Best Platformer of 2022 - Article
by Christian Evans , posted on 13 January 2023 / 4,711 Views
Considering the storied history of the platform game, and how many of the big gaming mascots - Mario, Sonic, and Crash of course spring to mind - are indelibly linked with the genre, there was quite a dearth of pure platformers as potential nominees for the title of best in 2022. Though many of the biggest releases last year that are categorized elsewhere incorporated platforming elements, as seen in the likes of Elden Ring and Bayonetta 3, to emphasise the importance of the mechanics to the industry, it was left to a few old-school mascots with a new lick of 3D paint (and a handful of indie efforts) to fly the flag in this category.
The Shortlist:
Sonic Frontiers
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Sonic Origins
Tinykin
The Runner-Up:
Sonic Frontiers
When Sonic Frontiers was unveiled the general reaction was akin to something marginally better than a bin-fire. It was largely expected to be up for the ‘Most Disappointing Game of 2022’, rather than best of anything good. Despite some technical flaws and a lack of polish at times, we shockingly received a 3D Sonic game that was a hell of a lot of fun, becoming a must-play game in the Sonic canon, especially for those who hark back to the Sonic Adventure series.
The Sonic basics of platforming and collecting items is on point, the combat and often colossal boss fights are always good fun to challenge, and just the simple act of zipping around the various islands at speed doing all those things is a clean, engaging good time. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the damn fine soundtrack composed by Tomoya Ohtani too. With a little tweaking and an extra layer polish going forward, Sega has a new 3D Sonic formula that plays a treat. It’s been a long time coming.
The Winner:
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby’s first genuine foray into 3D platforming was an unmitigated success, and really was a cut above in this category. The Forgotten Land oozes that pink puffball charm we’ve all come to love since he graced the Game Boy in 1992, and with a game of this quality, there was no better way to celebrate Kirby in what was the character's 30th anniversary year. The usual cute - and often needed - power-sucking abilities are all present and aid Kirby in his quest to save the Waddle-Dees and this new world from the post-apocalyptic ‘evils’ that lurk amongst highway ruins and derelict shopping malls. And it's wrapped in a delightful aesthetic package that will captivate all ages.
The standard gameplay is plenty of fun, but it’s the new mouthful mode that elevates The Forgotten Land above its peers. From rusty cars, to vending machines, or an abandoned roller-coaster, every mouthful throws a delightful spin on each level, mixing up the formula while often upping the adorable levels to maximum. Every aspect is complimented with some lovely music, and even the most stone-hearted of us would struggle not to raise a smile during Kirby’s latest adventure, which is why The Forgotten Land is deservedly our Best Platformer of 2022.
More Articles
A well deserved win. An amazing 3D debut for Kirby and in my top 3 for the year.
Why hasn't anyone (including me) heard of Tinykin?
Well, I did bring it up when we announced the GOTY prelims a few weeks back.
Never heard of Tinykin before. Looks like it got really good reviews and it looks gorgeous. Might actually buy it.
So happy we managed to get Sonic in as the runner-up. I knew there was no chance of Sonic winning over Kirby with VGC being a very Nintendo fan heavy site in terms of both userbase and staff, but 2nd place is quite respectable considering the competition.
Let's be honest, Frontiers got the runners-up spot because of the lack of competition in this genre. Long-term, it'll probably be what Sonic Unleashed was to the seventh gen - a flawed game that at least sets out the future direction for the series.
Big Sonic fans here. Props to Tinykin for reaching the shortlist.
