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2D Platformer hidden gems on Steam
Every game here is tagged 2D Platformer on Steam, sits between 1,000 and 5,000 reviews, is rated at least 80% positive, and carries a catch drawn from its own negative reviews. All 40 of them. How these pages are made.
SANABI95% positive from 4,717 reviews202353% finish itDeck Playable
Cyberpunk action-platformer featuring chain-hook traversal and combat in a mysterious, chaotic mega-city.
What players likedPlayers praise SANABI's masterful story, characters, and pixel art animations, comparing its grappling hook gameplay to Spider-Man and Speedrunners.
The catchLong cutscenes interrupt constantly, leaving only short bursts of actual gameplay.
Games like SANABI →
20XX91% positive from 4,555 reviews20172% finish itDeck Playable
20XX is a co-op roguelike action platformer where players jump, shoot, and collect powerups through randomized levels. It features permanent death with persistent upgrades and challenging boss battles.
What players likedPlayers praise 20XX as an excellent Mega Man-like, especially compared to Mega Man X, with good design and enemy feel.
The catchLevels are randomly stitched from a small pool and start repeating after a few runs.
Games like 20XX →
VVVVVV96% positive from 4,519 reviews2010Deck Verified
VVVVVV is a challenging retro platformer where players reverse gravity instead of jumping to navigate minimalist levels. It offers fast-paced exploration with frequent checkpoints and a chiptune soundtrack.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique gravity-flipping platforming, tight controls, and challenging precision, comparing it to other games that have adopted similar mechanics.
The catchControls are slippery and floaty, which fights the precision the levels demand.
Games like VVVVVV →
Caveblazers85% positive from 4,516 reviews20177% finish itDeck Verified
Caveblazers is an action platformer roguelike with procedurally generated levels and item discovery. Players explore a dangerous cave, facing unique bosses and smart AI enemies.
What players likedPlayers praise this challenging action roguelike platformer for its satisfying mastery, replayability, and fun co-op.
The catchCombat is unrewarding and enemies can be skipped entirely
Games like Caveblazers →
2D/3D action-adventure with a signature mechanic of jumping between worlds. It features puzzle-solving and mini-challenges in a storybook setting.
What players likedPlayers praise its creative 2D/3D world-shifting mechanics and beautiful art, often comparing it to a relaxing, accessible Zelda-like adventure.
The catchConstant dialogue and hints interrupt play and spoon feed nearly every puzzle solution.
Games like The Plucky Squire →
Timespinner86% positive from 3,131 reviews201848% finish itDeck Verified
This is a 2D action-adventure platformer with time manipulation mechanics. It features pixel art, magic orbs, and familiar companions in a story-driven quest.
What players likedPlayers praise Timespinner as a charming, responsive Metroidvania, often compared to Symphony of the Night and DS Castlevanias, with good world-building and a coherent story.
The catchThe story is dialogue heavy and the writing is juvenile enough to skip outright.
Games like Timespinner →
This is a 2D action-adventure game with hand-drawn graphics. Players shoot through enemies, collect weapons, and unleash a "Waaagh!" for a chaotic, gore-filled experience.
What players likedPlayers enjoy this fun, short, side-scrolling Warhammer platformer with guns, despite some feeling the weapons are underpowered.
The catchFrequent crashes and constant co-op disconnects break up sessions and force replays.
Games like Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef →
This is a free, retro-style platformer where players run and jump through levels, using power-ups to defeat enemies. It features a classic NES aesthetic and chip tune soundtrack.
What players likedPlayers praise this Mario-like game for its fun political commentary, often comparing it to The Daily Show or The Colbert Report.
The catchMovement and jumping feel stiff and imprecise compared to the Mario games it copies.
Games like Super Bernie World →
Hoa89% positive from 3,077 reviews202139% finish itDeck Verified
Puzzle-platformer with hand-painted art. Explore and solve gentle puzzles in a relaxing, story-driven experience.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful Ghibli-inspired art, music, and relaxing atmosphere, offering a cozy platforming experience.
The catchThe hand painted art carries a slow, shallow platformer with almost no challenge.
