Side-scrolling video game
Encyclopedia
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay
action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling
computer display technology. The move from single-screen or flip-screen
graphics to scrolling graphics, during the golden age of video arcade games and during third-generation consoles
, would prove to be a pivotal leap in game design, comparable to the move to 3D graphics
during the fifth generation
.
genre. Platform games are action games that feature jumping, climbing, and running characters who must be guided through many diverse levels. Games such as Super Mario Bros.
are among the most famous side-scrollers of this type.
The side-scrolling format is also popular among beat 'em up
s, such as the popular Double Dragon
and Battletoads
series. Side-scrolling is even used in certain role-playing games such as the 2D
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
or the Korea
n MMORPG
MapleStory
. Often in beat 'em ups the screen will scroll to a certain point then stop and require the enemies on screen to be defeated before it moves on.
Another popular use of the side-scrolling format is in the Shooter
genre, typified by games like R-type
, and more recently Jets'n'Guns
. In this game style the player usually starts with a basic ship that flies from left to right and acquires Power-up
s that allow them to face an ever increasing horde of enemies. The popularity of this genre traces its roots back to such fast-paced games as Defender
.
With video games that use side-scrolling, often the screen will scroll forward following the speed and direction of the player character, and can also scroll backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or stages the screen will follow the player character but only scroll forwards, not backwards, so once something has passed off the back of the screen it can no longer be visited. Some games have stages where the screen scrolls forward by itself at a steady rate, and the player must keep up with the screen, attempting to avoid obstacles and collect things before they pass off screen. The screen in shoot 'em up
s such as R-type often side-scrolls by itself in such a way. The Mario series has used all of three of these different ways of side-scrolling.
The screen in many games that use side-scrolling, for the most part, follows the player character and tries to keep it near the center of the screen. Other games will adjust the screen with the character's movement, making the character off-center in the opposite direction of its movement, showing more space in front of the character than behind.
s in the early 1980s, it was not introduced to video game console
s until the third generation
, with the 1983 release of the Nintendo Entertainment System
, the first console to feature hardware scrolling. This opened up the possibility of vast worlds that made earlier single-screen arcade games seem quaint. This gave Nintendo
's NES a major advantage over its competitor, Sega
's SG-1000
, which was released on the same day but lacked hardware scrolling, much like earlier consoles such as the ColecoVision
and computers such as the MSX
. Despite the lack of hardware scrolling, Sega's SG-1000 Mark II was able to pull off some scrolling effects in 1984, including parallax scrolling
in Orguss and sprite
scaling in Zoom 909. In 1985, Sega's Master System incorporated hardware scrolling, alongside an increased colour pallette, greater memory, pseudo-3D effects, and stereoscopic 3-D, gaining a clear hardware advantage over the NES. However, the NES would still continue to dominate the important North American and Japanese markets, while the Master System would gain more dominance in the emerging European and South American markets.
released an early side-scrolling game, Bomber, which involved controlling a bomber plane that drops bombs on moving targets, which include a scrolling pattern of buildings, while shooting at oncoming fighter jets that also move in a scrolling pattern across the screen. The following year, Sega released a side-scrolling shooter, Secret Base, which allowed two-player cooperative gameplay
and where the aim was to destroy an enemy base amidst enemy missiles and anti-aircraft fire. The use of side-scrolling was later popularized by Defender
, released by Williams Electronics in 1980. This was a major breakthrough in that it allowed the game world to extend beyond the boundaries of a single static screen. Defender is also notable for introducing the mini-map
or radar, along with Rally-X
and Battlezone that same year.
Another 1980 shooter, Sega's Space Tactics, an early first-person perspective shooter, featured scrolling in all directions, with the entire screen moving and scrolling as the player moves the cross-hairs. In 1981, Scramble
was the first side-scroller with multiple, distinct levels. The art of the side-scrolling format was then greatly enhanced by parallax scrolling
, which is used in side-scrolling games to give an illusion of depth. The background images are presented in multiple layers that scroll at different rates, thus objects closer to the horizon scroll slower than objects closer to the viewer. This technology was first featured in Moon Patrol
in 1982. Another early side scroller from that same year was Sea Dragon
.
