Every gamer has their favorite platforming game. They all range in many different ways, but through years of playing some great platforming games I've discovered a formula to creating an epic platforming game. I might be wrong on this, but I think I'm on to something here. Think about it. What do Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, Glover 64, Banjo Kazooie, and more all have in common?
-Silly but loveable characters (Mario, Banjo & Kazooie, DK Crew, Yoshi, Klungo, etc)
-One big 3-D world that has smaller worlds or levels you unlock by collecting items and acquiring special moves (paintings in Super Mario 64, puzzles in Banjo & Kazooie, portals in Glover, etc)
-Lots of item collecting, usually involving one type of coin (or banana, gram, etc) in levels that are sprawled out all over the place and when enough are gained grant you a larger item that unlocks new worlds and is key to beating the game (stars, golden bananas, jiggies, etc) (also to be noted are items like the 8 red coins or jingos to collect in each world to get a bigger item)
-One big boss that contorted usually peaceful land and manipulated normal characters into enemies and goons and scattered items across the game (Gruntilda, Bowser, the alligator dude in DK, the evil glove in Glover, Dr. Eggman, etc)
There are many more things I could put down, but these are the significant points. What do you guys think? Do you see how these games are built and constructed, and what makes them loveable, challenging, addicting, and most of all unforgettable?
