Summary
While platformers may not be as popular as they were in the 90s, the genre is getting a renewed surge in popularity in this era of gaming. This is happening thanks to great titles coming out likeSuper Mario Odyssey, which is already considered a timeless classic by many players, andCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, which has proven that Crash Bandicoot can still be relevant in the 2020s.
RELATED:Best Platformer Games According To Metacritic
While new games have helped the genre make a great comeback, there’s one other deciding factor in the mix, and that’s remakes. In the last few years, players have seen plenty of platforming heroes making a triumphant return with a remake, something that’s not entirely new for this genre. But what are the very best platformer remakes of all time?
1Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
First released in 2017,Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogyfeatured the classicCrash Bandicoottrilogy, which included many ofthe best levels in the series, remade “from the ground up.” Players were eagerly waiting for Crash to make his return after being absent from the gaming scene since 2008, therefore it should not come as a surprise that the collection sold like hot cake.
Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogyfelt like a huge improvement over the original games, and not just from a visual standpoint. Especially in the first game, Crash’s controls felt tighter and more precise, allowing for a better experience in some of the harder stages. Even to this day, this collection is a prime example of how to bring an old game back to life and should be played by every platforming fan.
2Spyro Reignited Trilogy
Following the success ofCrash Bandicoot’s return, Spyro finally had its comeback in 2018 withSpyro Reignited Trilogy. Following a similar pattern to theN. Sane Trilogy, the game included the original trilogy remade from scratch, which, of course, represents thevery best episodes in this beloved franchise.
RELATED:Platformer Games Harder Than Cuphead
Despite the games aging like fine wine, this remade collection breathed new life into them, using eighth-generation hardware to show off its gorgeous visuals. There were some minor changes made to gameplay as well, such as Spyro being able to roll in every game and Sparx always being able to point at gems, which make this version the definitive way to play these timeless platformers.
3Super Mario All-Stars
Super Mario All-Starsis the grandfather of platformer remakes. This collection included the firstSuper Mario Bros.trilogy, entirely remade in 16-bit. There were also some minor changes to gameplay as well, mostly to how Luigi and other side characters played in the game, but everything was kept mostly the same.
Without this game, there’s a chance this list wouldn’t even exist.Super Mario All-Starspaved the way for every platformer remake to come, as it proved that remakes could make even already great games better. There is a reason why this is the go-to version for players, and most fans think about this version of the games as the proper way to experience them. Plus, the game is available on Nintendo Switch,along with a plethora of other Mario games.
4Super Mario 64 DS
WhileSuper Mario All-Starsis without a doubt the most well-knownMarioremake,Super Mario 64 DSis an often underrated gem. The game is, of course, a remake of the timelessSuper Mario 64, which is rightfully considered one of the greatest games of all time. This game provided a graphical enhancement, together with some new features for the gameplay, such as the addition of Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario as playable characters.
RELATED:Most Fun Jumping Mechanics In Gaming
However, the remake was divisive for two main reasons. Firstly, not every player liked the changes to gameplay, as some perceived the addition of new characters, especially Wario, to be rather useless and nothing more than a gimmick. Second, the game’s control scheme was hurt by the Nintendo DS’s lack of a proper analog stick, making this feel like a less comfortable way to play the game. Sadly, there’snot a single revision of the console that managed to completely solve this issue.
5Conker Live & Reloaded
While Conker is most famous for his Nintendo 64 adventure inConker’s Bad Fury Day,which is rightfully consideredone of the best games by Rare, its remake on Xbox should also be remembered fondly by players. Launched towards the end of the console’s life in 2005,Conker Live & Reloadedis both a remake of the original game and a sort of spiritual successor at the same time. The single-player campaign was mostly similar to the base game, albeit with some small differences scattered throughout the adventure.
What was completely new was the introduction of a multiplayer set of game modes, which could be played online using the Xbox Live service (which gave the game its title). Even though the multiplayer component was never loved as much as the single-player adventure, this remake is still one of the best attempts at making an already great game even better.
6Spongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated
Spongebob Squarepantsis a fan-favorite character whose career spans more than two decades. The originalSpongebob: Battle for Bikini Bottomis considered by many to be a cult classic. While it’s not one of the best platformers ever made, it’s one of the best examples of a tie-in video game based on a kid’s TV show.
This remake took everything that made the original great and improved on it. The visuals received a complete high-definition overhaul, and the developers even managed to implement some of the content that was cut from the original. While it’s still not one of the best games ever, it is a primary example of how a platformer remake should be done,and it is easily the bestSpongebobgame.