In 1984, Hover Attack for the Sharp X1
was an early run & gun shooter that freely scrolled in all directions and allowed the player to shoot diagonally as well as straight ahead. The following year, 1985, saw the release of Thexder
, a breakthrough title for run & gun shooters.
In 1985, Konami's side-scrolling shooter Gradius
gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success. Gradius, with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up
and spawned a series spanning several sequels.
Shoot 'em ups such as Ikari Warriors
(1986) featuring characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, became popular in the mid-1980s in the wake of action movies such as Rambo: First Blood Part II
. The first game of this type is uncertain but the first influential example was Commando, released in 1985. 1988's Contra (a modified version of which was released as Probotector in Europe
) was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay. However, by the early 1990s and the popularity of 16-bit consoles
, the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out (one exception being the inventive Gunstar Heroes
, by Treasure).
's driving game Rally-X
was the first game to allow scrolling
in multiple directions, both vertical and horizontal, and it was possible to pull the screen quickly in either direction. It also featured an early example of a radar
, to show the car's location on the map.
By 1984, there were a few racing games played from a side-scrolling view, including Nintendo
's Excitebike
and SNK
's Jumping Cross. That year, SNK also released Mad Crasher, where the player drives a futuristic motorbike along diagonal-scrolling roads.
was Jump Bug
, a simple platform-shooter released in 1981. Players controlled a bouncing car and navigated it to jump on various platforms like buildings, clouds and hills. It featured levels that scrolled both horizontally and vertically.
In August 1982, Taito
released Jungle King
, which featured Tarzan
(an unauthorized use of the character that would result in a lawsuit
). It is considered the first 'side-scrolling, jumping & attacking game with a humanoid character', three years before Super Mario Bros.
In 1984, Pac-Land
took the scrolling platformer a step further, aspiring to be more than a simple game of hurdle jumping. It was not only a successful title, but it more closely resembled later scrolling platformers like Wonder Boy
and Super Mario Bros and was probably a direct influence on them. It also featured multi-layered parallax scrolling
. That same year saw the release of Legend of Kage
, which offered levels that extended in all directions. Sega
released Flicky
, a simple platformer with horizontally scrolling levels that featured their first mascot character. Namco
followed up Pac-Land with the fantasy-themed Dragon Buster
the following year.
Nintendo's platform game Super Mario Bros.
, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
in 1985, became the archetype for many scrolling platformers to follow. The title went on to sell over 40 million copies according to the 1999 Guinness Book of World Records. Its success contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the 8-bit console generation. Sega
attempted to emulate this success with their Alex Kidd
series, as well as with the Wonder Boy
series. The later Wonder Boy games were also notable for combining adventure
and role-playing elements with traditional platforming.
-inspired Kung-Fu Master laid the foundations for side-scrolling beat 'em up
s with its simple gameplay and multiple enemies. Also in 1984, Karateka
successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting action and was among the first beat 'em ups to be successfully ported to home systems. It was also the first side-scroller to include cutscene
s.
In 1986, Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun
deviated from the martial arts themes of earlier beat 'em up
games and introduced street brawling to the genre. The Western adaptation Renegade (released the same year) added an underworld revenge plot that proved more popular with gamers than the principled combat sport of other games. Renegade set the standard for future beat 'em up games as it introduced the ability to move both horizontally and vertically
.
In 1987, the release of Double Dragon ushered in a "Golden Age" for the beat 'em up genre that lasted nearly 5 years. The game was designed as Technos Japan's spiritual successor to Renegade, but it took the genre to new heights with its detailed set of martial arts attacks and its outstanding two-player cooperative gameplay. Double Dragons success largely resulted in a flood of beat 'em ups that came in the late 1980s, where acclaimed titles such as Golden Axe
and Final Fight
(both 1989) distinguished themselves from the others. Final Fight
was Capcom's
intended sequel to Street Fighter
(provisionally titled Street Fighter '89), but the company ultimately gave it a new title. Acclaimed as the best game in the genre, Final Fight spawned two sequels and was later ported to other systems. Golden Axe was acclaimed for its visceral hack and slash
action and cooperative mode and was influential through its selection of multiple protagonists with distinct fighting styles. It is considered one of the strongest beat 'em up titles for its fantasy elements, distinguishing it from the urban settings seen in other beat 'em ups.
