2y ago

Hard platformers with banging chiptune soundtracks?

I'm really in the mood for a game like Shovel Knight after listening to some chiptune tracks the other day. Something fair, but challenging would be ideal. Must have a good soundtrack!

Along these lines I've already played:

Shovel Knight
Celeste
The Messenger
Hollow Knight (well, in terms of the difficulty not the music)

Does anyone know of any I've missed? They don't necessarily have to be modern indie games - old NES/SNES games for example. SMB3 and SMW are classics.

57 comments

VVVVVV is pretty great.
- "Banging Chiptune soundtrack" instantly made me think of VVVVVV
  You just can't beat "Pushing Onwards"
- that one vertical up/down fall -flashbacks still haunt me.

Super Meat Boy?
- Oh damn I actually played this on X360! It was excellent. I'm tempted to get it again on Steam now that you mention it.
  
  It goes on sale fairly often or is part of bundles a lot.

I think it was Cave Story that prompted the modern indie revival of this genre
- Went in here scrolling to see if Cave Story was mentioned, Loved the game OP should try it
- Oh man, cave story is awesome. Especially that special secret ending that expands on the background of it all a lot.
- Ohh yes I do have this on Steam! I think I played a few hours, can't remember if I ever finished it. Either way I should totally go back and play it.

Bit.Trip runner

If you like the soundtrack for The Messenger, check out these "24 bit" remixes where they combine the 8 bit and 16 bit songs
https://youtu.be/vw_MX3Alq28?si=attcora0WAv6dB7H

Ninja Gaiden.

Broforce is not that hard, but it's so fun that it might be worth a play.

You'd like 20xx and 30xx if you liked the Megaman X style of games, fjeyre all chip tune and in a similar style to what you've played. Also, Megaman X (and Megaman Zero, the continuation of the X franchise) are fantastic.
Music wise, give Spark Mandrill's theme a listen from MegamanX and tell me it doesn't hit just right.
- I've actually never got into the Megaman games. I've always found them unfairly difficult... but maybe I haven't given them enough of a chance. Is there any particular one you'd recommend to start with?
  
  The Megaman series feels difficult to me too, the Megaman X series feels difficult but it's got a soft spot due to when I was growing up. I highly recommend the Legacy Collection for megamanX, it gives some features the originals were lacking that were infuriating (like remembering passwords in order to 'save').
  20xx and 30xx are 'spiritual successors' to the Megaman X series, but it's a rogue-like, meaning portions of it are randomly generated and when you die you do start over and the power ups you get are not set in stone in terms of order or whether you'll see them at all. So if you liked Megaman X but wanted something that's got an 'active' community and even co-op, it's definitely worth a look.

Plok for SNES
10/10 soundtrack on this quirky platformer

If you allow technical nonplatformers in there (Hollow Knight? If you are into Metroidvanias, play Super Metroid, it has great music. Also, Axiom Verge.) I could go up and down my various game collections for a while.
But in spirit of the actual question, here's one that I don't think anyone else here will recommend: LOVE. Simple, short, lots of room for mastery. And I like the music.
If you are a fan of the classics, the SMW modding community is huge. We have a wide variety of difficulties, and most modern hacks have all custom music- in engine, playable on console, ofc, so it's all 16-bit.
- LOVE seems nice! Very low fi soundtrack.
  I hadn't considered SMW mods - thanks, I'll look into that

Micro Mages? Essentially a modern nes-game, co-op for up to 4 players.
edit: while not really a platformer (but does include platforming sections, iirc) and soundtrack does slap hard with the chiptunes: Retro City Rampage
- The fact that this fits on a NES cart is really neat! Thanks for the suggestion - I hadn't heard of this one before
  
  the game from steam also comes as a nes rom-image, you can use it any nes emulator. I used Mesen, got quite a bit more customization & scaling options etc... and save states because I suck at it :D

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so I'll say it: The End is Nigh. Shit's hard as balls but very fair and rewarding to play, only go for it if you're a real glutton for punishment.
- How does it compare to super meat boy?
  
  Made by the same guy, actually. I would say it's similar to Meat Boy in difficulty if you just play the main game, but there are rabbitholes to go down that get much, much harder if you're a completionist.

Have you played La-Mulana or the sequel?
It's full of insane puzzles and traps, but it's a great metroidvania with some great music. It's one of my all time favorites.
- I've heard of that series but never tried it. Actually the trailer reminded me a bit of Castlevania SOTN - which is another one I really should play!
  
  If you haven’t played SOTN, I highly recommend you take a pitstop from platformers and try it now. I just played and beat it for the first time last week and it’s great.
  Reasons for my suggestion:
  It’s spooky season and the SotN theme fits well.
  The game is beatable in one day.
  The music is fantastic.

I think you need to play Pizza Tower
- I have heard really good things about that game! I think you're right.

I'm a big fan of those games, and I really enjoyed HUNTDOWN. It's a shooting platformer, more Contra than anything on your list, but is good times and has top choons to listen to while you're playing.

It's been a while since I played it, but I think They Bleed Pixels might fit the bill on both counts.
Also I recently started The End is Nigh which is another Edmund McMillen game very similar to Super Meatboy. Seems good so far.

super meat boy

Rainbow island and the New Zealand story used to be my favourites. But I hate platformers, so not sure how that goes. At least there's some progression of difficulty in RI.

People already mentioned VVVVVV here, so I'll go with the classics angle: the Donkey Kong Country series has phenomenal music and super tight platforming. Difficulty is a bit on the low side compared to something like Celeste, but there's absolutely a mastery curve.
This includes Returns for Wii/3DS and Tropical Freeze for Wii U/Switch.

Axiom verge is a really fun metroidvania and from what I remember it has a killer soundtrack, synthwave. N++ is another platformer I highly recommend, awesome music, easy to learn and hard to master

well... Street Fighter 2010 has IMO a great soundtrack, and it's kinda hard. Qualitywise... it's controversial.

I used to like the music in some of the Mega Man games.

The Adams family game for the NES.
I never could get past the freezer section, but I never got to try much. It was my cousins' game and they lived in a different state.

DuckTales or DuckTales 2 for the NES playable in the Disney afternoon collection. TBH most of the games there should be your jam based on Shovel Knights influence.
Hollow Knight based though, Guacemelee is good, not sure about its sequel. Axiomverge too. But they are metroid like games so Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion would be another recommendation.

Grapple Dog

I recommend Cyber Shadow. It's published by Yatch Club Games as well.

It's more of an action platformer, but a little obscure NES game from my childhood that deserves a loy more of attention: Vice Project Doom

Not really a platformer, and not really chiptune, but Katana Zero is pretty fucking great in the gameplay, music and story department.

Megamen X3, but X1 and X2 are nice as well. Old but gold.

Electronic Super Joy and Geometry Dash come to mind.
- Thanks, those look fun! Doesn't seem like chiptune music is the only thing

Not a game suggestion but a music one: Master Boot Record. It should match your style I think.
- Not heard of that one! I can't seem to find it online - unless is the game called Virtuaverse and Master Boot Record did the music?
  
  I hadn't actually realized the Virtuaverse album was for a game lol, I just really like MBR. I know they've got some songs in ULTRAKILL too.

57 comments