'' A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a

game A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphics during the golden age of arcade games was a pivotal leap in game design, comparable to the move to 3D graphics during the fifth generation.IGN Presents the History of SEGA: Coming Home
IGN Hardware support of smooth scrolling backgrounds is built into many arcade games and some game consoles and home computers, including

8-bit In computer architecture, 8-bit integers or other data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) architectures are those that are based on registers or data buses of ...

consoles like the

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE ...

and

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

, and 16-bit consoles such as the

Super Nintendo Entertainment System The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South ...

and

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...

added multiple layers which can be scrolled independently for a parallax scrolling effect.

Use of side-scrolling

A common use of the side-scrolling format is in

platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action game, action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform game ...

s. '' Super Mario Bros.'' (1985) is considered to be among the most famous side-scroller game for this type. The side-scrolling format is also popular among beat 'em ups, such as the '' Battletoads'' series. Often in beat 'em ups, the screen will lock into place until the enemies on screen have been defeated. Another popular use of the side-scrolling format is in the shooter genre, such as in games like '' Gradius'' and '' R-type''. In this game style, the player usually starts with a basic ship that flies from left to right, acquiring

Power-up In video games, a power-up is an object that adds temporary benefits or extra abilities to the player character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a permanent benefit that can be used at any time chos ...

s which allow them to face an ever-increasing horde of enemies. This genre traces its roots back to fast-paced games such as '' Defender''. With video games that use side-scrolling, often the screen will scroll forward or backward following the speed and direction of the player character. In other games or stages, the screen will follow the player character but only scroll forward, not backward, so once something has passed off the back of the screen, it can no longer be visited. Some games have stages in which the screen scrolls forward by itself at a steady pace, requiring the player to keep up in order to survive; this is generally referred to as ''auto-scrolling''. The screen in

shoot 'em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of chara ...

s, such as in R-type, often side-scrolls by itself in such a way. The ''

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the '' Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his c ...

'' series has used all three of these different ways of side-scrolling. Typically, the screen of a side-scrolling video game follows the player character and tries to keep it near the center of the screen. Other games generally adjust the camera with the character's movement, making the character off-center in the opposite direction of its movement, showing more space in front of the character than behind. A game can use the side-scrolling mechanic without being considered a side-scrolling video game. One such game is Awesomenauts, where a side-scrolling mechanic is used, but since the objective is not simply met by scrolling to the side, it is not considered a side-scroller game.

History

Side-scrolling space/vehicle games (1977–1985)

Sega's ''Bomber'' was a side-scrolling shooter video game released for arcades in April 1977. Side-scrolling was later popularized by side-scrolling shoot 'em ups in the early 1980's. '' Defender'', demonstrated by Williams Electronics in late 1980 and entering production in early 1981, allowed side-scrolling in both directions in a wrap-around game world, extending the boundaries of the game world, while also including a

mini-map A mini-map or minimap is a miniature map that is often placed at a screen corner in video games to aid players in orienting themselves within the game world. They are often only a small portion of the screen and must be selective in what details ...

radar. '' Scramble'', released by Konami in early 1981, had continuous scrolling in a single direction and was the first side-scroller with multiple distinct levels.Game Genres: Shmups
Professor Jim Whitehead, January 29, 2007. Retrieved June 17, 2008. The first scrolling

was '' Jump Bug'', a platform-shooter released in 1981. Players control a bouncing car and navigated it to jump on various platforms like buildings, clouds and hills. While it primarily scrolls horizontally, one section includes coarse vertical scrolling.IGN: The Leif Ericson Awards
IGN Taito's first attempt at a side-scrolling platformer was the arcade game '' Jungle King'' (1982), later altered and renamed to ''Jungle Hunt'' due to legal controversy over similarities to

