Leaps of Faith: Four Platformers That Influenced My Gaming Career

Kirby Super Star

It’s really a lot more exciting than it lets on.

Ah, Kirby Super Star. This is what I consider my favorite game of all time. Obviously, it means quite a bit to me. I technically played it before DKC2, but it wasn’t after the Kong Quest that I truly grew to love this game. Masahiro Sakurai has a habit of going all out with some of his games and, other than the Smash Bros. series, no game shows this habit as well as KSS. Very few platformers share the same amount of replayability, fun, and absolute whimsy that this game does. Featuring 8 (actually 9) games in one, Kirby had more variety in one cartridge than most games have in an entire series. Each ‘game’ is basically a different mode or storyline that changes things up just a bit. From Green Greens to the Revenge of Metaknight, no two games are exactly the same.

This is one of the greatest moments in gaming. 

However, the different powers available to Kirby and his helper are what make the game shine. Kirby has access to an array of abilities, ranging from basic fire or ice breath to yo-yo and wrestler powers. In games before, Kirby could usually do one or two attacks with a given power. This time, though, he has a whole move list for each ability, creating hundreds of ways to play the game. Sometimes I would play with nothing but the hammer power and others with no power at all. It was really the first game that let me play how I wanted, which led to countless playthroughs. Once you bring in 9 different modes to play in, I fell into a pit of joy that keeps me coming back. Honestly, I’m due for another play through soon.

 

Super Mario World

This is the one that started it all.

My very first game console was the SNES. It came with Super Mario Kart, which was cool, but it had nothing on Super Mario World. This is the game that started it all for me. From the beginning, there was always something awesome to do. Be it hitting ten Koopa Troopas with a single shell for a one-up, riding on Yoshi, or even flying, I was mystified. I had always seen games and tried a few of them out. However, never before had I the chance to play them at my leisure and explore as I liked. It was one of the most amazing things to happen to me, and something that my dad is still kicking himself about for enabling.

The sky was the limit from this point on.

This game offered a foundation for all the things that I would love from the genre in later years. I could explore and be rewarded for doing so. Finding all the secret exits and areas got the collectionist ball rolling. It offered solid controls and gameplay that challenged the 6 year-old me to a point of determination that was unparalleled at the time. The flower, cape, and different colored Yoshis inspired many a different playthrough. With a hidden Star Road and Bonus world, I had a goal beyond just saving Peach. It was a perfect alchemy that stirred within me to create an immediate passion for something unmatched in my mind. This was a video game and it was the best thing I had ever known. Never again had I the same feeling from a game. Some have stirred up similar feelings, but none could do so in such a way that Super Mario World could. It was my gateway into a world I can never see myself leaving.