Pac-Man World was a huge success when it was released on the PlayStation back in 1999, and has proven to be a big success again with Pac-Man World: Re-Pac, a full reworking and rebuild of the original game and the second time they have done this after previously doing it for the Game Boy Advanced.
With nostalgia for these types of 3D platform games, many studios have either made sequels to their previous games or rebuilds of old games, along with some new ones. This has led to some very interesting games in recent memory.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle For The Bikini Bottom Re-hydrated
The original Battle For The Bikini Bottom is a cult classic that is often regarded as one of the greatest licensed kid’s games ever. When it was announced a full remake of the game was in the works, many people were excited and pleasantly surprised. The game, which allows players to play as some of their favorite SpongeBob SquarePants characters, was incredibly successful once more, proving that nostalgia for these games exists.
Many did not feel it was a replacement for the original game, but that didn’t mean it was not popular, as it sold over 2 million copies. Just by being a good game in which players get to interact with some of their favorite places from the show, Battle For The Bikini Bottom Re-hydrated succeeds in entertaining.
Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee was made as a spiritual successor to the popular Banjo-Kazooie games for the Nintendo 64 and is one of the best modern 3D platformers. Much like those games, this sees the player play as two characters, exploring their open-world environment, solving puzzles and collecting items, and defeating enemies in a way to find their stolen book. The game was later followed by a sequel.
This sort of works as the Banjo-Kazooie game that people had wanted for years. A fun and colorful 3D platformer that has a lot of fun moments, vibrant characters, and cool design, it is worth the player’s time. It may not be at the same level as its legendary inspiration, but it is a fun ride, nevertheless.
Frogun
Frogun was a game released in August 2022 for numerous platforms and looks to bring back the appeal of old 3D platformers for the Playstation and Nintendo 64. The game has the player play as a young girl looking for her lost parents with the help of their previous invention, the Frogun.
Frogun was met with pretty decent reviews when it came out. A retro design that is more pixilated than most modern 3D games helps give the illusion that this could be a game from the ’90s running on a modern platform. With numerous secrets to be discovered throughout, it serves as an entertaining game.
Pyramid Quest
Another game that harkens back to previous eras of platformers is Pyramid Quest, which features a more 2D aesthetic but still has a lot to explore. The goal here, in each level, is to collect diamonds and coins while searching for the missing three pieces of an artifact to progress through the game.
This game is cheap at only $9.99 on Xbox. While the aesthetic resembles 2D games, the idea of collecting things to progress to the next level feels more like a ’90s platformer, especially Pac-Man World. The low price makes it a low-risk game to invest in, as well.
Santa Claus In Trouble
This charming game is available on both iOS and Android. Santa Claus has lost all of his gifts, and it is up to the player to help him find them. The player must around these Christmas-based levels and help him.
A simple and fun game for kids, Santa Claus In Trouble is anything but trouble. It is fun, available easily to play, and features a fun chimney-based jumping mechanic that takes advantage of the Christmas setting. This is definitely a fun game to try out during the holiday season.
Toree 3D
Fans of ’90s platformers with yellow, circular protagonists will enjoy this game released in 2021. Toree 3D feels like an old-school platformer, with its design and gameplay purposely reminiscent of games of the era. But while it looks like a regular game, it features some horror elements that make it stand out, while throwing some players for a loop.
It is not a horror game but does have elements that almost feel like a callback to old rumors and levels from games of the past. It is also another game that proves roaming around with a small, yellow protagonist works.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
It is always nice to see a classic series return to form, and that is what Crash Bandicoot fans got with Crash Bandicoot 4: Its About Time. The game erases all the Crash games after Warped and follows Crash and his sister to stop Neo Cortex and Dr. N. Trophy from taking on all the universes.
The game was praised as a return to form when it was released in 2020. Filled with references to the original three games, it feels like the game people had been wanting for nearly 20 years at this point. Crash has had his ups and downs in the past, but he landed on his feet here.
New Super Lucky’s Tale
New Super Lucky’s Tale was an enhanced version of the original game that was released two years prior. An obvious nod to the games Rare made in the ’90s, it follows a fox named Lucky as he goes around worlds in a book called “Book of Ages.” The player must complete all the tasks in these worlds, much like an old-school platformer.
A much better version of the flawed original, New Super Lucky’s Tale gave fans a game they wanted: a retro platformer. It has a lot of fun characters and quests to discover and has the feeling of nostalgia that comes with those old games that used to be on Playstation and Nintendo 64s.
Kirby And The Forgotten Land
It may come as a surprise, but Kirby didn’t get his first 3D platformer until this year, a shocking fact when compared to all of its retro counterpart’s debuts. Kirby And The Forgotten Land was released and became a huge hit, with over 2 million copies sold. The game features Kirby going through numerous worlds to save the Waddle Dees from the Beast Pack and has one of the hardest bosses in the Kirby series.
While it may not immediately feel like Pac-Man World, both games show retro characters working well in the third dimension. They both take advantage of their character’s abilities from their 2D games and put them in these 3D worlds where players can control them like never before.
Raccoo Venture
Raccoo Venture is an indie game released in 2019 that was made solely to appease retro gaming fans. In this game, the player explores different worlds, defeats enemies, and reclaims pieces of a relic he is in charge of to save the world.
This is another game with a vibrant cartoonish style that pops out at the players. It reminds people of the fun games can be when it is about these types of missions with these types of stories. There are plenty of different types of games that can be played, but games like this prove that retro 3D platformers still have a place.