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

. The art of the side-scrolling format was then greatly enhanced by parallax scrolling, which is used to give an illusion of depth. The background images are presented in multiple layers that scroll at different rates, thus objects closer to the horizon scroll slower than objects closer to the viewer. Some parallax scrolling was used in ''Jump Bug''. It used a limited form of parallax scrolling with the main scene scrolling while the starry night sky is fixed and clouds move slowly, adding depth to the scenery. The following year, Irem's '' Moon Patrol'' (1982) implemented a full form of parallax scrolling, with three separate background layers scrolling at different speeds, simulating the distance between them. ''Moon Patrol'' is often credited with popularizing parallax scrolling. ''Jungle Hunt'' also had parallax scrolling, and was released the same month as ''Moon Patrol'' in June 1982.

Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one ...

published two side-scrolling racing games for the Atari VCS in 1982: the biplane-based ''

Barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in ...

'' and the top-view ''

Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

''. By 1984, there were other racing games played from a side-scrolling view, including Nintendo's '' Excitebike'' SNK's ''

Jumping Cross Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and ...

''. and '' Mystic Marathon'' from Williams Electronics, a footrace between fantasy creatures. In 1985, Konami's side-scrolling shooter '' Gradius'' gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorize levels in order to achieve any measure of success.Brian Ashcraft (2008), ''Arcade Mania! The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers'', p. 76, Kodansha International ''Gradius'', with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling

and spawned a series spanning several sequels.

Side-scrolling character action games (1984–1995)

In the mid-1980s, side-scrolling character action games (also called "side-scrolling action games" or side-scrolling "character-driven" games) emerged, combining elements from earlier side-view, single-screen character action games, such as single-screen platformers, with the side-scrolling of space/vehicle games, such as scrolling space shoot 'em ups. These new side-scrolling character-driven action games featured large character sprites in colorful, side-scrolling environments, with the core gameplay consisting of fighting large groups of weaker enemies, using attacks/weapons such as punches, kicks, guns, swords,

ninjutsu , sometimes used interchangeably with the modern term , is the martial art strategy and tactics of unconventional warfare, guerrilla warfare and espionage purportedly practised by the ninja. ''Ninjutsu'' was a separate discipline in some trad ...

or magic. The most notable early example was Irem's '' Kung-Fu Master'' (1984), the first and most influential side-scrolling martial arts action game. It adapted combat mechanics similar to single-screen fighting game '' Karate Champ'' (1984) for a side-scrolling format, along with adapting elements from two Hong Kong martial arts films,

Bruce Lee Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines th ...

's '' Game of Death'' (1973) and

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

's '' Wheels on Meals'' (1984), and had elements such as end-of-level boss battles as well as health meters for the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

and bosses. The side-scrolling character action game format was popular from the mid-1980s to the 1990s. Popular examples included

ninja A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp ...

action games such as Taito's '' The Legend of Kage'' (1985) and Sega's ''

Shinobi A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 21– ...

'' (1987), beat 'em up games such as Technōs Japan's '' Renegade'' (1986) and '' Double Dragon'' (1987), and run-and-gun shooters such as

Namco was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...

's '' Rolling Thunder'' (1986) and

Treasure Treasure (from la, thesaurus from Greek language ''thēsauros'', "treasure store") is a concentration of wealth — often originating from ancient history — that is considered lost and/or forgotten until rediscovered. Some jurisdictions leg ...

's '' Gunstar Heroes'' (1993). ''Legend of Kage'' notably had levels that extend in all directions, while maintained a side-view format. On home computers, such as the martial arts game ''

Karateka (; ; Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the influence of Chinese martial arts, particularly Fujian ...

'' (1984) successfully experimented with adding plot to its fighting game action, and was also the first side-scroller to include cutscenes. Character action games also include scrolling platformers like '' Super Mario Bros.'' (1985), ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformer ...

'' (1991) and '' Bubsy'' (1993). ''Super Mario Bros.'' in particular, released for the

(NES) console, had a significant impact on the game industry, establishing the conventions of the scrolling platform genre and helping to reinvigorate the North American home video game market (which had crashed in 1983). It combined the platform gameplay of ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong and his clan of other apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of platform games—originally s ...

