2D never aged: chiselled sprites, hand-drawn animation, perfect readability. This Top 50 pays tribute to the retro games that took 2D to its peak, from run and gun to RPG. RomWize ranks them by its re-evaluated scores and specifies each one's versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"This rework of the 1985 Super Mario Bros. does much more than recolor the levels, namely a world map, time trials, hidden boards, score missions and the bonus inclusion of The Lost Levels make it the most complete version of the founding game. The pixel perfect precision still feels intact and translates beautifully to the small screen. The whole package remains a platform design lesson that is still taught today. An obvious detour for fans of Mario, of classics, or simply of well crafted two dimensional play."
"Celeste blends rigour and kindness like few platformers. Its pixel-perfect jumps demand real mastery, yet the Assist mode and bite-sized screens make learning fair rather than cruel. The dash, simple on the surface, opens a constantly reinvented mechanical depth. Its story about anxiety, sincere without being heavy-handed, gives meaning to every fall. Lena Raine's soundtrack accompanies the climb beautifully. A few hidden chapters push difficulty to the extreme for the dedicated. It is a peak of the genre, as relevant today as at launch and open to everyone."
"Super Mario Bros. Wonder reinjects surprise into the 2D platformer. The Wonder Flowers upend the rules in every level, from pipes that ripple to herd stampedes, and that unpredictability keeps a rare freshness. The animation is gorgeous, transformations like the elephant amuse without overstaying, and the badge system fine-tunes difficulty. It all stays fairly gentle for those after a stiff challenge, but four-player co-op and hidden levels add texture. It is one of the most inventive 2D Marios in years, joyful and polished, just as enjoyable solo as in a group."
"The Game Boy's historical bundle, Tetris remains one of the most effective cartridges ever produced. Tetrominoes, line clears, endless A-Type, timed B-Type and a link-cable versus mode that still feels like a stroke of genius today. Hirokazu Tanaka's music, especially the famous Korobeiniki arrangement, lives in the collective unconscious. Control balance, monochrome readability and near-infinite replay value hold up without a single compromise. A total classic, still perfect for five minutes or a whole afternoon, at any age, with no need to grade on a historical curve."
"Undertale marked a generation through its boldness more than its tech. Its modest pixel art hides a system where you can spare every enemy, and where your choices genuinely rewrite the story and its endings. The fights mixing bullet-dodging and dialogue stay clever and unpredictable. The humour, the melancholy and a now-cult soundtrack form a whole of rare coherence. Its brevity and deliberately scrappy look may unsettle those after a grand spectacle. But for its writing and its way of toying with RPG conventions, it remains a striking experience to live through once."
"A peak of Capcom 2D versus, Street Fighter III 3rd Strike pushes the parry system to an unrivalled level. Reading the opponent becomes an art, every match turning into a mental duel of insane intensity. The animation stands as an unmatched peak of the medium, and Hideki Okugawa's hip hop soundtrack made history. Still played in tournament today, the title remains one of the absolute references of the genre and keeps all its strategic depth twenty five years later for any fighting game devotee."
"Metal Slug is an absolute legend. Perfect run and gun, sublime animation, irresistible humour, euphoric co-op mode and every minute of memorable pixel art set pieces counting. If you could keep only one Neo Geo title, this would probably be it. On Neo Geo CD, between-level loading is noticeable and sprite slowdown is more present than on cart, but the CD soundtrack stays a pleasure. For retro run and gun and arcade masterpiece fans, still an absolute must today, ideally played in co-op."
"A run and gun by Treasure, Gunstar Heroes offers an absolutely explosive experience with a combinable weapon system, deranged bosses and impressive technical fluidity. The vibrant cartoon art direction, energetic soundtrack and two player cooperative mode make this title one of the absolute peaks of run and gun on Mega Drive and a Treasure showcase at its apex. For anyone fond of explosive and inventive run and guns, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without any hesitation on the Sega machine truly indeed here."
"This cartridge bundles two Zelda games, namely A Link to the Past, one of the absolute peaks of 2D adventure design, and Four Swords, an exclusive cooperative mode built around the GBA link cable. The portable A Link to the Past includes minor tweaks and a bonus palace accessible after the main quest. Four Swords is largely an artifact today without connected partners, yet the base game remains absolutely essential. Probably the best physical way to keep A Link to the Past on hand."
"Akumajou Dracula X - Gekka no Yasoukyoku is the original Japanese version of Castlevania - Symphony of the Night, Konami's absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest games ever made. Labyrinthine metroidvania exploration, deep RPG with levelling and equipment, Ayami Kojima's sublime art direction and Michiru Yamane's legendary score make for an experience of rare elegance. An absolute peak."
