The Best PSP Platformers
LittleBigPlanet
LittleBigPlanet, otherwise known as LittleBigPlanet PSP, is a port of the critically acclaimed PS3 title, but with a few notable changes. Much of the gameplay stayed relatively the same except for the level builder.
The only change in the level builder was that players cannot add quite as much detail to the background and foreground layers. However, the graphics look almost identical on the small screen as they did on the big screen which was a huge plus. The rest of the game has been virtually untouched. If you have not experienced this title on the PlayStation 3, then the PSP version is a must-play (and also much cheaper nowadays).
Papaton
This title is an extremely innovative game that mashes up multiple genres very nicely. Papaton is what happens when developers mix a rhythm game, god game, and a platformer into one. Players must lead their tribe of Papatons through a colorful world of epic battles, rhythmic tunes and exciting new missions.
There are twenty different missions that players can lead their valiant Papatons through, each with their own setting and unique changes to freshen up the gameplay. Control your mighty forces through waves of enemies and train them up to an elite fighting force. The artstyle is also extremely beautiful with characters displayed as silhouetted shapes in an vibrantly colorful world.
Daxter
After multiple adventures of being in Jak’s shadow, Daxter is back with his own portable adventure. This adventure takes place a little bit before Jak II, when Jak is locked in prison. Daxter realises in order for his friend to be freed, he must face his own journey full of perils and exciting tales.
This game plays similarly to the other games in the Jak and Daxter series with plenty of exciting platforming, twists and turns, and more depth to Daxter’s character. This game is also compatible with Jak X, allowing players to unlock secrets that were not previously available.
LocoRoco
LocoRoco is a trippy game all about blobs with an amazing backdrop of crazy settings and energetic and weird music. In this title, players will use pretty much exclusively the shoulder buttons to control the characters and the world that they inhabit. By using the shoulder buttons, players can tilt the world either left or right to help their little blobs move from point A to point B.
There are forty levels that players can explore with six different varieties of LocoRoco which can all grow by collecting the berries throughout each level. This is another awesome game with a really funky and fun artstyle.
Crush
Crush is a pretty simple game, but it can get pretty complex as the player progresses through the levels. The player takes control of Danny, a sleepless man who turns to a crazy psychologist for help. This psychologist's answer for Danny’s problems is to make him solve dimension defying puzzles similar to that of Super Paper Mario for the Wii.
Players must move Danny through suspended platforms as he crushes the environment from 3D to 2D in order to progress to the end. This title can get tricky as the player makes it through the beginning levels, showing a lot of depth and innovation in how players must solve each level. There are forty unique levels to complete making this game full of awesome and exciting content.
Mega Man Powered Up
Is the original NES Mega Man too difficult? Not a fan of the outdated visuals? Fans of Mega Man rejoice! This title revamped the visuals of Mega Man with a new chibi style that fans will fall in love with. The title is also a little bit easier than the original because of some updated technology.
Powered Up, for the most part, is a revamped port of the original NES title from 1987. Players will recognize the original bosses and levels which have only been updated visually. This is a great title for fans of the original and one of the best titles on the PSP.
The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character
This is a fun little title with an unusual and interesting set of mechanics. This game with an extremely verbose title has the player control an infinitely rotating octopus as he makes his way through multiple levels by collecting baby octopi.
The player can only use two moves to control this octopus, change direction and jump. Players must use this strict control scheme to move the octopus towards the babies in order to complete each level. This title feels like something players would find in the arcades, which is nice since it has been a while since players have seen a game like this.
Where is My Heart?
In this quirky PSP mini, players will control a family of forest spirits as they try to save the world. There are three playable characters, each with their own unique abilities, that the players must guide through a strange land of space bending platforms in order to collect fragments of their world. Each of these characters will be able to traverse some levels better than others, so choose your character wisely and learn their mechanics.
This is a really cute and exciting platformer with some exciting game mechanics that will keep players engaged for hours.
Castlevania: The Dracula X Chronicles
For the first time ever, Rondo of Blood is available outside of Japan. This title has the character control Richter Belmont, a vampire hunter from a long line of vampire killers, as he saves his love Annette and sends Dracula back into a dark oblivion.
Fans of the Castlevania series will immediately recognize a lot in this game, since the prologue of Symphony of the Night takes place at the end of Rondo of Blood. Get ready for more whip slinging, monster killing, and world saving action in this awesome entry into a landmark series.
