Video games are intended to help players relax and ideally reduce stress, but the platforming genre is for those who fancy a true adrenaline rush. Platforming games have always excelled at challenging players, with a heavy focus on reaction times, critical thinking skills and precision, as the player must jump and climb across their terrain while avoiding various obstacles along the way.
The feeling of overcoming an obstacle in a platform game after being stuck on it for hours is unparalleled. Still, unfortunately, the platforming genre has faced a serious decline in relevancy in recent years. Luckily, the indie scene on Steam has continued to provide gamers with a steady stream of platforming games, spearheading its revival. These are some of the most underrated platforming games currently available on Steam
10 Will You Snail?
Will You Snail is a unique 2D platformer with traps appearing on the player's predicted path, thanks to a super-intelligent, misanthropic AI squid. Players who fall victim to these will be subjected to cocky voice lines and clever insults. The levels are relatively empty, with the main challenge coming from the interactions with the Squid.
There are four difficulty settings in Will You Snail, and it will change depending on the player's performance. If players beat the level easily, the difficulty will increase, and if the players are notably struggling, it will be lowered—all with a sardonic comment from the Squid.
9 The End Is Nigh
The End Is Nigh comes from Edmund McMillen, creator of the cult-classic platformer, Super Meat Boy and The Binding of Isaac. It is a precision platformer set in a semi-open world, where the player takes control of Ash, one of the few 'living' creatures that has survived the end of the world. Ash's goal is to collect tumors and body parts to create a new friend as he clings to hope in the face of adversity.
There are over 600 levels for players to explore in this somber yet oddly entertaining environment. The End Is Nigh features some super precise and punishing controls so that every death the player befalls is 100% on them. Like all rogue-like games, players should be prepared to rage and die a lot!
8 ibb and obb
Ibb and obb is a cute, colorful and charming two-player cooperative platformer. It is set in a puzzle-filled world where gravity works in reverse. There is couch co-op to play with a friend, or online to play with strangers!
Players will only succeed by working closely together through precision platforming and creative problem-solving, testing their intellectual capability to the maximum. There are over fifteen levels with double gravity puzzles and eight hidden bonus worlds that range in difficulty.
7 SANABI
SANABI is a 2D dystopian action platformer set in a cyberpunk world. Players take on the role of a retired veteran, called to one final mission: to ascend a mega-city ruled by a corrupted figurehead and uncover their secrets.
The player's primary source of movement is their legendary chain-hook prosthetic arm that allows players to chain their jumps together and easily maneuver across skyscrapers, cliffs, and more. SANABI is currently in Early Access but already feels like a fully polished game.
6 Loopmancer
Loopmancer is a unique addition to the action-adventure genre, with hack-and-slash elements, rogue-like mechanics and, of course, plenty of platforming. For a 2D game, it has surprisingly stunning visual designs, with neon-futuristic environments, realistic graphics, and Asian-inspired architecture.
Players take on the role of a detective with unfinished business as he is mysteriously revived after an unexpected death amid an investigation. Loopmancer may feel like a game version of Groundhog Day, but it is perfect for any fans of rogue-like titles with fluid and precise gameplay mechanics.
5 Rain World
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Fans of Ori and the Blind Forest will love Rain World. Players get to experience this survival platformer as an adorable slugcat, both a predator and prey caught in the food chain. Players must combine their wits and stealth to survive while climbing through the ever-changing ecosystem.
In Rain World, players must navigate the difficult terrain while hunting for food and safety to shelter them from torrential downpours that threaten to drown all life. Nimble movements and procedurally-generated animations give slugcat a unique sense of weight and fluidity, adding to the game's uniqueness.
4 Hue
Hue is a vibrant puzzle-adventure game with bright and bold colors and a stark silhouetted art style. Players get to play as Hue while changing the game's hue; a clever concept! They can alter this monochrome world by changing its background color and creating new pathways to explore while on a journey to find their missing mother.
But first, the player must locate eight colors: red, orange, yellow, lime, aqua, blue, purple and pink. They can then change the game's pigment to that selected pigment at the press of a button. Some obstacles and traps can match the background, and they disappear as the color changes. Hue is a game that will test a gamer's critical thinking skills and reaction times!
3 Neon Abyss
Neon Abyss is a fantastic, relatively new addition to the platforming scene. Players are forced to run and gun their way into the Abyss as a 'Grim Squad' member to defeat the New Gods. There are distinctly rogue-like elements as death is a certainty. Luckily, death is all part of the process as players become more empowered with each death, allowing them to gain more items and progression.
Players can unlock new rooms, items, bosses, and even different endings with each run! Each dungeon is unique and tailored to each player's individual play style. There are also unlimited item synergies and combinations, making each run different from the last.
2 Falling Out
Falling Out is an adorable rogue-like platformer where the player gets to control an oddball couple, Giorgio and Felicie, who are on the holiday from hell. Falling Out has a steep learning curve as players must utilize both characters if playing solo to navigate their way through procedurally-generated levels and work together.
The characters can work together as Giorgio can throw Felicie to areas he cannot reach. Falling Out can easily be played solo or with a friend using local split-screen co-op, putting it in a similar realm to It Takes Two. Each temple will flood after a certain amount of time adding an element of peril so leave no partner behind!
1 The Spirit And The Mouse
Explore the quaint French village of Sainte-et-Claire as Lila, a little mouse with a kind heart, in The Spirit And The Mouse! Lila comes across a Spirit Guardian known as Lumion. Together, they must work in tandem to restore balance. By doing good deeds and working together, Lila can put Lumion back into the sky where he belongs! The Spirit and the Mouse features an adorable soundtrack and soulful art style, allowing for an atmospheric world.
The Spirit And The Mouse is a charming narrative-driven adventure-puzzle game that has Lila searching every tiny nook and cranny to complete objectives and assist villagers in need. The gameplay features exploration and platforming elements similar to Stray while befriending mischievous electric spirits known as Kibblins.