Best Platformer of 2023 - Article
by Evan Norris , posted on 10 January 2024 / 4,091 Views
2023 was an eclectic year for platformers. No matter your platforming taste or proclivity, there was something in the last 12 months to satisfy you. For fans of the off-beat humor and ingenuity of the Wario Land series, Pizza Tower appeared as a proper spiritual successor. For those craving the speed and style of Jet Set Radio, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk delivered an amazing urban playground in which to vibe. And for old-school platform aficionados raised in the 1990s, there was plenty of nostalgic goodness, including a new Sonic game, Sonic Superstars, and the first new 2D Super Mario adventure in over a decade, Super Mario Wonder.
The Shortlist:
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
Pizza Tower
Sonic Superstars
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Runner-Up:
Sonic Superstars
Satisfying every Sonic fan is a tall order — each one has a different vision of what the franchise can and should be — but developer Arzest, along with Sonic team, did a commendable job making a title that honors the past and pushes Sonic & friends gently into the future. They did so by looking to the original trilogy for inspiration, adding new mechanics and gimmicks, introducing 3D graphics, and experimenting with four-player local multiplayer. It will be exciting to see where 2D Sonic goes from here.
The Winner:
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Mario and Sonic competing for top spot? Is this 2023 or 1991? In the end, this battle goes to the mustachioed mascot, at least according to VGChartz members and staff. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is just too wild, too unpredictable, and too outrageously creative to be denied, after all. While previous 2D entries in the franchise seemed like variations on a theme, Wonder feels like something fresh and original. Like the best Super Mario games, it's a bottomless reservoir of ingenious mechanics and platforming conceits, elevated by outstanding art direction and music, and polished to a mirror sheen.