8 Best Side Scrolling Games That You Should Know Update 04/2024

Best Side Scrolling Games

The first video games were simple and could fit all of the game levels on one screen. Most people know Pitfall! and HERO! as examples of these games from when they were first made, but there are many other examples. As technology got better, game designers were able to make games that had large, open areas that required some exploration. There are two examples of this type of game: Super Mario Bros. and Sonic the Hedgehog are two. These games became known as side-scrollers over time.

In recent years, there have been a lot of great side scrolling games. This genre is still very popular with gamers. To be on this list, a game must have been released after 2010. This means it must be available for this console generation (PS5, Xbox Series X, or Switch) or have been available for the last two console generations (PS3,PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, WiiU). There are a lot of great modern side-scrolling games, so let’s look at them. They’re ranked from bad to good. Finally, we’ll talk about platformers, which are side-scrollers that have a similar play style to Super Mario Bros.

Strider Hiryu

Strider Hiryu

Strider Hiryu, or just Strider, was made by Capcom in 2014. It is the most recent game in the Strider series. There was the first Strider game on the arcades in 1989, and this series has been going on ever since. A ninja named Hiryu is in charge of the game. He’s got a plasma sword called the Cypher, and he has to fight off the Grand Master Meio and his army. This game has a lot of big, interconnected areas that you’ll have to go back to as you learn new skills and tools that let you get to new places.

The controls are close to perfect, with the only thing that people don’t like about Stirder’s ability to stay on walls and roofs. It’s sometimes hard to get away from a wall. This game can be downloaded, but only in Japan will you be able to get a physical copy. There is a physical copy of the game that works with NTSC systems, though. It even has menus and dialogue in English, so you can play it.

Cyber Shadow

A lot of people think this game is very similar to Strider Hiryu, which is why the two games could be ranked the same. Castlevania: SOTN, Metroid, and Ninja Gaiden all seem to be mixed together in Cyber Shadow, which is a retro-themed 2D side-scrolling platformer. It does a great job of mixing them all together, though. The game’s 16-bit graphics are very colourful. This game looks like it was made for the Sega Genesis. The game has parallax backgrounds and cutscenes that look a lot like Ninja Gaiden.

People who want to play casual games might want to look for a different game. At first, this game is easy, but it quickly becomes very difficult, and sometimes frustrating. Cyber Shadow can be played on the PC, Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox One.

Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition

Guacamelee Super Turbo Championship Edition

If you want to play as Juan Aguacate, you play him trying to save his girlfriend from the evil skeleton Carlos Calaca, who wants to kill him. Juan is killed when he meets Carlos for the first time. He ends up in the land of the dead and can’t get out. The luchador mask that he is given here is magical and brings him back to the world of the living. It gives him the power to defeat Carlos.

This game is like Strider Hiryu in that it is a Metroidvania game that lets the player go back to old areas. Juan can find, and buy, power-ups as he goes. These give him new and powerful skills. In Guacamelee, the colours are bright and the animation is very smooth. This game can also be played by up to four people at the same time.

Neversong

So many people play this game that it is almost impossible to believe that it did not make this list. As far as I can tell, the game Neversong is a very good one. It has a very strange setting that always makes the player think there will be an attack at any time, but it also has a lot of funny moments. You can’t blame the controls for dying if you play Neversong, because the controls are so good!

This game didn’t make this list because it was easy. That doesn’t mean it’s any less fun than the other games on this list. Because it’s so easy, it’s over way too quickly. One thing that makes Neversong stand out on this list is the way it tells its story. A lot of people who play this game will get sucked into the story of Pete, and they’ll find the game’s cast of characters to be cute. Neversong can be played on PC, Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. It can also be played on Xbox One.

Ori And The Blind Forest

Ori and the Blind Forest

It’s called “Ori and the Blind Forest,” and you play as Ori, a little cat-like guardian spirit. You have to help Ori restore the forest you call home. You can get help from another forest spirit called Sein, who is a small blue orb that floats around Ori and fights off bad guys. Starting out, Ori isn’t very strong. As you progress through the game, you’ll learn new skills, like being able to double jump.

I love this game’s graphics and the lighting effects that it has. This game can be hard at times, but it never feels unfair or hard because of bad controls. This game was made by Microsoft, so it is only for the Xbox One and the PC. There is now a sequel called “Ori and the Will of the Wisps,” and it’s about a girl named Ori. This game came out in late 2020, and it’s just as good as the first one. The original game is still better than the sequel, though, because the sequel doesn’t do enough to stand out from the first one enough.

Spelunky

As a game, Spelunky is one of the most important indie games ever made. It was released in December 2008. During a time when people were sceptical about indie games, this game showed how good they could be. It also helped to start the rise of the roguelike genre.

Spelunky is a game in the roguelike genre, which means it’s easy to learn and play but very hard, especially in the first hour. When players get to know the enemies and traps, they’ll feel great when they speed through levels they thought were impossible.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

Sonic the Hedgehog 2

There was a time when many people thought that Sonic could become the face of not just platform games, but all gaming.

When Sonic the Hedgehog 2 came out, it was the closest the blue hedgehog came to taking down Nintendo’s mascot. This fast-paced platformer had a lot of great-looking levels that were a lot of fun to play through.