By Daniel Boutros
[Author's Bio]
Gamasutra
August 4, 2006

	A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today's Best-Selling Platform Games Introduction Platform Games CASE STUDIES Super Mario Bros. 3 Rayman Sonic the Hedgehog 2 Crash Bandicoot Sonic Adventure Super Mario Sunshine Jak & Daxter New Super Mario Bros. VISUALS Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 CONTROLS Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 REWARD ELEMENTS Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 Pt. 4 Pt. 5 CHALLENGE AND REWARD DESIGN Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3 SHORT-TERM CHALLENGE DESIGN Pt. 1 Pt. 2 CONCLUSION Conclusion Closing Opinion 2006 Final Thoughts

Task types present in first five to ten minutes – optional and mandatory

32 types:

• Collect finance
• Hit un-marked containers to find finance or pick-ups.
• Smash breakable areas of environment – brick material - for hidden bonuses and addition to score.
• Blitz through enemies with invincibility power-up.
• Pick-up and throw enemy onto multiple enemies in succession.
• Hit marked containers for pick-ups/finance.
• Skilfully throw an enemy shell into the side of a marked container for pick-up.
• Bounce-kill a succession of enemies before landing for score bonus.
• Jump over Kill-Zone.
• Jump over horizontally moving floor hazard.
• Jump on, then kick an enemy shell.
  Jump on, then pick up an enemy shell.
• Jump-kill hazard by a jumping on top of it.
  Jump-hit base of container for pick-up.
• Avoid pop-up sentry projectile and get past.
  Avoid being hit by a ricocheting enemy shell.
• Secretly drop behind in-game backdrop.
  Kill sentry with power-up, without getting hit by projectile.
• Aim and throw enemy shell into side of container for pick-up reveal.
• Close-range attack hazards with power-up.
• Close-range attack enemies with power-up mid-inertia.
• Clear area of hazards to make a safe path for long run-up.
• Accelerate and meet speed quota then fly to hidden area.
• Explore for hidden areas in HTR areas out of plain site
• Navigate under and past hazards descending from above in an arc formation.
• Take cover from sentry hazard projectiles from behind object.
• Find hidden environment deformer.
• Aim and throw shell into destructible area until it ricochets through enough blocks to reveal path to secret.
• Collect finance within deformer’s time limit.
• Accelerate enough to be able to duck and slide off your inertia to the other side of a low ceiling.
• Hit roulette bonus container at right time to receive bonus Quota token for Extra life.
• Catch power-up that runs away.

28 types:

• Collect finance.
• Blitz through enemies with invincibility power-up.
• Bounce of container and jump attack enemy hazard without landing.
• Smash containers for pick-ups/finance.
• Avoid projectile attack.
• Smash pick-up container hidden behind backdrop.
• Jump over horizontally moving floor hazard.
• Bounce-kill enemies in succession without landing.
• Use power-up to reach checkpoint/Bonus area.
• Enter subtly hidden area for finance bonus.
• Collect finance for check-point/Bonus area entry.
• Navigate and jump to HTR area for Extra life.
• Spring-jump to HTR area for finance and checkpoint/bonus entry.
• Break inertia to reach moving platform to access HTR area.
• Jump over Kill-Zone.
• Keep momentum going to collect all finance on loops and twists.
• Break inertia from speeding along slope and control jump within the altered trajectory to reach vertical moving platform on a beat.
• Skill-jump over object forcing your movement direction while at speed.
• Jump over object forcing your movement direction to avoid being pushed in undesired direction.
• Navigate from one object forcing your movement direction to another to keep momentum going.
• Add inertia to object forcing your movement direction to a spring to jump over and land past a hazard.
• Use object forcing your movement upward to spring and land on moving horizontal platform.
• Navigate across moving horizontal platforms to checkpoint/Bonus area.
• Kill enemies mid-momentum and mid-inertia.
• Guide supporting avatar to extra finance/health when hurt.
• Bonus level: Learn new mechanics for new area.
• Avoid hazards that come toward you.
• Guide supporting avatar to finance and safety.
• Collect finance to meet round-end quota to earn Token Quota.

21 types:

• Learn behaviour of unusual platform.
• Navigate across three vines for pick-up.
• Meet finance quota to enter bonus level.
• Bonus level: Collect finance quota before time-out.
• Navigate up and across platforms.
• Jump from the edge of a platform at the last second to reach a HTR area.
• Jump over Kill-zones.
• Jump navigate along platforms in an upward direction.
• Navigate off unusual platform to reach high-vine.
• Navigate vines in a horizontal direction over Kill-Zone.
• Navigate vine and wait for horizontal-moving floor hazard to pass before landing.
• Use new power up to free Quota Token from container at a distance.
• Jump over horizontally moving enemies on a beat.
• Use new power-up to free special bouncing platform and jump off special platform to reach HTR area.
• Avoid airborne horizontally moving hazards coming from static enemy.
• Hit airborne hazard launching enemy during vulnerable frames.
• Navigate on special platform onto enemy head and use as a platform to gain power-up from HTR area.
• Navigate special platform into water and ride special platform to Quota Token.
• Navigate special platform over Kill-zones to reach bonus.
• Charge attack to kill HTR enemy.
• Navigate special platform over kill-zone and jump to acquire power-up.

