Jumping puzzle

Jumping puzzles or "platform sequences" are sequences of obstacles in computer and video games, particularly in the genre of platformers, where the player character is required to use jumping to proceed, often in a manner that requires precise timing or landing in an exact manner. Typical jumping puzzle components include moving or disappearing/reappearing platforms.

Early examples of jumping puzzles include "Pitfall!" for the Atari 2600, where the character had to time their jumps between vines in order to cross pits full of crocodiles. However, the modern jumping puzzle is often based on the idea that the character's movement can be controlled in mid-air, and the first example of this was probably "Super Mario Bros." for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Although air movement was naturally not as easy or refined as movement along the ground, it allowed for more exciting platforming with moving lifts floating through the air.

However, when games moved into 3D, the jumping puzzle became a more difficult task. In addition to requiring the player to control their jumps in an extra dimension, the problem of viewpoint complicated precise positioning of the character. Games with fixed cameras sometimes made it quite difficult for the players to see where they were landing, while manual control added another control to juggle. Some games, like "Jumping Flash!", automatically tilt the camera up and down when jumping or landing. Jumping puzzles in first-person shooters were particularly difficult, since it was difficult to tell where the character was going to land while facing forward. One particularly notorious example of this is the first "Half-Life's" penultimate level, "Interloper", which featured multiple moving platforms high in the air with aliens firing at the player from all sides. In both first-person and third-person perspective games, the character's shadow (which usually assumes the lighting is directly overhead) is often used as the best indicator of where they will be landing. Other games have used unique methods to counter issues with jumping in three dimensions. In "American McGee's Alice", the player's targeting reticle changes to a footprint icon when they look at the ground, showing precisely where they will land if they hit the jump button at that time. In the "Metroid Prime" trilogy, viewed from a first-person perspective, the camera automatically tilts downward slightly when the player jumps, giving a better view of where they're going to land.