5 Best 3D Platformers on the Nintendo 64

The Nintendo 64 was a huge leap for the console-maker. After years of working mostly in 2D, Nintendo jumped into the third dimension, using its analog stick to help give players even more control over their on-screen character. With that came dozens of 3D platformers, taking the genre that had been so successful in 2D to a new level. Some of those games feel like knockoffs. Others are solid, but aren’t memorable. And just a few were total game-changers, taking the genre to a new level.

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Here are the five 3D platformers that stand out as the N64’s best.

5) Rocket: Robot on Wheels

These days, most players know developer Sucker Punch Productions for games like Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei and the Infamous series. If you were around during the PS2 era, maybe you think about Sly Cooper, but almost nobody talks about the studio’s first game: Rocket: Robot on Wheels.

That’s a shame because Rocket is one of the first games to put a realistic physics engine into a console game. It’s not as world-changing as games like Half-Life 2, but being able to see little things like Rocket properly absorbing the impact of a big jump was a neat feature on the N64.

It’s not just that, though. You’ll need to use the psychics to solve platforming puzzles, introducing young players to concepts like friction and inertia in fun ways. On top of all that, it’s just a solid platformer that will test your skill and puzzling ability by the time you roll credits.

4) Conker’s Bad Fur Day

Conker’s Bad Fur Day was a concentrated effort from Rare to toss aside its kid-friendly image and make something different. While the humor is a little cringy these days, you can’t deny that Bad Fur Day‘s brand of parody was a hit in 2001. Critics and players alike loved BFD.

That said, it wasn’t just the humor that brought players in. Rare has always had rock-solid design, and Conker is largely no different. Bad Fur Day looks great, features well-paced levels, and has some of the tightest controls on the N64. Sure, it (like most N64 games) had some camera issues, but most could overlook that at the time.

Conker’s also introduced a multiplayer mode for up to four players, taking some inspiration from the success Rare had with Goldeneye 007. It’s not quite as beloved as that game, but it’s still a nice addition to the package, which was greatly expanded in the Live & Reloaded remake.

3) Banjo-Kazooie

Most might expect Banjo-Kazooie to snag the top spot on this list, and it is a close race! I wouldn’t be miffed if you moved the second and third entries around because Banjo really is one of the best-designed collect-a-thons of all time.

Rare took everything it had learned making Donkey Kong Country and applied it to 3D. That means memorable worlds to explore, a host of fun abilities to keep the action fresh, and a ton of personality.

Some might argue Banjo-Tooie should take this spot, but the expanded scope of that game doesn’t work as well for me. It has some neat ideas. I just prefer the relative simplicity of the original. Still, you’d be well-served playing either.

2) Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon

Mystical Ninja is a mash-up of a 3D platformer and a Zelda-like action game. For some, that might disqualify it from this list, but I think it has more than enough platforming to qualify. Plus, how could I leave my boy Ebisumaru off the list?

Goemon’s first foray into the third dimension is filled with the usual fare. Solid platforming, a large world to explore, surreal Japanese humor, and battles against giant robots. The controls don’t feel as fluid as some of the other games on this list, but when everything else is this great, it’s hard to notice.

Again, some players might prefer Goemon’s Great Adventure, but that game doesn’t really fit this list. It’s a 2.5D platformer, which means it retains the graphics everyone loved from Mystical Ninja, but takes the series back to side-scrolling action.

1) Super Mario 64

Look, I would have loved to end with a swerve and pick something else, but Super Mario 64 is so clearly the best 3D platformer on the N64 that having anything else in this spot would be disqualifying. It might be the boring answer, but it’s the right answer.

Not only is Super Mario 64 a nearly flawless 3D platformer, but it was the game that defined the genre. That makes it even more incredible that Nintendo got everything so perfect in its first try. Later Mario games would expand and improve on the formula, but none of those launched on the N64.

Mario 64 was a system-seller. It was the reason to get the console, and it largely still holds up today. That’s a stunning achievement for Shigeru Miyamoto and his team. They stepped to the plate, took one swing, and knocked it so far out of the park that they didn’t need to bother trying again until the GameCube.

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