'' (1981) and '' Mario Bros.'' (1983) with side-scrolling elements from the racer ''Excitebike'' and the beat 'em up ''Kung-Fu Master'', and was more expansive than earlier side-scrollers, striking a balance between arcade-like action and longer play sessions suited for home systems.

Beat 'em ups

In 1984, Hong Kong cinema-inspired '' Kung-Fu Master'' laid the foundations for side-scrolling beat 'em ups, by simplifying the combat of ''Karate Champ'' and introducing numerous enemies along a side-scrolling playfield.Spencer, Spanner
The Tao of Beat-'em-ups
''Eurogamer'', Feb 6, 2008, Accessed Mar 18, 2009Kunkel, Bill; Worley, Joyce; Katz, Arnie, "The Furious Fists of Sega!", ''Computer Gaming World'', Oct 1988, pp. 48-49 In 1986, Technōs Japan's ''

Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun , released as ''Renegade'' in the West, is a beat 'em up video game developed by Technōs Japan and distributed by Taito for the arcades in 1986. In the original Japanese version ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'', the game revolves around a high-s ...

'' introduced street brawling to the genre. The Western adaptation ''Renegade'' (released the same year) added an underworld revenge plot that proved more popular with gamers than the principled combat sport of other games.Spencer, Spanner
The Tao of Beat-'em-ups (part 2)
''EuroGamer'', Feb 12, 2008, Accessed Mar 18, 2009 ''Renegade'' set the standard for future beat 'em up games as it introduced the ability to move both horizontally and vertically. In 1987, the release of '' Double Dragon'' ushered in a "Golden Age" for the beat 'em up genre that lasted nearly 5 years. The game was designed as

Technos Japan Technos may refer to: * Technos (watches), a watch brand established 1900 in Switzerland * Technōs Japan, a defunct Japanese video game developer, 1981–1996 * Techno Twins or The Technos, a 1980s British electronic music duo {{disambiguat ...

's spiritual successor to ''Renegade'', but it took the genre to new heights with its detailed set of martial arts attacks and its outstanding two-player cooperative gameplay.Cassidy, William
Hall of Fame: Double Dragon
, ''Gamespy'', Jan 5, 2003, Accessed, March 24, 2009 ''Double Dragon''s success largely resulted in a flood of beat 'em ups that came in the late 1980's, where acclaimed titles such as '' Golden Axe'' and '' Final Fight'' (both 1989) distinguished themselves from the others. ''Final Fight'' was Capcom's intended sequel to '' Street Fighter'' (provisionally titled ''Street Fighter '89''), but the company ultimately gave it a new title. Acclaimed as the best game in the genre,Navarro, Alex
Final Fight Review
, ''GameSpot'', May 10, 2007, Accessed Mar 21 2009 ''Final Fight'' spawned two sequels and was later ported to other systems.Kalata, Kurt

''Hardcore Gaming 101'', Accessed Feb 04, 2010 ''Golden Axe'' was acclaimed for its visceral hack and slash action and cooperative mode and was influential through its selection of multiple protagonists with distinct fighting styles.Kasavin, Greg
Golden Axe Review
, ''GameSpot'', Dec 1, 2006, Accessed Mar 19, 2009 It is considered one of the strongest beat 'em up titles for its fantasy elements, distinguishing it from the urban settings seen in other beat 'em ups.Cassidy, William

, ''GameSpy'', June 8, 2003. Retrieved March 24, 2009.