13 types:

• Collect finance.
• Smash containers for pick-ups.
• Jump over Kill-Zone.
• Jump on top of enemy.
• Bonus token quota navigate.
• Blitz through enemies by moving into them when invincible.
• Bonus area: Smash all containers.
• Navigate between two containers to bounce between them and maximise your financial income.
• Jump up platform-rich wall in non-hostile area.
• Bounce across a row of containers over a Kill-Zone.
• Meet container smash quotient.
• Meet token collect quotient to reach bonus level.
• Skill-hit enemy into another enemy

17 types:

• Finance collect.
• Run from boss hazard’s attacks.
• Avoid projectile line of fire.
• Jump-hit enemy in vulnerable spot.
• Jump away from targeted charging floor-based enemy.
• Navigate up a sequence of springs to a high level.
• Jump attack succession of enemies without landing.
• Keep momentum going when running a loop-the-loop.
• Build up momentum on curved wall to reach hidden shortcut.
• Run up curved wall whilst still in speed-up power-up time limit to reach hidden short-cut area.
• Deviate from standard route to find hidden area.
• Deviate from standard route to find bonus finance.
• Use special object forcing your movement direction to progress to next part of level.
• Break-off halfway through object forcing your movement direction to enter a transport network to access Bonus area.
• Jump-attack to bonus item platform over Kill-zone.
• Move PC onto object forcing your movement direction to jump over Kill-zone.
• Navigate entire level in fast time to gain three Quota tokens.

10 types:

• Reach destination within power-up time limit to activate special object.
• Reach next power-up within power-up time limit for more power-up.
• Double-jump to higher area.
• Jump across horizontally placed platforms.
• Break containers for hit-point finance.
• Collect finance.
• Collect quota token.
• Collect seven sub-Quota tokens.
• Attack static décor.
• Jump-attack static décor.

20 types:

• Jump past floor hazard whilst avoiding the hurt-hazard at the centre.
• Collect permanent upgrade.
• Skill spray hazard marks on floor to avoid slipping.
• Refill ammo in Water-Zones.
• Wall bounce to higher area.
• Skill spray hazard marks on wall.
• Skill spray marked character for story hint.
• Spray villagers for comedy reaction.
• Bounce off canopies.
• Bounce off one enemy onto another in succession.
• Bounce off tight ropes.
• Spray special graphics for finance bonuses.
• Jump-kill enemies emerging from floor hazard.
• Smash containers for practice.
• Climb poles/trees for practice.
• Kick fruit.
• Reveal boss through skill-spraying hurt hazard at centre of floor hazard.
• Kill boss before time limit or he’ll disappear and you have to reveal him again.
• Avoid hazard marks on floor – hurt zone – while trying to achieve goal of killing boss.
• Collect Quota Token.

39 types:

• Collect finance.
• Hit un-marked containers to find finance or pick-ups.
• Smash breakable areas of environment – brick material - for hidden bonuses and addition to score.
• Hit block directly under floating finance to collect floating finance.
• Hit block directly under enemy to kill enemy.
• Search for hidden/invisible pick-up/finance containers by jumping in random or suspicious areas.
• Blitz through enemies with invincibility power-up for score bonus and Extra lives if enough are killed in succession.
• Blitz through as many enemies and objects as possible within bonus mini-game power-up for Extra lives.
• Pick-up and throw enemy onto multiple enemies in succession for score bonus and Extra life if enough are killed in succession.
• Bounce-kill a succession of enemies before landing for multiplied score bonus and Extra life if enough are killed.
• Jump over Kill-Zones.
• Aim and throw enemy into floating finance to collect it.
• Kill enemy hazard by jumping on top of it.
• Avoid falling off seesaw platforms by standing on one side for too long.
• Use seesaw platform to reach HTR area.
• Explore for hidden areas.
• Use power-ups from external levels to enter hidden areas in others.
• Kill enemy hazards with projectiles for finance and score.
• Kill x enemy hazards in a row for an Extra life.
• Jump on, then kick an enemy hazard.
• Jump on, then pick up an enemy hazard.
• Avoid being hit by a ricocheting enemy shell.
• Skilfully throw an enemy shell into the side of a marked container for pick-up.
• Skilfully throw an enemy shell into the side of an unmarked container for pick-up.
• Navigate through unconventional HTR areas – somewhat out of sight – to find hidden bonuses/exits
• Break through bricks using specialised downward attack to reach hidden areas and coins (can only be done while powered-up).
• Aim specialised downward attack to kill enemy.
• Catch finance while floating down from upon high.
• Collect finance at speed while diving from special float move.
• Catch power-up that runs away.
• Find level-unlocking Quota Tokens hidden in the level.
• Clear area of hazards to clear path for triple jump combo.
• Find hidden ‘easy route’ to beat level.
• Aim for high points on end level goal for score and Extra life bonuses
• Accelerate enough to be able to duck and slide off your inertia to the other side of a low ceiling.
• Upon activated bonus icon, collect x quota tokens before time runs out to earn Extra life.
• Skilfully double jump between walls to escape death in a kill-zone.
• Skilfully double jump between walls to reach high sections.