games, which allow characters to move in all directions, rather than just forward or backward. Side-scrolling is still a popular format on handheld
systems such as the Game Boy Advance
, since many games are ports
, and because of the limited memory of such handheld systems. For the Nintendo DS
and PlayStation Portable
there are many games which you can move in all directions, such as Super Mario 64 DS
, as well as side-scrollers, such as Sonic Rush
. Games such as New Super Mario Bros.
on the DS, Alien Hominid
on the Gamecube/PS2/360, the Playstation 2 Action RPG Odin Sphere
, and the Xbox 360
and PC
game Braid
are examples of modern sidescrollers. Modern platforming games, like Super Paper Mario
, Crush
, Sonic Unleashed
, include both 2D and 3D element and most recently New Super Mario Bros Wii and Muramasa: The Demon Blade
. Side-scrolling remains popular in online game
s.
Gameplay
Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...
action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling
Scrolling
In computer graphics, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display. "Scrolling", as such, does not change the layout of the text or pictures, or but incrementally moves the user's view across what is...
computer display technology. The move from single-screen or flip-screen
Flip-screen
In video games, flip-screen is a principle whereby the playing environment is divided into single-screen portions...
graphics to scrolling graphics, during the golden age of video arcade games and during third-generation consoles
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
, would prove to be a pivotal leap in game design, comparable to the move to 3D graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
during the fifth generation
History of video game consoles (fifth generation)
The fifth-generation era refers to the computer and video games, video game consoles, and video game handhelds available at stores...
.
Use of side-scrolling
The most popular use of the side-scrolling format is in the platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
genre. Platform games are action games that feature jumping, climbing, and running characters who must be guided through many diverse levels. Games such as Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
are among the most famous side-scrollers of this type.
The side-scrolling format is also popular among beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
s, such as the popular Double Dragon
Double Dragon
is a classic beat 'em up video game series initially developed by Technos Japan Corporation, who also developed the Kunio-kun series ....
and Battletoads
Battletoads
Battletoads is a platformer video game created by Tim and Chris Stamper and developed by Rare. Starring three anthropomorphic toads named after skin conditions , the game was created to rival the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games....
series. Side-scrolling is even used in certain role-playing games such as the 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Konami in 1997. It is the 14th installment of the Castlevania series, the first installment released for the PlayStation, and a direct sequel to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood.Symphony of the...
or the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
MapleStory
MapleStory
MapleStory is a free-to-play, 2D, side-scrolling massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by the South Korean company Wizet. Several versions of the game are available for specific countries or regions, and each is published by various companies such as Nexon...
. Often in beat 'em ups the screen will scroll to a certain point then stop and require the enemies on screen to be defeated before it moves on.
Another popular use of the side-scrolling format is in the Shooter
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
genre, typified by games like R-type
R-Type
is a side scrolling shoot-em-up arcade game produced by Irem in 1987. The player controls a space fighter named R-9a "Arrowhead" to defend humanity against a mysterious but powerful alien life-form known as "Bydo", which was later discovered to be not entirely alien in origin...
, and more recently Jets'n'Guns
Jets'n'Guns
Jets'n'Guns is a 2D, side-scrolling shoot 'em up computer game released in late 2004 for Microsoft Windows by RakeInGrass software. In April 2006, a version for Mac OS X was released. In December 2006 an expansion, Jets'n'Guns Gold, was released...
. In this game style the player usually starts with a basic ship that flies from left to right and acquires Power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s that allow them to face an ever increasing horde of enemies. The popularity of this genre traces its roots back to such fast-paced games as Defender
Defender (game)
Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts...
.
