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Platformer games were all the rage during the 90s and early naughties, which saw players navigate a character across a level by running, jumping, climbing, or flying across numerous platforms. If this sounds familiar, it's because some of the most famous titles from the 90s were platformer games.
One of the most popular platformer mascots was Mario, whose legacy remains as one of the longest-running video game series ever. Hailing from Nintendo, these platformer titles ruled the scene in the early ages of video games, and other companies like SEGA came up with their own platforming heroes, such as Sonic.
While the above two examples are well-known, numerous other platformer game icons never made it to stardom. These mascots could not withstand the test of time and eventually fizzled out over video game history.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinions.
Five platformer game mascots famous during 1990s and early 2000s
1) Gex The Gecko
Gex was one of the first titles developed by Crystal Dynamics, which saw the character Gex, The Gecko, who was intended to be a mascot for the developer, similar to Mario and Sonic. It was a side-scrolling platformer game in which Gex traversed various levels to reach the antagonist of the game, Rez.
This platformer title first came out in 1995 for the 3DO, PlayStation, and the SEGA Saturn and later received a port for Window PCs in 1996. Gex was a wisecracking anthropomorphic gecko addicted to television, which led him to be pulled into the Media Dimension via the TV, as orchestrated by Rez.
Gex was popular enough to establish Crystal Dynamics as a proper studio and even received a sequel and a third game in the series. However, after Gex 3: Deep Cover Gecko, in 1999, the developer seems to have moved on from this property, and Gex was soon forgotten.
2) Banjo-Kazooie
While Banjo first appeared as a playable character in 1997's Diddy Kong Racing, the first title where this bear had the lead role was Banjo-Kazooie. Developed by Rare and published originally by Nintendo, this platformer game paired Banjo with a bird known as Kazooie as they tried to stop the evil witch Gruntilda.
As a 3D platformer, players controlled the pair across numerous levels, where they had to collect musical notes and jigsaw puzzles to proceed to the next stage. Featuring an overworld through which users can access the different stages, it had a non-linear order, meaning users could collect jigsaws and notes in any way they wanted.
Its success led to a sequel and two other games in the series, with the last new title being released in 2008. The pair have since made appearances in other games, such as SEGA's All-Star Racing and Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. series.
3) Spyro, the Dragon
From Insomniac Games was born Spyro, the Dragon, a purple flying reptile, which launched a trilogy of platformer games exclusive to the Playstation from 1998 to 2000. The first title in this trilogy was simply titled Spyro, the Dragon, which saw the titular dragon take on the forces of Gnasty Gnorc.
After this initial run of the first trilogy, Spyro gained a lot in popularity, getting many multiplatform and handheld console releases, consisting of seven games. In 2006, Spyro got a reboot in the form of the Legend of Spyro trilogy, which saw the game evolve from just being a platformer to an action-adventure platformer developed by Chrome Studios.
However, the reboot trilogy received lackluster responses and saw the series head back to its roots. After a 10-year hiatus, in 2018, from developer Toys for Bob came the Spyri reignited trilogy, which saw the first trilogy remastered and released for PS4 and Xbox One.
4) Jax and Daxter
After enjoying the success of Crash Bandicoot, developer Naughty Dog looked for a new IP and mascot to lead a series of platformer games centered around an action-adventure premise. This led to Jax and Daxter's creation, a duo composed of a young teenager and a member of the fictional ottsel species from the game.
The first game in the series was titled Jax and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy and sees the two go up against two antagonists, namely Gol and Maia Acheron. Its success spurred three more titles in the series and a couple of spinoff releases for portable consoles.
These were story-based platformer games comprised of action, racing, and puzzle-solving mechanics on their levels. Set in a fictional universe that combines elements of mysticism and sci-fi, the story generally centers around the two protagonists uncovering secrets in their world left behind by a long-forgotten race known as the precursors.
5) Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim was the protagonist in a series of side-scrolling platformers first released in 1994. While different parties developed the entire series, the first game was made primarily by Shiny Entertainment.
Simply titled Earthworm Jim, this saw the titular character put on a robotic suit and fight the various enemies using a gun.
This slimy mascot was quite famous then and even saw a sequel to the game and a cartoon television series that ran from 1995 to 1996. The second title in the series was also successful, although, for the third game, a new developer was tasked with creating a 3D game, giving rise to Earthworm Jim 3D.
However, this new game was not received well, and a fourth title was criticized even more. Finally, after a few canceled projects, a remake of the original game was released, which saw some love.
However, Earthworm Jim has since gone under (pun intended) and has no signs of returning anytime soon.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinion.
