How to Modernize 3D Platformers // HeavyEyed

2017 will see two incredibly high profile 3D platformers hit the market with Yooka Laylee and A Hat in Time, with this much momentum with the genre, will this spell a revival of the collectathon? If so, let's talk about how that might go.

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Extra Footage from World of Longplays

Music Used //

Oxenfree - Beach, 7am

Monty Datta - Moonlight in La La Land

ＣＨＲＯＮＩＣ⛧ＳＨＮＸＭＡＮ - SCARTCHINGMYBRAIN

THANKS FOR WATCHING

[iwjh]

thought this said monetising 3d platformers smh...

[VZed]

Love these points. Only thing i would emphasize is fluid motion and movement, especially if we can expect to see levels in 3D platformers getting bigger as time goes on.

[gurriato]

Making the worlds larger is a mistake. If the game has a linear progression through the levels, like the 3D Sonic games, big maps are a plus. If it is meant for free roaming with collectibles and challenges, it needs to be smaller and mostly open, so players can memorize their layouts and get to know every nook and cranny. All the classics, like the ones in this video and others like the Tony Hawk series or Jet Set Radio, have relatively small maps. Banjo Kazooie gets vastly more praise than Tooie or Donkey Kong 64. It was apparent soon enough that just making things bigger wasn't the way forward.

Collectibles have always been just a carrot on a stick, an incentive for the players to see everything that the designers took the time of adding the the maps instead of running straight to the objective. That's why they are a staple in games like the Assassin's Creed series. In those games, they encourage people to see all the vistas, monuments, details and shortcuts in the cities and look at more than the minimap. But if the maps are not interesting, if it all starts looking the same and running from one place to the next becomes boring, that is when collectibles become a chore. Because, by the themselves, they are nothing but meaningless, empty "progression".

The game with the worst collectibles I played last year was the sequel to Mirror's Edge. Most collectibles in that game were not highlighting anything in particular or guiding you to interesting places. They were in plain walls and other boring locations and only served to break the flow of the game. You had to stop running, go a little to the side and wait for an animation, and this happened frequently while you were supposedly in a hurry during some story mission.

[Sjono]

Not all 3D platformers are collectathons

[Table]

3D platformers are my jam. What really needs to happen is some sort of software advancement that makes it easier for small independent developers to create 3D games. AAA studios don't seem 3D platformers as money makers and indie devs don't have the resources.

[snomangaming]

Great work mate. I'm excited for this resurgence and I hope we'll see more innovation in the coming years, instead of dropping dead again, like you mentioned.
Also, chillest patreon launch ever lol

[mickmickymick]

I would argue that collectathons are at most a subgenre of 3d platformers, definitely not synonymous with them, and that Mario 64 is not, in fact a collectathon. It was only the Rare games on N64 that were collectathons, going overboard with Donkey Kong 64 with an endless amount of tedious collecting to do. In Mario 64 you entered a level and had at most a small number of goals (stars) to achieve, often just one, that's certainly not a collectathon, cause the game involves completing tasks, not mindlessly collecting things.

[vennril]

So then, HOW to modernize 3D platformers? Simply saying "make the camera better", "players shouldn't get lost" and "have memorable landmarks in your world" isn't exactly revolutionary, nor does it help. Sprinkled in are some bold (hype-fueled?) statements about what Yooka-Laylee "will do", which we now know it didn't...

[gregsorrell]

You tweet about hardcore and then throw some of the most chill tracks I've ever heard. I love it.

[Shadow]

I always liked when 3d platformers incorporated non-platforming themes, like Ratchet's weapons and Sly's stealth.

[lateamholycap]

There is a new awesome 2D collectathon named Promenade that came out !

[MrOzzification]

Ratchet & Clank not a 3D platformer? Not even the 1st title?

[Harvesquire]

I really hope this resurgence takes off. There hasn't been a lot of variety in games recently, and I think a lot of people have acknowledged that (just look at how quickly they reached their Kickstarter goalfor Yooka Laylee). Here's to hoping the collectathon genre makes its come back and is here to stay!

[oddnstrangegames]

Definitely an interesting video, great work.

[planetawesome]

This was a good video! I really hope we get some awesome 3D platformers soon!

[ehmaysi]

I was wondering when your next video was gonna come out, and then here it is. Good shit man

[bgood]

History is repeating itself! Just look at this 20 year comparison!

1996-1998:

Super Mario 64
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Pokemon Red & Blue
Sonic Adventure
Banjo-Kazooie
GoldenEye 007
Castlevania: Symphony of The Night

2016-2018:

Super Mario Odyssey
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
Pokemon Sun & Moon
Sonic Forces
Yooka-Laylee
Overwatch
Bloodstained: Ritual of The Night

[gillythekid]

apparently mario odyssey is also going back to this formula, so there's also that.

[jirogirg]

I actually didn't find an answer - how to modernize 3D platformers. Did i miss something or there is really no answer?

[Fiteclipz]

I find the colectathon definition so limiting, by that definition alone you’re just disregarding some of the best games in the genre, like ratchet and clank, sky cooper, sonic adventure 1 and 2 (although you could argue maybe those two aren’t as fondly remembered but they’re still pretty fun)