Main Collectibles in Platform games

Today's SPG's post is mentioning the top five collectibles in platformers! And no..we're not touching the collectible figure types that you'd buy at Gamestop or Play-Asia!

Instead of mentioning the figure type of collectibles, we're gonna mention collectibles at platform games that have things for you to get that are rewarding and are required to 100% your game files!

Now to be fair, some platformers may have parts that form as sort of collectible figures such as Mega Man X2 where getting Zero's parts help to avoid fighting Zero..but these collectibles are rare as far as my knowledge goes so those won't be mentioned here. That said, do let me know in the comments section where you do have platform games that have toy parts for a figure. 

No..the collectibles I'm talking about are the ones that are in platform games that are worthwhile to get for several reasons. Like..you know? those things that are all over your face and it begs you to get them even if there isn't a reason?

Look at all those coins!!!!

Note that we're not going to touch collectibles that are in action-adventure/metroidvania games because those collectibles are mostly for progress or to make it easier. Like increasing health and ammo or being able to perform a new move. That said, in future, we'll have a seperate topic of top five collectibles in an action-adventure/metroidvania games.

So without further ado, let's discuss the main collectibles in platformers.

1. Extra lives, 1-Ups or as some call it...free guys!

So risky...and yet so tempting!

And let's start with the one that is heavily argued in todays standards...lives. The ones that are pretty much needed to like let you play the levels or give you more chances to beat the hard levels..let alone the game. 

If there are no ways to get extra lives, then the games would only be harder to beat. Games like Mega Man pretty much beg you to get more lives. Whereas games like Super Mario World..while they aren't much needed at first, can really help later on.

While there are many platform games that are quite generous to give you secrets and tricks that give you extra lives, some of them aren't. Games like Zelda II have lives that are actually finite so in those cases, trying to preserve them as much as possible before getting them is a good idea.

Believe it or not, those trophies in Rayman are gone permanently once you touch them...of course, there are other ways to get lives though.

While some games use lives that offer risk and return. In revenge of shinobi and Shinobi 3, you can use kamikaze that deals massive damage at the cost of losing a life but you get to still play from that section where you used it. Its risky but its pretty helpful in some bosses that take forever to beat. 

Now some could argue that there are so many other ways of getting lives besides getting the ones that instantly grant you one extra and to that I say..ok? But that would mean that you're fine getting hundred coins to get an extra life instead of finding spots where 1-up mushroom show up? 

Are you fine with grinding the score count to grant you an extra life in games like Commander Keen rather than having items that give you extra lives? 

Heck, are you fine beating the entire game without ever like thinking of wanting to get extra lives?

If the answer is yes to them all, then you're a pro..probably like me. But there are so many others that like the option of getting lives when they have the chance and getting lives for those types are a blessing.

Good #$*&#* luck beating Perfect Run in Super Mario Galaxy 2 with just one life!

But then comes another question. Platform games these days tend to not have lives but then make it as though you don't need lives and this acts as a modern game design mechanic. Perhaps this is best to be talked in another topic in future where we can determine the importance of lives even when games show that they aren't. 

But for now..if there's an extra life lurking about, then its worth getting. Afterall, what's a video game without a life?

4. Plot devices

In 3D Platformers, instead of having a straightforward goal at the end of the level, these games have sandbox environment that encourage exploration which ultimately make you find the main plot device items that act as goals. Like for example, Super Mario 64 has Power Stars which are needed to make progress.

HERE WE GOOOOO!!!!

That's not to say that 2D platformers don't have them. From the ones on top of my head, Yoshi's Crafted world requires you to get sunflowers to unlock more stages. There's also games like Wario land 3 where depending on which treasure chest you open, you unlock newer paths or unlock newer moves.

Now..when done right, these plot devices can be fun to get. And the best part is that if 100% platform games isn't your cup of tea, you can simply explore on getting the ones that are easy to get, beat the game and move on.

But then it can also be done poorly. Such as requiring to get all electoons in Rayman inorder to unlock the final boss (yes..you need to 100% the game inorder to beat it!), requiring so many collectibles to unlock just one level(Super Mario Galaxy 2) , and obtaining one by beating the main game once(like...why? Again, Super Mario Sunshine and Galaxy come to mind).

And if done terribly can result in unneeeded padding and to those that get annoyed at games that block levels that require too much to get, I agree that it can be tedious to a certain extend...that being said, if there's less of them, its not really that tedious.

3. Collectibles that do something

Now these collectibles unlock stuff that may not mean anything in the main game, but can do stuff that's rewarding. I'm talking about getting the Star Coins in New Super Mario Bros 2 that unlock more levels type of collectibles. I'm talking about collectibles that give you concept arts and illustrations! 

I'm talking about collectibles that go as far as unlocking games within a game!

Sonic Adventure DX has emblems that if you get enough of them, you can play game gear games!

These types of collectibles are very rewarding generally in platform games simply because as mentioned earlier, the rewards provided are fufilling such as getting newer levels that can be tougher, or getting concept art. 