Games like Hoa →
ANTONBLAST95% positive from 2,929 reviews202411% finish itDeck Verified
ANTONBLAST is a fast-paced action platformer where players use a hammer to demolish environments, battle bosses, and retrieve stolen items. Its core loop involves setting detonators, finding spirits, and escaping before a timer runs out.
What players likedPlayers praise ANTONBLAST as a high-energy, visually unique platformer, often compared to Wario Land 4 and Pizza Tower, for its creative levels and fast-paced gameplay.
The catchConstant visual clutter and heavy pixelation make it hard to track what is happening.
Games like ANTONBLAST →
30XX90% positive from 2,783 reviews20236% finish itDeck Playable
Roguelike action platformer that rebuilds its levels, items and powers every run. Play Ace with combo techniques or Nina with Power Fusion, solo or in local and online co-op.
What players likedPlayers praise this Mega Man X-like roguelite for its balanced gameplay, Hades-style modifiers, and engaging story progression.
The catchIt lands as a messier, less polished step down from the earlier 20XX.
Games like 30XX →
This is a roguelike action-platformer with fast, acrobatic combat and a core loop of dying, learning, and trying again. It offers a challenging, replayable experience focused on mastering movement and combat.
What players likedPlayers praise its fluid parkour, combat, art, and music, comparing it to Dead Cells and Hades.
The catchThe gameplay loop stops changing after a few hours and there is little content left.
Games like The Rogue Prince of Persia →
This is a compilation of action-exploration Castlevania games featuring spell fusion and attribute card systems, offering a classic gothic horror feel. It includes modern features like rewind and save states for enhanced gameplay.
What players likedPlayers praise this collection as an excellent way to experience classic Metroidvania Castlevania games, especially "Aria of Sorrow."
The catchThe PC port is barebones, with no key rebinding and missing display and sound options.
Games like Castlevania Advance Collection →
This is a humorous, old-school platformer where the hero sings dynamically about gameplay. It features a reactive soundtrack and includes all DLC for varied themes and cosmetic options.
The catchPlatforming beneath the singing gimmick is basic and shallow
Games like Songs for a Hero - Definitive Edition →
A momentum-based platformer in which a ninja carries its own speed past homicidal robots to grab gold and reach the exit, across 4,690 hand-made levels with an editor and leaderboards.
What players likedPlayers praise N++ as a perfected precision platformer, often compared to Celeste, with vast content and satisfying flow.
The catchLong standing bugs go unfixed, with broken displays, failed launches and lost saves.
Games like N (NPLUSPLUS) →
This is a cozy fishing and building game where players catch fish and cultivate an island garden. It offers a relaxing experience with no pressure to progress.
What players likedPlayers praise it as a short, relaxing fishing game with a nice art style, offering adjustable difficulty.
The catchContent runs out after a few hours, which is thin for the asking price.
Games like Luna's Fishing Garden →
英雄群侠传II89% positive from 2,202 reviews2019
This is a free, single-player, turn-based martial arts RPG with a focus on player choice, exploration, and a slow-paced, thoughtful experience. It features a unique ink-wash art style and a deep martial arts system.
The catchExtra in-game rewards are locked behind leaving a review or proving your purchase.
Games like 英雄群侠传II →
Jaded94% positive from 2,086 reviews2025Deck Playable
Jaded is a fast-paced action-adventure game with a time-slowing mechanic. Players explore a large island, fight enemies, and find secrets.
What players likedPlayers say "Jaded" is like Celeste and Hollow Knight, praising its surprisingly decent and amazing story.
The catchController support is half finished, so a mouse is still needed in places.
Games like Jaded →
A Metroidvania action-adventure game with smooth combat and exploration. Players fight monsters, solve mysteries, and develop their character.
What players likedPlayers praise this fun anime-humor Metroidvania RPG for its engaging character builds, combos, and magic, which can make players fall in love with the genre.
The catchMovement and combos feel janky, with inputs that often fail to register cleanly.
Games like Frontier Hunter: Erza’s Wheel of Fortune →
Knock-knock87% positive from 2,054 reviews20139% finish it
A side-scrolling horror game about surviving until dawn in a cabin in the woods, where the sleepless Lodger repairs missing rooms, hides from nocturnal Guests, and works out the rules of their game.