With video games that use side-scrolling, often the screen will scroll forward following the speed and direction of the player character, and can also scroll backwards to previously visited parts of a stage. In other games or stages the screen will follow the player character but only scroll forwards, not backwards, so once something has passed off the back of the screen it can no longer be visited. Some games have stages where the screen scrolls forward by itself at a steady rate, and the player must keep up with the screen, attempting to avoid obstacles and collect things before they pass off screen. The screen in shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
s such as R-type often side-scrolls by itself in such a way. The Mario series has used all of three of these different ways of side-scrolling.
The screen in many games that use side-scrolling, for the most part, follows the player character and tries to keep it near the center of the screen. Other games will adjust the screen with the character's movement, making the character off-center in the opposite direction of its movement, showing more space in front of the character than behind.
History
While side-scrolling had been present in various arcade gameArcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
s in the early 1980s, it was not introduced to video game console
Video game console
A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...
s until the third generation
History of video game consoles (third generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the third generation began on July 15, 1983, with the Japanese release of both the Nintendo Family Computer and Sega SG-1000...
, with the 1983 release of the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
, the first console to feature hardware scrolling. This opened up the possibility of vast worlds that made earlier single-screen arcade games seem quaint. This gave Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's NES a major advantage over its competitor, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's SG-1000
SG-1000
The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000.The SC-3000 sold for ¥29,800 in 1983 and was marketed as a computer for beginners...
, which was released on the same day but lacked hardware scrolling, much like earlier consoles such as the ColecoVision
ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...
and computers such as the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
. Despite the lack of hardware scrolling, Sega's SG-1000 Mark II was able to pull off some scrolling effects in 1984, including parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
in Orguss and sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
scaling in Zoom 909. In 1985, Sega's Master System incorporated hardware scrolling, alongside an increased colour pallette, greater memory, pseudo-3D effects, and stereoscopic 3-D, gaining a clear hardware advantage over the NES. However, the NES would still continue to dominate the important North American and Japanese markets, while the Master System would gain more dominance in the emerging European and South American markets.
Side-scrolling shooters
In 1977, SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released an early side-scrolling game, Bomber, which involved controlling a bomber plane that drops bombs on moving targets, which include a scrolling pattern of buildings, while shooting at oncoming fighter jets that also move in a scrolling pattern across the screen. The following year, Sega released a side-scrolling shooter, Secret Base, which allowed two-player cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
and where the aim was to destroy an enemy base amidst enemy missiles and anti-aircraft fire. The use of side-scrolling was later popularized by Defender
Defender (game)
Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts...
, released by Williams Electronics in 1980. This was a major breakthrough in that it allowed the game world to extend beyond the boundaries of a single static screen. Defender is also notable for introducing the mini-map
Mini-map
A mini-map is a miniature map, often placed in a corner of the screen in computer games and video games to aid in reorientation. Mini-maps usually display traversable terrain, allies, enemies, and important locations or items.-Usage of GPS:...
or radar, along with Rally-X
Rally-X
Rally-X is a maze driving arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Pac-Man hardware, and was the first Namco game to feature "Special Flags", which would become a recurring object in later games .It was the first game to ever feature a "bonus round." The object is to...
and Battlezone that same year.
Another 1980 shooter, Sega's Space Tactics, an early first-person perspective shooter, featured scrolling in all directions, with the entire screen moving and scrolling as the player moves the cross-hairs. In 1981, Scramble
Scramble (arcade game)
Scramble is a 1981 horizontally scrolling shoot 'em up, arcade game. It was developed by Konami, and manufactured and distributed by Stern in North America. It was the first side-scrolling shooter with forced scrolling and multiple distinct levels...
was the first side-scroller with multiple, distinct levels. The art of the side-scrolling format was then greatly enhanced by parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
, which is used in side-scrolling games to give an illusion of depth. The background images are presented in multiple layers that scroll at different rates, thus objects closer to the horizon scroll slower than objects closer to the viewer. This technology was first featured in Moon Patrol
Moon Patrol
is a classic arcade game by Irem that was first released in 1982. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America.The player controls a moon buggy, viewing it from the side, that travels over the moon's surface. While driving it, obstacles such as craters and mines must be avoided....
in 1982. Another early side scroller from that same year was Sea Dragon
Sea Dragon (computer game)
Sea Dragon is a side-scrolling game on the TRS-80 computer, released in 1982 by Adventure International. It was ported to the Apple II, Atari 400/800, and the TRS-80 Color Computer.-Summary:...
