Platform fighter
You fight several rivals on a stage with platforms you move around freely; there is no health bar, only accumulated damage that makes each hit launch them farther, and you win by knocking them out of bounds. The mechanic defines it, not who the fighters are.
Also known as: platform fighting game, Smash clone, fighting platformer
This is a basic entry: it has the definition and the classification. Full entries add history, games and a demo.
History
- 1999OriginSuper Smash Bros.
The Outfoxies already had many of its mechanics, but Super Smash Bros. was the first big hit and set the rules the rest followed.
Platform fighter (Wikipedia) - 2017
Brawlhalla, free-to-play with full cross-play, leaves years of beta behind; it is part of the indie wave that borrows Smash's mechanics.
Brawlhalla (Wikipedia) - 2018
The success of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate spurs new platform fighters built on licensed characters, such as Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl and MultiVersus.
Platform fighter (Wikipedia)
Reference games
1999
Super Smash Bros.
Nintendo characters fight on open stages, up to four at a time. Each hit raises a damage percentage that makes it easier to launch the opponent off the stage, which is how you win.