What players likedPlayers praise its artistic atmosphere and creepy interactive experience, reminiscent of being alone at home with unsettling sounds and sights.
The catchGameplay boils down to walking rooms, flicking lights on, and waiting out timers.
Games like Knock-knock →
Mosa Lina95% positive from 2,000 reviews2023Deck Verified
A physics-driven puzzle-platformer with randomized tool and level selection. It forces creative problem-solving through unpredictable challenges.
What players likedPlayers praise "Mosa Lina" as a fun, creative puzzle-platformer with great audio, visuals, and rewarding physics-based challenges.
The catchRandom tool draws often leave levels unwinnable and you cannot retry the same setup.
Games like Mosa Lina →
Spiritfall93% positive from 1,940 reviews202412% finish itDeck Verified
A roguelite platform fighter with combo-based combat and randomized blessings. Players explore, fight, and upgrade through repeated runs.
What players likedPlayers praise "Spiritfall" as a "Smash Bros meets Hades" roguelike with tight, enjoyable combat and satisfying build variety.
The catchThe same few bosses and bland upgrades make runs blur together quickly.
Games like Spiritfall →
This is a survival horror game where players explore cult movie scenarios. Players use found items to survive slasher-themed challenges.
What players likedPlayers praise this fun horror game's unique "movie" levels, reminiscent of classic horror films, with bonus modes adding replayability.
The catchThere are no tutorials or hints, so progress means trial and error or a walkthrough.
Games like Lakeview Cabin Collection →
This is a free-to-play action-adventure prologue where players hack, slash, and dash through twisted fairytales. Players control a stuffed bear using makeshift weapons to rescue his owner from a nightmare realm.
The catchStiff, clunky controls make platforming feel imprecise
Games like The Darkest Tales — Into the Nightmare →
OlliOlli World90% positive from 1,841 reviews20221% finish itDeck Verified
This is a skateboarding action-platformer with a signature flow state mechanic. It offers accessible, deep gameplay with player freedom and a vibrant, eccentric feel.
What players likedPlayers praise OlliOlli World as a beautiful, fun, and smooth platformer with ideally balanced difficulty, reminiscent of other fast-paced games.
The catchA 2K terms update added always online checks and broad data collection after launch.
Games like OlliOlli World →
This is a run-and-gun action game with a conspiracy-themed narrative. Players blast enemies and face bosses in varied environments, featuring Alex Jones's voice lines.
What players likedPlayers say it's a "Metal Slug clone" with "tight and responsive controls" and "amazing" visual effects.
The catchIt is beaten in under an hour and far too easy to offer any real challenge.
Games like Alex Jones: NWO Wars →
A puzzle platformer where players manipulate time to solve challenges in painterly worlds, featuring extensive developer commentary.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful art, fantastic music, and sophisticated, intuitive puzzles that offer a rewarding "aha!" moment.
The catchPuzzles hinge on unexplained mechanics and fiddly execution rather than clean insight.
Games like Braid, Anniversary Edition →
Nyaruru Fishy Fight is a Metroidvania with fast-paced combat and exploration. Players use a variety of fish-themed attacks and movement abilities to defeat enemies and bosses.
What players likedPlayers praise its incredible character movement and exciting battles with cute cats, despite being made in a broken engine.
The catchBoss fights lean on gimmicks and sudden difficulty spikes
Games like Nyaruru Fishy Fight →
This is a 2.5D action-platformer with Metroidvania elements. Players use a shapeshifting staff with a move-and-reset mechanic in a hand-drawn, folklore-inspired world.
What players likedPlayers praise its gorgeous art, fluid aerial movement, and accessible platforming, often comparing it favorably to Hollow Knight and Ori.
The catchThe controls feel clunky and unresponsive, with the grapple hooking the wrong points.
Games like Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus →
Rusted Moss89% positive from 1,626 reviews202325% finish itDeck Playable
A physics-based Metroidvania twin-stick shooter with 360° aiming and a challenging grapple mechanic. Explore a melancholic wasteland, mastering momentum and precise gunplay.
What players likedPlayers praise this Metroidvania for its challenging, physics-based grappling hook movement and satisfying combat.
