So you’ve got your shiny modern console and maybe you feel like walking down memory lane to relive some of that childhood joy of collecting a bunch of arbitrary stuff, but you aren’t sure where to start?
Or maybe you’re new to the genre and want to see why others are so desperate to see a full revival of these kinds of games? Or maybe you’re just looking for a fun time to play with your kids, these are 10 of the best and most accessible 3D Platformers playable on modern games consoles!
Banjo Kazooie
As part of the Rare Replay bundle of Rare’s incredible achievements in game development, these classic Nintendo 64 games are included and have been polished up and outputted in higher resolutions with some added quality of life improvements such as better camera input and more responsive controls. Back in the 90s Rare pretty much defined what the collectathon genre should be and has been the template for quality ever since. Even games releasing today are taking from what Rare laid down before them. If you don’t already know, Banjo Kazooie sees you take control of the titular Banjo and Kazooie as you learn new abilities to collect Jiggies and a plethora of other collectables to fight your way through the evil witch Gruntilda’s base to save Banjo’s sister whilst the witch cackles and insults you as you progress through the game. You’re very much motivated to take down Gruntilda through this dialogue and the short form levels are bursting with collectables and secrets but none of them overstays their welcome with very little backtracking needed from the player.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy
The original Spyro trilogy offered some of the best collectathon platforming gameplay of any PlayStation title at release. Now with the Spyro Reignited Trilogy, you can enjoy these classics in a tuned-up HD experience. With a unique, catchy soundtrack from the legendary Stewart Copeland (drummer for The Police) and the magical fantasy aesthetic you’d expect for a treasure collecting dragon, there is a lot to love about Spyro’s unique gameplay and feel.
Plus, let’s face it, who doesn’t want to play as a sassy yet adventurous purple dragon helping out a colourful cast of characters with their ridiculous requests and trials?
Crash N Sane Trilogy (All systems)
Crash Bandicoot is a name that needs no introduction, a PlayStation and gaming icon back in the ’90s. He’s seen his time in the spotlight and is back now with a fantastic collection of remakes of those classics. Created with amazing accuracy and a lot of love for the originals, the effort put in here into developing the best remakes they could be really paid off.
Crash Bandicoot is a precision-based platformer where the timing and length of your jumps are key to progress, it’s fun to master and see your skills grow whilst you try and complete the levels breaking while all the boxes.
If you’ve already dipped your toes into the trilogy and want something new, Crash 4: It’s About Time is a good place to look too!