.
In 1984, Hover Attack for the Sharp X1
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
was an early run & gun shooter that freely scrolled in all directions and allowed the player to shoot diagonally as well as straight ahead. The following year, 1985, saw the release of Thexder
Thexder
is a classic action-arcade game from Game Arts, released on a number of platforms throughout the late 1980's and 1990.-Background:In the game, the player is a fighter robot, but is able to transform into a jet. Originally released in 1985 for the NEC PC-8801 platform in Japan, the game quickly...
, a breakthrough title for run & gun shooters.
In 1985, Konami's side-scrolling shooter Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success. Gradius, with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
and spawned a series spanning several sequels.
Shoot 'em ups such as Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors
Ikari Warriors is a 1986 arcade game by SNK, published in the United States and Europe by Tradewest. Known simply as in Japan, this was SNK's first major breakthrough US release and became something of a classic. The game was released at the time when there were many Commando clones on the market...
(1986) featuring characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, became popular in the mid-1980s in the wake of action movies such as Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 action film. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone, who reprises his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo...
. The first game of this type is uncertain but the first influential example was Commando, released in 1985. 1988's Contra (a modified version of which was released as Probotector in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
) was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two player cooperative gameplay. However, by the early 1990s and the popularity of 16-bit consoles
History of video game consoles (fourth generation)
In the history of computer and video games, the fourth generation began on October 30, 1987 with the Japanese release of Nippon Electric Company's PC Engine...
, the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out (one exception being the inventive Gunstar Heroes
Gunstar Heroes
is a run and gun video game developed by Treasure and published by Sega.Treasure's debut game was originally released on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in late 1993, and later on, ported to the Game Gear by M2. On February 23, 2006, Gunstar Heroes was released as part of the Gunstar Heroes: Treasure...
, by Treasure).
Side-scrolling racing games
In 1980, NamcoNamco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
's driving game Rally-X
Rally-X
Rally-X is a maze driving arcade game that was released by Namco in 1980. It runs on Namco Pac-Man hardware, and was the first Namco game to feature "Special Flags", which would become a recurring object in later games .It was the first game to ever feature a "bonus round." The object is to...
was the first game to allow scrolling
Scrolling
In computer graphics, filmmaking, television production, and other kinetic displays, scrolling is sliding text, images or video across a monitor or display. "Scrolling", as such, does not change the layout of the text or pictures, or but incrementally moves the user's view across what is...
in multiple directions, both vertical and horizontal, and it was possible to pull the screen quickly in either direction. It also featured an early example of a radar
Mini-map
A mini-map is a miniature map, often placed in a corner of the screen in computer games and video games to aid in reorientation. Mini-maps usually display traversable terrain, allies, enemies, and important locations or items.-Usage of GPS:...
, to show the car's location on the map.
By 1984, there were a few racing games played from a side-scrolling view, including Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Excitebike
Excitebike
is a motocross racing video game franchise made by Nintendo. It first debuted as a game for the Famicom in Japan in 1984 and as a launch title for the NES in 1985. It is the first game of the Excite series, succeeded by its direct sequel Excitebike 64, its spiritual successors Excite Truck and...
and SNK
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
's Jumping Cross. That year, SNK also released Mad Crasher, where the player drives a futuristic motorbike along diagonal-scrolling roads.
Scrolling platformers
The first scrolling platform gamePlatform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
was Jump Bug
Jump Bug
Jump Bug was the first platform game to include smooth horizontal scrolling. It was developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei/Coreland and released to arcades in 1981, only five months after Donkey Kong.-Gameplay:...
, a simple platform-shooter released in 1981. Players controlled a bouncing car and navigated it to jump on various platforms like buildings, clouds and hills. It featured levels that scrolled both horizontally and vertically.