The catchThe elastic grapple and slippery controls stay imprecise in a precision platformer.
Games like Rusted Moss →
This is a narrative golf game with puzzle elements. Players experience a story through golf, radio broadcasts, and narration.
What players likedPlayers praise its compelling world-building, atmospheric visuals, and excellent audio storytelling, making it a unique and enjoyable golf experience.
The catchball-striking follows no sensible logic, making swings frustrating
Games like Golf Club Nostalgia →
Game Dev Story90% positive from 1,441 reviews202229% finish itDeck Verified
Simulation game where you manage a game studio, develop games, and train staff. Focuses on creating hit games and building a successful company.
What players likedPlayers praise its addictive management gameplay and unique charm, comparing it to other Kairosoft titles like Dreamhouse Days.
The catchIt is an unchanged phone port, with smartphone menus and no PC interface work.
Games like Game Dev Story →
Action-adventure compilation featuring classic Castlevania titles with soul-combining weapon crafting and dual-hero switching. It offers a gothic, challenging experience with modern conveniences.
What players likedPlayers praise this collection as a faithful port of the best Castlevania DS games, akin to Metroidvanias and JRPGs.
The catchA barebones port with no rebinding or graphics options, and it crashes often.
Games like Castlevania Dominus Collection →
KarmaZoo87% positive from 1,406 reviews202343% finish itDeck Verified
Cooperative multiplayer game with a core loop of earning Karma through teamwork in challenging levels. It offers a feel of shared accomplishment and overcoming adversity.
What players likedPlayers praise its content and progression, comparing it to Pico Park for its fun, large-group gameplay.
The catchThe online-only co-op has almost no players left, so lobbies rarely fill.
Games like KarmaZoo →
BLADECHIMERA89% positive from 1,403 reviews202523% finish itDeck Verified
Action metroidvania with a demon companion sword that manipulates time and objects. Explore a dangerous world, fight demons, and unlock skills.
What players likedPlayers praise BLADECHIMERA as a polished, modern Metroidvania with tight controls, engaging combat, and beautiful pixel art, reminiscent of Castlevania.
The catchLevel design leans on long straight hallways lined with the same repeated enemies.
Games like BLADECHIMERA →
Action platformer where you grow larger by eating enemies. This mechanic affects combat and defense, offering strategic choices.
What players likedPlayers praise its unique Kirby-like inhale mechanic and Metroidvania gameplay, finding it a solid and addictive platformer despite its fetish elements.
The catchControls feel slippery and the tight camera hides platforms below, forcing blind jumps.
Games like Tribal Hunter →
A single-screen puzzle game where players use magnetism and character abilities to solve over 50 challenges. It features a factory setting with a focus on physics-based mechanics.
What players likedPlayers praise "Mind Over Magnet" as a cute, polished, and intuitive puzzle platformer with mechanics that grow in complexity without becoming overwhelming.
The catchPuzzles stay trivially easy and it ends in about two hours, before ideas develop.
Games like Mind Over Magnet →
This is a 2D action-adventure game with on-the-fly character swapping. Players defeat bosses to gain new weapons, enabling varied exploration and combat.
What players likedPlayers praise its smooth gameplay and art, comparing it to classic Castlevania and retro games.
The catchFinishing the stages only unlocks a mandatory replay of all of them for the real ending.
Games like Gal Guardians: Demon Purge →
A 2D puzzle-adventure game where players use heat and cold mechanics to solve environmental puzzles. It features single-player and cooperative play with two contrasting protagonists.
What players likedPlayers praise its beautiful graphics and clever puzzles, often comparing it to Portal.
The catchPuzzles repeat the same scarf hunt across worlds and go stale after a couple of hours.
Games like Degrees of Separation →
Ambidextro98% positive from 1,314 reviews202516% finish itDeck Verified
A precision platformer for one player running two characters at once, a hand each. Over 100 single-screen levels the severed halves of a royal wizard must reach each other before time runs out.
What players likedPlayers praise its brain-bending originality, though it's not compared to other games.
The catchPunishing difficulty that comes down to repeating levels until the inputs are memorised.
Games like Ambidextro →
