A subgenre of Platform Game, where the goal of each stage is for the player(s) to clear each stage by eliminating all the enemies.
While these games have the same basic mechanics of walking around and jumping as conventional platformers (which sequels to these often are), the stage design tends to be far more compact than games based on collecting things and/or finding the exit, with far less in the way of fixed hazards. Often each stage is just a single screen, with Directionally Solid Platforms to make it easier for the players and enemies to get at each other. Frenetic 2-player co-op action is often (but not always) the point.
Typically, players' primary attack works to trap or stun enemies, who then need to be finished off with some further effort that sends them flying all over the screen, taking out other enemies in their path, before turning into bonus items.
Compare Platform Fighter.
These games include:
- Antonball Deluxe
- Bang Bang Busters
- Bomb Kick
- Bubble Bobble (the Trope Codifier)
- The Caverns of Hammerfest
- Chip Chan Kick!
- Copy Kitty
- Diet Go Go
- Don Doko Don
- The Fairyland Story
- Fancy World
- Fantasy Land
- Funky Jet
- Hane Hane Paradise
- Head Panic
- Joe & Mac Returns
- Joust — The Trope Maker.
- Magical Whip: Wizards of Phantasmal Forest
- Mario Bros.
- Metal Saver
- Nightmare In The Dark
- Ninja-kun: Majou no Bouken
- Ninja Jajamaru-kun
- Parasol Stars
- Penguin Brothers
- Pop'n Magic
- Qwak
- Rod Land
- Saboten Bombers
- Snow Bros
- Spanky's Questnote
- Super BurgerTime
- Super Methane Bros
- Toppy and Rappy - from the same creators of Bubble Bobble, except you get a gun instead of bubbles
- TumblePop
- Ultra Balloon
- Wani Wani World
- Whip! Whip!
- Woah Dave!
- Yoyo's Puzzle Park
- Zupapa!
