2019 was a pretty decent year for platformers. Unfortunately, most flew under the mainstream radar, so you probably haven't even heard of them. Unfortunately, this is a product of the gaming landscape of 2019/2020. Platformers seem to be a dying genre, at least in the AAA sphere. Aside from maybe Nintendo, no major developer is currently working on platformers on a consistent basis. And companies who aren't Nintendo seem to be focusing on multiplayer and battle royale games, as that is still where the money lies.
But that's not to say there aren't any good platformers out there. These are ten great platformers that were released in 2019 that flew under the radar (and their Metacritic scores).
10 Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night (84)
As you may be able to tell from its eerie title, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a Metroidvania title developed by ArtPlay and published by 505 Games. And if you enjoy Metroidvania games, then you definitely owe it to yourself to check it out. It is considered a spiritual successor to the Castlevania series and was even developed by one of its producers, Koji Igarashi. It received very positive reviews, scoring an 84 on Metacritic and earning praise for its old-school dynamics.
9 Katana Zero (83)
Katana Zero shares a lot in common with Hotline Miami, including a neat, neon-soaked 80s aesthetic and the controversial one-hit death mechanic. It serves as a typical side-scrolling adventure game with a large emphasis on the player's katana. You can obviously defeat enemies with it, but you can also deflect bullets and use it in a defensive manner. It's pretty short, and that is a knock against it. But it's also stylish as all heck, the gameplay is tough but rewarding, and the writing is surprisingly deep and thoughtful. It's arguably even better than Hotline Miami.
8 Blasphemous (82)
Blasphemous is the wonderful creation of a successful Kickstarter campaign, developed by Spanish company The Game Kitchen and published by Team17. Like Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Blasphemous too is a Metroidvania game, and like Bloodstained, it is a heck of a lot of fun. Much of the game's praise centered around its surprisingly deep and complex lore, as well as its beautiful and haunting visuals. It's unlike any Metroidvania game you have played before. In a good way, of course.
7 Gato Roboto (79)
Gato Roboto is a very old school platforming action adventure, so much so that it takes on the aesthetic of games from the 80s and 90s. Black and white, dialogue boxes, pixelated graphics - it's all there in glorious fashion. It's very short, yes, but it's also very cheap, and few other platformers last year provided such a stellar entertainment to cost ratio.
It's a wonderful send-up of old school Metroid games, and it reminds us of the genre's earlier days. It's a fantastic bite-sized slice of nostalgia, but it's also a very good game in its own right.
6 Valfaris (86)
Valfaris is yet another retro 2D side scroller, but it's arguably the best that the genre has to offer. Valfaris is a wonderfully designed platformer, and it has its roots firmly planted in obtusely difficult games like Contra. It is assuredly confident in itself, presenting brilliant controls and a thrilling personality, full of blood and gore, an intriguing music theme, stellar metal music, and a freaky dystopian aesthetic. This is the type of stuff you'd find in an arcade back in the 80s. Only it's on PC for pennies. Oh, the wonders of modern technology.
5 Yooka-Laylee And The Impossible Lair (84)
Another platformer published by Team17, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is yet another wonderful example of the genre. And yet another game that very few people played. Or even know about. The game received a positive reception from critics, with the Xbox One version scoring an 84 on Metacritic. Much of the praise centered around its platforming gameplay and the soundtrack provided by Grant Kirkhope and David Wise. However, it seems like general players didn't care for it, as the user score sits at just 6.6...
4 My Friend Pedro (81)
My Friend Pedro is actually based on an old Flash game called MFP: My Friend Pedro. As you can imagine, this one is a lot better. The game earned some criticism for its general lack of story, but most critics agreed that the thrilling gameplay more than made up for it.
Dodging bullets becomes a balletic performance, and seeing your actions played out on screen is both beautiful and mindblowingly cool. The game is only about five hours long, but it packs a ton of content and fun into that five hours. It even rivals Gato Roboto in the whole entertainment to cost ratio!
3 Trials Rising (85)
The Trials series has quickly become one of the most popular platformers in recent years, although it has somewhat faded from the public consciousness in recent years. That's because this game, released in February of 2019, was the first Trials game since Trials Fusion in 2014. But get back into it, because Trials Rising is fantastic. Well, aside from the blatant use of microtransactions and loot boxes. But if you ignore that, you will find that Trials is just as good and enjoyably frustrating as ever. Maybe it's even better than ever.
2 Feudal Alloy (76)
Feudal Alloy is a weird little platformer developed by Czech company Attu Games. You play as a Medieval robotic knight, and the game itself is just as wacky and fun as that premise promises. The game does has its flaws, especially its obtuse and challenging beginning that may serve as a major filter to casual players. This murky beginning resulted in the game being overshadowed, which is a darned shame. It really is a lot of fun, and it's easily one of the most stylish games of 2019.
1 Indivisible (78)
As per its summary, Indivisible is "inspired by classics like Valkyrie Profile and Metroid," so if you enjoy those games, then you certainly owe it to yourself to check out Indivisible. Like Feudal Alloy, the game does contain its share of flaws. The pacing isn't fluid, the game can be a little too challenging at times, and the story is woefully underwhelming. That said, it is a wonderfully unique mixture of platforming, fighting, and RPG mechanics, and it is gorgeous to look at.