - Puzzle Platformer
Mystic Melee - Precision Platformer
Narita Boy - Adventure
Neon Abyss - Shoot'em Up
Neon Echo - Action Platformer
Never Alone: Kisima Ingitchuna - Adventure
Neversong - Adventure
Nigate Tale - Roguelike
Nihilumbra - Puzzle Platformer
No Time to Explain - Precision Platformer
Nocturnal - Souls Like
Oblivion Override - Roguelike
Odallus: The Dark Call - Metroidvania
OddPlanet - Puzzle Platformer
Oddworld: Abe's Odyssey New 'N' Tasty - Adventure
Oddworld: Abe's Exodus - Adventure
Oddworld: Soulstorm - Adventure
One Dog Story - Metroidvania

7 months ago*
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