Platformers

Based on the beloved movie, this side‑scrolling platformer follows young Fievel Mousekewitz as he rides into the frontier, befriends a canine sheriff and a non‑mouse‑eating cat, and battles the villainous Cat R. Waul and his gang. Players explore dusty towns, tumble through canyons, and use classic jump‑and‑run controls to thwart the cats’ plans for an all‑you‑can‑eat mouse buffet. The game captures the 1990s cartoon charm with colorful pixel art, catchy Western‑style tunes, and a series of boss encounters that test timing and reflexes, making it a nostalgic trip for fans of retro adventure titles.

✦ Best for kids and retro platform fans craving a faithful, colorful side‑scroller

In Airball you become a literal ball of air, cursed by an evil wizard and forced to navigate over 250 rooms in his sprawling mansion. You must manage your inflation by finding air pumps, avoid spikes and killer pads, and collect bizarre objects to survive and locate the spellbook that can restore your humanity. The game blends platforming, puzzle solving, and fantasy storytelling with a unique leak mechanic—inflate too much and you burst, inflate too little and you sink. With retro graphics and a single‑player focus, Airball offers a challenging, atmospheric experience for fans of classic adventure games.

✦ Best for retro puzzle-platformer fans

Thomas Was Alone is an indie minimalist 2D platformer that follows a group of sentient rectangle AIs as they navigate obstacles using unique abilities like jumping, floating, and anti‑gravity. The game blends simple graphics with a heartfelt narrative narrated by a distinctive voice‑over, emphasizing cooperation and emergent storytelling. The experience is single‑player only and available across a wide range of platforms, offering puzzle‑focused gameplay that rewards timing, coordination, and creative problem‑solving while exploring themes of friendship and identity.

✦ Best for indie puzzle fans

Rayman Raving Rabbids returns the iconic hero in a zany, comedy‑filled quest where crazy rabbits invade his world. Players must use new abilities and magical allies to outwit the hare‑raising foes and restore peace. The game blends platforming, puzzles, and party‑style mini‑games for both solo and multiplayer fun, delivering a light‑hearted adventure that’s perfect for friends and families.

✦ Best for casual family gamers

Canabalt puts you in the shoes of a parkour runner fleeing a crumbling metropolis. With simple one‑button controls you leap across rooftops, dodge obstacles, and race against an ever‑approaching disaster. The game’s minimalist art and Daniel Baranowsky’s synth‑driven soundtrack create an intense, fast‑paced arcade experience. Originally created in five days for the Experimental Gameplay Project, Canabalt quickly became a 2010 flash‑game sensation. It’s now available across multiple platforms, offering both single‑player thrills and multiplayer leaderboards for competitive runs.

✦ Best for arcade fans

Sonic Colors is a platforming adventure starring Sonic the Hedgehog as he battles Dr. Eggman in an intergalactic amusement park. The game blends 3D third‑person runs with side‑scrolling sections and introduces Wisps, alien power‑ups that grant new abilities. Released worldwide for Wii and Nintendo DS in November 2010, the title offers both single‑player and multiplayer modes, appealing to younger gamers and families with its colorful visuals and accessible difficulty.

✦ Best for young sonic fans

Marble Madness is a classic isometric platform game where players guide an onscreen marble through a series of increasingly difficult, maze-like race courses. Controlling the marble's movement requires precision and speed to beat the countdown timer before time expires. Throughout the six distinct courses, players encounter various obstacles and enemies designed to knock them off track. Featuring themes ranging from practice levels to polka-dot mazes, the game also includes a two-player competitive mode for head-to-head racing action.

✦ Best for retro gamers and classic arcade fans seeking a challenging time-attack platformer.

Step into the world of the Wee People as Wally, a humble bean counter recruited to man the village bug shooter and defend the colony from the QueenPede and her destructive subjects. Journey across five distinct worlds including Weedom, Frostonia, Inferium, Enigma, and Evile, utilizing new weapons and skills to vanquish spiders, scorpions, and fleas. Fight your way through multiple levels in each world, culminating in intense boss battles, and even discover the original classic Centipede hidden within the game. With support for single player, multiplayer, and split-screen action, experience a fresh reimagining of arcade shooting adventures on PlayStation 3, PC, and Mac.

✦ Best for retro gamers and arcade fans seeking a 3d atari classic remake.

Lilly Adventure is an arcade-style platformer originally released in 1983 by Gem International Corp. Players guide Lilly through hazardous environments filled with obstacles and enemies, demanding precise timing and quick reflexes. As a single-player retro experience, it captures the essence of early home computer and arcade gaming. Its challenging level design and straightforward mechanics offer a nostalgic glimpse into the formative years of the action-adventure genre.

✦ Best for retro fans seeking authentic 1983 arcade platforming action.

Super Paper Mario is a unique dimension-shifting platformer and action RPG released for the Nintendo Wii. When a mysterious top-hatted villain abducts Princess Peach and forces her into a wedding with Bowser, a rift of dark energy threatens to tear the universe apart. Mario must embark on an epic quest across multiple worlds to collect the pure hearts and stop the impending apocalypse. Blending classic side-scrolling 2D action with a groundbreaking 3D perspective flip mechanic, the game introduces puzzle-solving elements alongside traditional role-playing progression. Players can control multiple characters including Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi, each with distinct abilities essential for overcoming obstacles, defeating enemies, and unraveling the humorous storyline.

✦ Best for platformer fans and nintendo gamers seeking dimension-shifting action.

Rabbids Go Home is a hilarious comedy adventure where the iconic, mischievous creatures embark on a bizarre quest to reach the moon using a massive pile of human junk. Players must navigate chaotic urban environments, collecting everything in sight while dodging obstacles and cranky humans. Featuring slapstick humor, physics-based puzzle-platforming, and a distinct visual style, the game delivers an absurdly entertaining single-player experience. Grab your shopping cart and help the Rabbids achieve their ultimate lunar ambition in this unforgettable puzzle-platformer.

✦ Best for fans of hilarious slapstick comedy and physics-based puzzle platforming.

After eating a mysterious Metamato, Kirby is banished by the evil sorcerer Yin-Yarn into Patch Land, a magical world completely made of fabric. Stripped of his traditional inhaling powers, Kirby is granted versatile yarn transformation abilities, allowing him to whip enemies, form a car, or parachute down chasms. Teaming up with Prince Fluff, Kirby must collect seven pieces of magic yarn to restore Patch Land before Yin-Yarn's textile terror spreads to Dream Land. Featuring cooperative gameplay and a uniquely charming aesthetic, players traverse whimsical textile-based levels while rescuing captured friends like King Dedede and Meta Knight.

✦ Best for families and co-op gamers seeking a forgiving, charming fabric-based adventure.