"Animal Well is a solo-developer feat that reinvents the joy of secrets. Beneath its luminous, eerie pixel art hides a labyrinth where every tool bends to a thousand uses, opening layers of mystery the community takes months to crack. The exploration, with no hand-held map, rewards observation and memory over force. Its refusal to explain may put off those who want clear direction. But for anyone who loves to dig, deduce and share discoveries, it is one of the most singular and fresh adventures of recent years, best savoured slowly."
"Hollow Knight is one of the most accomplished metroidvanias ever conceived. Its interconnected map, vast and dense, unveils itself in layers with a spellbinding sense of mystery. The combat, precise and demanding, peaks in boss fights that have become memorable. Equippable charms offer real customisation, and the hand-drawn art bathes Hallownest in a singular melancholy. Its deliberate lack of guidance and its difficulty may put off newcomers. But the scale of the content, its expansions entirely free, makes it an adventure of wild generosity that has lost none of its splendour."
"Super Mario Advance 4 brings Super Mario Bros 3 to the GBA, namely one of the most perfect platformers ever crafted, augmented by the e-Reader system that allowed extra stages and bonus items to be scanned in via cards. Today, hacks and late releases include the entire e-Reader catalogue without any extra handling. The port stays smooth and faithful, and the cartridge rounds out the family with the Mario Bros arcade bonus. Probably one of the most priority GBA Mario picks for anyone wanting a flawlessly mastered 2D platformer."
"A Mega Drive adaptation of the famous Capcom versus, Street Fighter II Special Champion Edition offers the most complete version of Street Fighter II with all bosses playable and the refined handling of Champion Edition. The arcade faithful art direction, twelve playable fighters and polished animations make it an excellent conversion. For anyone fond of historical versus games or wishing to discover the Street Fighter II golden age on Mega Drive, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without hesitation for fans truly indeed here."
"The 1994 Donkey Kong stands as one of the Game Boy's peaks and arguably one of Nintendo's finest works of the decade. Starting from the four arcade screens, it unfolds into over a hundred puzzle-platform stages where Mario learns to swing, climb, carry and throw with an agility unheard of at the time. The progression remains a textbook example, the difficulty curve climbs with rare precision and the Super Game Boy enhancements add tasteful colour. Genuinely timeless, it still deserves a full playthrough for anyone interested in Nintendo's design history."
"Super Mario Advance 4 brings Super Mario Bros 3 to the GBA, namely one of the most perfect platformers ever crafted, augmented by the e-Reader system that allowed extra stages and bonus items to be scanned in via cards. Today, hacks and late releases include the entire e-Reader catalogue without any extra handling. The port stays smooth and faithful, and the cartridge rounds out the family with the Mario Bros arcade bonus. Probably one of the most priority GBA Mario picks for anyone wanting a flawlessly mastered 2D platformer."
"Super Mario Bros. 3 is the absolute peak of 8-bit platforming and probably the NES's best game. Eight beautifully designed themed worlds, revolutionary costumes like Tanooki and Frog, endless secrets to find and level design of almost unreal precision, Nintendo at its 8-bit creative peak. Miraculous controls, generous length, eternal replayability. One of the greatest games ever made."
"A Vita adaptation of the famous Ubisoft platformer, Rayman Legends offers an absolutely sublime 2D adventure with cooperative mode for up to four players and memorable musical levels. The vibrant cartoon art direction, polished animation and content richness make it an absolutely unmissable platformer reference on Vita. For anyone fond of Rayman or seeking an absolutely essential modern portable 2D platformer, an absolutely essential recommendation today still without the slightest hesitation on the Sony portable machine truly here indeed."
"Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a breathtakingly beautiful metroidvania. Its painted art direction and orchestral score strike a rare emotional chord, while the escape sequences rank among the most tense in the genre. Compared to the first game, combat fleshes out and gains variety, without losing the fluid movement that is its signature. A few technical hiccups and a sometimes punishing balance to the chases remain. But the whole forms a dense, generous and moving adventure that has aged very well. For genre fans, it is an experience that leaves a lasting mark."
"Rayman Legends remains, years after release, one of the absolute peaks of modern 2D platforming. Its hand-drawn animation hasn't aged a second, and its level design overflows with invention, from the timing of the musical stages to the frantic escape sequences. The Definitive Edition adds content and ideal portability for short bursts. The Teensy-unlock structure feels a touch repetitive, but the generosity, fluidity and four-player co-op make it a benchmark with simply no superior equivalent."
