PPG Game Of The Year 2024 - 10 - Platforming, Now in the Third Dimension!

With the increasing (re)popularity of N64/PS1 nostalgia plays, it's inevitable that we're going to get some really damn good 3D platformers. Not only that, but the space is ripe for experimentation. What brings all these together is a love of expressive movement, be it driven by collectables scattered about, stylish AF animation or nail-biting jumps that feel oh so satisfying to land.

Dream of the Star Haven (EA)
First Person Puzzle Platforming
A neat experimental platformer with gravity flipping mechanics.

Helskate
Tony Hawks Demonic Combat
Punk skateboarding crossed with monster slaying across the skate parks of hell. The blend of environmental tricks with combo based combat somehow works.

Ereban: Shadow Legacy
Stealth Action Platforming
This indie Assassins Creed adjacent game deserves more attention than it's gotten. Stealth around to avoid or take out enemies using gadgets and the shadows with interesting vertical design and an intriguing story to discover.

Once A Tale
Stop Motion Adventure
A strangely overlooked gem with some breathtaking design work and neat stop motion animation. Hansel and Gretel star in a cross-fairy tale adventure.

Vagrant Moon
PS1 Collectathon
Simple 3D collectathon platformer that while looks like a young devs first project, looks like it could have some fun platforming. Exactly 0 reviews, so juries out on a verdict for this one. The MC could use some longer shorts.

RKGK / Rakugaki
Stylish As Hell
Has, as the kids say, The Rizz. Popping art, anti-capitalist, punk, paint the corporate city neon. Definitely one for the platform speed runners.

Aerial_Knight's We Never Yield
Narrative Based Auto Runner
Stylish parkour, popping graphics and an Afro-futurist kingdom setting. Can be played in co-op as well.

Electric Fairyland
Cute Tiny Adventure
A cozy little 3D adventure game "inspired by 90s platformers and childrens' picture books" with plenty of doohickeys to find and collect.

Akimbot
Modern PS2 Action Platformer
A bit Ratchet & Clank adjacent in its 3D adventuring and shooting, but with space combat sequences mixed in. Feels like an alt history where action platformers remained the dominant genre post PS2.

Lorn's Lure
Parkour Everywhere Platformer
Definitely one for the 3D platformer enjoyer who wants to approach movement with a large degree of freedom and expression. Climbing walls with pickaxes and leaping across and into chasms is just exquisite.

Europa
Ghibli Free Form Platforming
A gorgeous adventure with wonderfully fun movement that only sticks around for a couple of brief joyous hours. Fantastic animation and art work throughout.

And The Best 3D Platformer Of 2024 Is…

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom
No Jump Platformer
Taxi's can't jump, are you silly? A "love letter to the N64 era of collectathons", This excellently designed platformer has you using quite a varied moveset for a taxi in order to joyously make your way around intricate levels. Just pure wacky fun all the way down.