In August 1982, Taito
Taito
Taito may mean:*Taito Corporation, a Japanese developer of video game software and arcade hardware*Taito, Tokyo, a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan*Taito, also known as matai, paramount chiefs according to Fa'a Samoa...
released Jungle King
Jungle Hunt
Jungle Hunt is a one- or two-player side-scrolling arcade platform game produced by Taito in 1982.The player controls a jungle explorer who sports a pith helmet and a safari suit. The player must rescue his girl from a tribe of hungry cannibals...
, which featured Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
(an unauthorized use of the character that would result in a lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
). It is considered the first 'side-scrolling, jumping & attacking game with a humanoid character', three years before Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
In 1984, Pac-Land
Pac-Land
is an entry in the Pac-Man series of arcade video games, released into arcades by Namco, and its American distributor Bally Midway , in 1984. It was the first Namco arcade game to use the then-new arcade system later titled as Namco Pac-Land...
took the scrolling platformer a step further, aspiring to be more than a simple game of hurdle jumping. It was not only a successful title, but it more closely resembled later scrolling platformers like Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
and Super Mario Bros and was probably a direct influence on them. It also featured multi-layered parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a special scrolling technique in computer graphics, popularized in the 1982 arcade game Moon Patrol. In this pseudo-3D technique, background images move by the camera slower than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D video game and adding to the immersion...
. That same year saw the release of Legend of Kage
Legend of Kage
The Legend of Kage is a 1985 arcade game by Taito and was released for several contemporary home computer systems in 1986.-Story:...
, which offered levels that extended in all directions. Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released Flicky
Flicky
Flicky is an arcade game made by Sega. First released in arcades in 1984, Flicky was also released at the time for the SG-1000, and then ported to the MSX and Japanese computers Sharp X1, Fujitsu FM-7 and NEC PC-8801. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1991...
, a simple platformer with horizontally scrolling levels that featured their first mascot character. Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
followed up Pac-Land with the fantasy-themed Dragon Buster
Dragon Buster
is a dungeon crawl action role-playing platform arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware, modified to support vertical scrolling. In Japan, the game was ported to the MSX and Famicom; the latter version was later released for the Virtual Console in the same...
the following year.
Nintendo's platform game Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
, released for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
in 1985, became the archetype for many scrolling platformers to follow. The title went on to sell over 40 million copies according to the 1999 Guinness Book of World Records. Its success contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the 8-bit console generation. Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
attempted to emulate this success with their Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd
is a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
series, as well as with the Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
series. The later Wonder Boy games were also notable for combining adventure
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
and role-playing elements with traditional platforming.
Side-scrolling beat 'em ups
In 1984, Hong Kong cinemaHong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
-inspired Kung-Fu Master laid the foundations for side-scrolling beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
s with its simple gameplay and multiple enemies. Also in 1984, Karateka
Karateka (video game)
Karateka is a 1984 computer game by Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia. Karateka was Mechner's first hit game, and was designed while he was attending Yale University. The game was renowned at the time for its realistic animations. In the United States, Karateka was published by...
successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting action and was among the first beat 'em ups to be successfully ported to home systems. It was also the first side-scroller to include cutscene
Cutscene
A cutscene is a sequence in a video game over which the player has no or only limited control, breaking up the gameplay and used to advance the plot, strengthen the main character's development, introduces enemy characters, and provide background information, atmosphere, dialogue, and clues...
s.
In 1986, Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun
Renegade (video game)
Renegade is a video game released in American and European arcades in 1986 by Taito. It is a westernized conversion of the Japanese arcade game , released earlier the same year by Technos...
deviated from the martial arts themes of earlier beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
games and introduced street brawling to the genre. The Western adaptation Renegade (released the same year) added an underworld revenge plot that proved more popular with gamers than the principled combat sport of other games. Renegade set the standard for future beat 'em up games as it introduced the ability to move both horizontally and vertically
Belt scroll
Belt scroll is a video game genre that is side-scrolling action with downward camera angle. The character is able to move not only sideways but also vertical to depth within limited area.This term is mainly used in Japan...