Scrolling platformers

In 1984, '' Pac-Land'' took the scrolling platformer a step further. It was not only a successful title, but it more closely resembled later scrolling platformers like '' Wonder Boy'' and '' Super Mario Bros.'' It also has multi-layered parallax scrolling. The same year, Sega released '' Flicky'', a simple platformer with horizontally scrolling levels and first mascot character.

followed up ''Pac-Land'' with the fantasy-themed '' Dragon Buster'' the following year. Nintendo's platform game '' Super Mario Bros.'', designed by

Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer, producer and game director at Nintendo, where he serves as one of its representative directors. Widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and influential designers in the history of video games, he i ...

and released for the

in 1985, became the archetype for many scrolling platformers to follow. It established many of the conventions of the side-scrolling platform genre, and struck a balance between arcade-like action and longer play sessions suited for home systems, helping to reinvigorate the North American home video game market. Compared to earlier platformers, ''Super Mario Bros.'' was more expansive, with the player having to "strategize while scrolling sideways" over long distances across colorful levels aboveground as well as underground. Its side-scrolling elements were influenced by two earlier side-scrollers that Miyamoto's team worked on, the racer ''Excitebike'' and the NES port of beat 'em up ''Kung-Fu Master''. It used the same game engine as ''Excitebike'', which allowed Mario to accelerate from a walk to a run, rather than move at a constant speed like earlier platformers. ''Super Mario Bros.'' went on to sell over 40 million copies according to the 1999

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. Its success contributed greatly to popularizing the genre during the 8-bit console generation. Sega attempted to emulate this success with their ''

Alex Kidd is a platform video game series developed by Sega, and starring the titular Alex Kidd. Games The franchise includes seven titles. * '' Alex Kidd in Miracle World'' - 1986, Master System * '' Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars'' - 1986, Arcade, 198 ...

'' series, as well as with the '' Wonder Boy'' series. The later ''Wonder Boy'' games were also notable for combining

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

and role-playing elements with traditional platforming.

Run-and-gun shooters

In 1984, '' Hover Attack'' for the Sharp X1 was an early run & gun shooter that freely scrolled in all directions and allowed the player to shoot diagonally as well as straight ahead. 1985 saw the release of '' Thexder'', a breakthrough title for platform shooters. Run-and-gun shooters became popular during the mid-to-late 1980's, with titles such as Konami's ''

Green Beret The green beret was the official headdress of the British Commandos of the Second World War. It is still worn by members of the Royal Marines after passing the Commando Course, and personnel from other units of the Royal Navy, Army and RAF w ...

'' (1985) and

's '' Rolling Thunder'' (1986). 1987's '' Contra'' was acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two-player cooperative gameplay. However, by the early 1990's and with the popularity of 16-bit consoles, the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out.

IBM PC

Side-scrolling was a well-known phenomenon in arcades, and various home computer and console games of the 1980's, as they often possessed hardware optimized for the task like the

and Commodore 64, but IBM compatible

PCs A personal computer (PC) is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual use. Personal computers are intended to be operated directly by an end user, rather than by a computer expert or techn ...

did not. Smooth scrolling on IBM PCs in software was a challenge for developers. There were a small number of PC ports of smooth scrolling arcade games in the early 1980's, including '' Moon Patrol'' and '' Defender''. The second version of '' Sopwith'', released in 1986, also featured smooth scrolling. In 1990 John Carmack, then working for Softdisk, developed a smooth scrolling technique known as adaptive tile refresh. The technique was demonstrated in the proof-of-concept game ''Dangerous Dave in Copyright Infringement'', which was a clone of the first level of ''

Super Mario Bros. 3 ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released for home consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988, in North America on February 12, 1990 and in Europe on ...

'', but with Mario replaced by the character Dangerous Dave of earlier Softdisk games. The success of the demonstration led Carmack and others at Softdisk to resign and form their own company, id Software. Id Software went on to develop '' Commander Keen'' that same year, which was the first publicly available PC

to feature smoothly-scrolling graphics.

References

Sources

* Steven L. Kent (2001). '' The Ultimate History of Video Games''. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Side-Scrolling Video Game Video game gameplay Video game graphics