These collectibles may also act as plot devices but even then, they are still rewarding simply because they do give something for your hard work of getting them and is one of the reasons why I always 100% platform games when they have collectibles like this.

4. Health

This is coming in second place because its the most important. Platform games have health that act as a kind of warning to be careful. They also like help you to learn the dealings of the level design or atleast protect you to an extent and losing it means losing some form of progress.

In Super Mario platformers, the 2D ones have you requiring to get a Mushroom to have normal Mario grow. Get hit and you're back being small and if you're hit while small, you lose a life. 

The 3D ones however have energy bars that deplete when you get hit but replenish you by getting....coins(yeah..go figure).

I always use the water trick in Super Mario 64 to refill my health bar. Just breath in and out!

Health can be unique if done right. Sonic games require you to atleast have one ring for protection and you can try to get the ring when hit.

But then there are many modern platformers recently that remove health and that you die by just one hit. While this can be irritating and something that I personally don't like, these games are forgiving due to either having super abilities that make you deal enemies easily or having frequent checkpoints.

Regardless though, health is mostly important even if you look into action-adventure games because it like lives gives the motive to play as much as possible while keeping caution.

5. Pointless thingies!

GOLD!! GOLD!! I LOVE GOLD!

And of course the most important one of them all...pointless stuff that are often attractive and give you something for all your efforts. Like getting hundreds of coins, rings..you name it, gives you an extra life. Getting a lot of these increases your high score as well and on top of that, you even need these to act like ways to buy stuff in some platformers like Shovel Knight.

So why are these pointless things important in a Platform game? Because they help make the games feel full rather than being empty or bland. Think about it, aren't you addicted to get that group of collectibles there knowing that its within your reach? 

And besides, they serve their purpose and that's making platform games fun. Heck, if done right, they can even do something cool like the ending of Super Mario Land 3 depends on how many coins you get! 

Admit it! You can't resist taking the coins and opening the chest, can you?

So there you have it folks. Another topic from the Super Platform Gamer. Until next time, this is SPG saying..

                                                      QUIT RUNNING AND START JUMPING!

What are Platform Games?

Before we can even discuss the games that are solely on platforming, we need to discuss what the platform genre really is. Don't worry, I'm not going to give a long essay! I'm simply going to tell you what platform games are as briefly as possible so that we can start to the chase.



Ok..so what are platform games?

See the background that has question marks and some other blocks? Well, imagine what happens when the blocks form together? Its three blocks now together right? But now imagine a coin being there right at the top of the blocks and the blocks are on top of you. If you want the coin, how can you get it?

You can't run over it and there isn't a way to use a ladder since there isn't a block on top of those blocks to help you climb to get it...but wait..what if you just jumped on the platforms and then jump to get the coin?

Well ghee that's swell and guess what? You got it! And that really is what platform games are. The three blocks combined is called a platform and the process of making progress through the use of platforms is called a platform game.

That's really all there is to platform games. Platforms are needed to reach areas and obtain collectibles. Without platforms being there, you aren't playing a platform game. Hence why Super Mario games always have block structires so that the platforming remains.

There are several types of platformers out there. Many that I have played are generally easy to play. Some might have challenge in them but the challenge in platform games is making progress through the use of platforms and this is my favorite genre because of how simple it is and how fun the games in it can be.

In my opinion, there are of three types of platformers. The first one is side scrolling. These platformers are often straight forward and always have the goal at the end of the level which is mostly by going to the right. There are some secrets that make you want to explore the level a bit to get the reward in them and when done right, it can be very fufilling to have found something that got you to curiosity.

These platformers mostly have lives and health. Lose all health and you lose a life and lose all lives and you get a game over and start the level all over. Now to ensure this isn't tedious, these platformers have checkpoints that ensure that when you lose a life, you don't have to start all over and you instead start at the last point where you got one checkpoint.

And the levels generally are generous enough for you to get bonus sections and secret areas that let you get more lives and health. So these types of games while not challenging are still fun to play.

Action-Adventure games otherwise known as Metroidvania games are those that generally have large areas that focus on getting upgrades to explore areas that were previously not accessible inorder to make some form of progress. Now these aren't always platformers because you're tasked to do more than just jumping on platforms such as talking to other characters and getting equipment to learn new moves which normally, you don't do on straight forward platformers.

And then we have 3D platformers which are similar except that they are often designed in manners that the environment is the actual platforming sections and are the ones that encourage you to explore areas to collect various goodies as means of reaching the goal.

While side scrollers have collectibles, many of the collectibles are not as well hidden as how they can be on 3D Platformers and plus, getting collectibles on straight forward platformers is an optional(although there are some exceptions) thing while 3D platformers require you to get collectibles to go to newer levels mostly. Now there can be 3D Platformers that do have straight forward levels that have point A to point B sections but most of the time when people refer to 3D Platformers, they refer to ones like Super Mario 64, Banjo Kazooie, Jak and Daxter and Spyro.

So with that out of the way, let's get into platform games!