A platform fighter is a

sub-genre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a Category of being, category of literature, m ...

fighting games The fighting game video game genre, genre involves combat between multiple characters, often (but not limited to) one-on-one battles. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as Blocking (martial arts), blocking, grappling, counter- ...

that emphasizes free 2D movement, often with floating platforms that can be traversed on, similar to a platformer game. The central gameplay involves combat between two or more player-controlled characters, with the goal of attacking an opponent's character until they are defeated. Unlike other fighting games, platform fighters typically do not have a

health bar Health is a video game or tabletop game quality that determines the maximum amount of damage or fatigue something takes before leaving the main game. In role-playing games, this typically takes the form of hit points (HP), a numerical attribute ...

; instead, the damage that a player's character has taken increases the distance they are launched when hit by an attack. Opponents are defeated when they leave the boundaries of the arena.

History

While there have been some 2D fighting games that have used mechanics like platforms in stages like in ''

Savage Reign ''Savage Reign'' is a 1995 fighting game released by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. It was ported to the Neo Geo CD, as well as for the PlayStation 2, along with its sequel '' Kizuna Encounter'' in Japan only as part of the ''F� ...

'', these games are not considered platform fighters as they play like traditional 2D fighting games with an added gimmick. Though ''

The Outfoxies is a 1995 weapon-based fighting game, fighting arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling one of seven assassins, players are tasked with defeating opponents with different types of weapons, while also avoiding different ...

'' was an early example of many of the mechanics featured in most platform fighters, the subgenre would be most defined by the release of ''

Super Smash Bros. is a series of platform fighting video games published by Nintendo. Created by Masahiro Sakurai, the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series is a crossover featuring many characters from other video game series created by Nintendo and other develope ...

'' in 1999, which was the first game in the subgenre to achieve wide success and defined the mechanics for most games that followed. After the release of the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', many companies would release their own games similar in style with some being crossover games like ''

DreamMix TV World Fighters is a 2003 crossover fighting video game developed by Bitstep and published by Hudson for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. Exclusively released in Japan on December 18, 2003, the game features characters from Hudson and Konami video game series ...

'' or games with licensed characters like ''

Digimon Rumble Arena ''Digimon Rumble Arena'' is a 2001 fighting video game developed and published by Bandai. It is part of a video game series connected to the ''Digimon'' franchise and showcases the titular creatures within the context of a fighting video gam ...

'' and ''

Battle Stadium D.O.N is a 2006 Japanese crossover fighting game developed by Eighting and Q Entertainment and published by Namco Bandai Games for the GameCube and PlayStation 2. The "D.O.N." in the game's title is derived from '' Dragon Ball Z'', ''One Piece'', an ...

''. '' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up'' was notably developed by a studio that contributed to ''

Super Smash Bros. Brawl ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl'' is a 2008 crossover fighting game developed by Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The third installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series and the successor to '' Super Smash Bros. Melee'', it wa ...

''. In the mid-2010s, indie developers began developing fighting games that imitated the mechanics of ''Super Smash Bros.'', including ''

Rivals of Aether ''Rivals of Aether'' is a platform fighter game created by Dan Fornace, and released for Microsoft Windows in March 2017, for Xbox One in August 2017, and for Nintendo Switch in September 2020. It received positive reception from critics, who com ...

'', ''

Brawlout ''Brawlout'' is a fighting game developed and published by Angry Mob Games for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. The game was revealed at EVO in July 2016, and went into closed beta in December 2016. The game was in ...

'', and ''

Brawlhalla ''Brawlhalla'' is a free-to-play platform fighting game developed by Blue Mammoth Games. It was originally released for macOS, PlayStation 4 and Windows in 2017, with ports for Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Android and iOS released later. Full ...

''. It was around this time that the term "platform fighter" began to be used more frequently to refer to games similar to ''Super Smash Bros.'' Following the success of ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeeding ' ...

'' in 2018, new platform fighters have emerged based on various licensed properties, such as ''

Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl ''Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl'' is a 2021 crossover fighting game developed by Ludosity and Fair Play Labs, and published by GameMill Entertainment. It is part of the '' Nickelodeon Super Brawl'' series of browser games and mobile games, serving ...

'', ''

Fraymakers ''Fraymakers'' is a platform fighting game developed by McLeodGaming. It was released in early access on Linux, macOS, and Windows PC via Steam on January 18, 2023. The game is additionally planned to release on Nintendo Switch once the earl ...

'', and ''

MultiVersus ''MultiVersus'' (''MVS'') is a 2024 free-to-play platform fighting game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games. In the game, players battle on different stages as characters from Warner Bros. franchises, including ...

''.

References

{{VideoGameGenre Video game genres