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The 5 Worst Platform Games of All Time

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Worst Platform Games of All Time

Over the history of gaming, the platform game genre has produced some pretty good hits, like Atari and Mario Kart. However, there are some games that are so poorly developed and designed that playing them is a nerve-racking experience for the player. Even from top-notch developers come some games that would easily fall into the hot garbage category. Here are some of our picks of the worst platform games that will get you on the train to frustration town.

 

5. Super Mario Bros: The Lost Level

New SMB3: Lost Levels (Trailer HD)

Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels was first released in 1986 as the sequel to Super Mario Bowser. Like in the previous game, the Mario brothers, Mario and Luigi, have to save Princess Peach. However, unlike in the previous games, this one takes it up a notch higher with the difficulty level. The designers might have had a cruel sense of humor when they named it the Lost Level. Luigi has shoes made of soap, and he slips so many times that he dies. This is terrible if you are invested in the character. It puts a dent in how you navigate the game. 

Another source of frustration is Mario's boots, which don't lift him high enough, so he keeps jumping but does not make enough progress. You could end up jumping at the same spot for many minutes. It is like a mind-melting loop. Some gamers have described it as a “troll,” a game that is intentionally difficult for no particular reason. The game is full of hidden enemies, unpredictable deaths, poison mushrooms, and other difficult things. In fact, the game was considered so difficult that the publishers did not release it in America for fear it would frustrate Americans. 

 

4. Spyro: Enter the DragonFly

Spyro Enter the Dragonfly | PS2 | Official Trailer

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly is the fourth installment in the Spyro the Dragon series, and it was designed for the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube. Insomniac Games created the game to follow up the other three. Unlike the previous ones, this one was not the best of the bunch. First released in 1998, this game gave gamers hope for good gaming. Given that other games such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot were big hits a few years earlier, it was possible. The first release was pretty good, and people enjoyed it, but the 2002 hardware upgrade threw things off track. 

From uneven levels to insistent bugs that make the game unplayable and Spyro's wings bursting on fire, the game is basically unplayable. The long loading time will test your last nerve. If you hate the internet taking a lot longer to load, imagine what happens when the character freezes on screen for minutes on end. The developers rushed the process and the final polish that could have kept the game in its league, but sadly, it crashed and burned. They even had a point where the game was canceled temporarily, so people went to work and were told to go back home. 

 

3. Ninjabread Man

Ninjabread Man (Wii) Gameplay Trailer

Data Design Interactive released NinjaBread Man in 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Windows. With the Wii port, players can now fight enemies while wielding a sword. The ninja man, who is just a gingerbread man, is set up in a pretty good world, but the console could easily frustrate the daylights out of you. The game has no storyline to follow, and you are winging it at every level. The first level you get is the tutorial; then you go to levels one through four. All through these levels, you keep collecting the same orbs or vials. 

Unfortunately, the consoles do not work as they should, and the jumping console feature will drive you crazy. There is not enough patience in the universe for you to work with the cameras in this game. It moves between stoic and erratic, further fuelling the anger you are feeling at this point. If you keep on playing it, you will end up throwing your console against the wall.

 

2. Blues Brothers 2000

Blues Brothers 2000 N64 Gameplay [No Commentary]

The movies were great, so you would assume Titus Interactive could have replicated the same when creating the Blue Brothers 2000 game. Unfortunately, they missed the mark by a mile. Coming out a year after the movie, the game's attempt to recreate the magic failed. The world they based it on, Chicago, looks dull, sunless, and gray. 

Straight from the menu, you are hit with a poorly created cartoon version of Elwood Blues. The four levels in the game have been loosely based on the movie, but the cutscenes are horrible static images or in-text sections. There is not much life going on in the movie, so it is safe to assume the creative directors did not put much thought into the design. Even though they use some good, licensed music, the sound effects are bad. The sound they use for dying should also be revised because it is awful. 

 

1. Sonic Boom: Rise of the Lyric

Sonic Boom - Rise of Lyric: Gamescom 2014 Trailer

Topping our list of worst platform games, we have Sonic Boom: Rise of the Lyric. 2014 was the year that Big Red Button Entertainment decided to create a game out of the hit movie and comics franchise. The Sonic franchise is a big hit among gamers and kids, and you would think the developers could put in the effort required to make the game a worthy piece of entertainment. They did not. The Sonic Boom: Rise of the Lyric game is ridden with bugs, glitches, terrible graphics, and bad writing. These are just some of the attributes that made the game a disaster. And it doesn't stop there.

The game's camera system is basically broken, the controls don't work, and it has poor responsiveness. It would be hard to believe that there was a person tasked with ensuring good user experience design. It is almost as if the creators hate Sonic and are on a mission to make you hate the character as well. There is no salvation with this one.

If there was a hall of fame for bad games, these games would definitely have a spot in there. 

So, what are some of the worst platform games you have encountered? Let us know over on our socials here or down in the comments below.

Evans I. Karanja is a freelance writer who loves to write about anything technology. He is always on the lookout for interesting topics, and enjoys writing about video games, cryptocurrency and blockchain and more. When not writing, he can be found playing video games or watching F1.