.
In 1987, the release of Double Dragon ushered in a "Golden Age" for the beat 'em up genre that lasted nearly 5 years. The game was designed as Technos Japan's spiritual successor to Renegade, but it took the genre to new heights with its detailed set of martial arts attacks and its outstanding two-player cooperative gameplay. Double Dragons success largely resulted in a flood of beat 'em ups that came in the late 1980s, where acclaimed titles such as Golden Axe
Golden Axe
Golden Axe is a side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash arcade video game released in 1989 by Sega for the System 16-B arcade hardware. It is the first game in the Golden Axe series....
and Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
(both 1989) distinguished themselves from the others. Final Fight
Final Fight
is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up game originally released by Capcom as a coin-operated video game in . It was the seventh game released by Capcom for their CP System arcade game hardware...
was Capcom's
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
intended sequel to Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
(provisionally titled Street Fighter '89), but the company ultimately gave it a new title. Acclaimed as the best game in the genre, Final Fight spawned two sequels and was later ported to other systems. Golden Axe was acclaimed for its visceral hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
action and cooperative mode and was influential through its selection of multiple protagonists with distinct fighting styles. It is considered one of the strongest beat 'em up titles for its fantasy elements, distinguishing it from the urban settings seen in other beat 'em ups.
Later history
In recent years side-scrolling games have become less popular in favor of 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
games, which allow characters to move in all directions, rather than just forward or backward. Side-scrolling is still a popular format on handheld
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
systems such as the Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
, since many games are ports
Porting
In computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created for a computing environment that is different from the one for which it was originally designed...
, and because of the limited memory of such handheld systems. For the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
there are many games which you can move in all directions, such as Super Mario 64 DS
Super Mario 64 DS
is an enhanced remake of the 1996 Nintendo 64, platform game Super Mario 64, produced by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game was a launch title for the Nintendo DS, released in North America and Japan in 2004; it was later released in Europe and Australia in 2005.Nintendo...
, as well as side-scrollers, such as Sonic Rush
Sonic Rush
is a 2005 platform handheld video game developed by Sonic Team and Dimps exclusively for the Nintendo DS as part of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series. It was released on November 15, 2005 in North America, November 18 in the PAL region, and November 23 in Japan. It is a 2D platform game, but Sonic's...
. Games such as New Super Mario Bros.
New Super Mario Bros.
is a side-scrolling platform video game published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. The game was released in North America and Japan in May 2006 and in Australia and Europe in June 2006...
on the DS, Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid is an independently developed console video game released for Sony PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube in 2004 through publisher O~3 Entertainment. A PAL version was later released during May 2005 for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox through ZOO Digital Publishing...
on the Gamecube/PS2/360, the Playstation 2 Action RPG Odin Sphere
Odin Sphere
is a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
, and the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
game Braid
Braid (video game)
Braid is a platform and puzzle video game developed by independent software developer Jonathan Blow. The game was released on August 6, 2008 for the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service. A Microsoft Windows version was released on April 10, 2009. Hothead Games ported and released the game to Mac OS...
are examples of modern sidescrollers. Modern platforming games, like Super Paper Mario
Super Paper Mario
is a platform style console role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. Originally developed for the Nintendo GameCube, it was released for the Wii in 2007. The style of gameplay is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles and Super Mario Bros. titles...
, Crush
Crush (video game)
Crush is a platformer-puzzle video game developed by Kuju Entertainment's Zoë Mode studio and published by Sega in 2007 for the PlayStation Portable. Its protagonist is Danny, a teenager suffering from insomnia, who uses an experimental device to explore his mind and discover the cause of his...
, Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed
Sonic Unleashed , is a video game and the 11th installment in the Sonic the Hedgehog series developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for multiple platforms...
, include both 2D and 3D element and most recently New Super Mario Bros Wii and Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa: The Demon Blade, known in Japan as is an action role playing game developed by Vanillaware and published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, Rising Star Games in Europe, and Ignition Entertainment in North America for the Wii...
. Side-scrolling remains popular in online game
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
s.