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Bottomless Pit: Running and Jumping Through Platform Games - Volume 1
For consumers who grew up on fire flowers and severe cases of "NES thumb," platform games began with Super Mario and his colorful cohort of deranged turtles, pink princesses, and cowardly brothers. But the roots of running and jumping over obstacles, arguably the most prolific mechanics in video games, extend far back from Nintendo's 8-bit Control Deck.
Bottomless Pit: Running and Jumping Through Platform Games explores the evolution of "run-and-jump" games in rough chronological order of release—from their humble beginnings in arcades through their starring role in the modern industry's explosion of unique and captivating indie titles such as Shovel Knight.
Run, jump, climb, dig, and swing with Stay Awhile and Listen author David L. Craddock as he charts a course through Volume 1's many pitfalls, mischievous apes, and webs of ledges and ladders.
Bottomless Pit: Running and Jumping Through Platform Games explores the evolution of "run-and-jump" games in rough chronological order of release—from their humble beginnings in arcades through their starring role in the modern industry's explosion of unique and captivating indie titles such as Shovel Knight.
Run, jump, climb, dig, and swing with Stay Awhile and Listen author David L. Craddock as he charts a course through Volume 1's many pitfalls, mischievous apes, and webs of ledges and ladders.
- GenresVideo Games
ebook
Published January 1, 2020
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About the author
David L. Craddock
45 books104 followersDavid L. Craddock lives with his wife in Ohio. He is the bestselling author of
Stay Awhile and Listen
: How Two Blizzards Unleashed Diablo and Forged a Video-Game Empire - Book I, and
Heritage
: Book One of the Gairden Chronicles, an epic fantasy series for young adults. Please follow along with him on his website/blog at
DavidLCraddock.com
.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
September 7, 2020
I think this book was very good for what it was; a selection of journal style reviews cataloging the evolution of platform games.
Reading the introduction really helped put the book into context for me, because it helped me figure out what I was getting into and where my expectations should be. Without it, I'm not sure I would have been as open to the reviews as written.
What I liked best about the book was the ample amount of historical context. I normally wouldn't be drawn to a collection of game reviews unless I had played a majority of the games covered (which was not the case here.) This was a glowing exception to the rule, however, because I have a deep appreciation for platformers and what they've done for games as a whole -- but not the time or skill level to fight my way through all of the classics. Not only does 'Bottomless Pit' give reviews on the games, it explains how each one contributed to the evolution of the genre.
As a writer, it was also good to know that this was a passion project done for the author, and offered a little break from the usual wares. Again, I could really relate to the introduction of needing to put a pin in the usual writing content to work on something fun and exciting in a different format.
There were a couple things I would have liked to see done differently though. The first is that there were sections I feel could have been more polished up (a typo or two, some awkward phrasing, etc.)
The second is that the book just sort of ends. The goal is outlined as playing through all the platformer games and while the Volume 1 in the title suggests it will not all be completed in this book, I was disappointed by stopping point in the journey. I would have liked to see a little more context, either in the introduction or conclusion (maybe both) about why that was the stopping point and what the journey had been like thus far. As written, the end felt a little abrupt.
Complaints aside, I did enjoy the book. It was entertaining, I learned a lot about platformers, and it did pique my interest in the author's other video game work. I'd highly recommend it for anyone who is super into retro platformers, or someone who has any curiosity about how we got to the modern platformers.
Reading the introduction really helped put the book into context for me, because it helped me figure out what I was getting into and where my expectations should be. Without it, I'm not sure I would have been as open to the reviews as written.
What I liked best about the book was the ample amount of historical context. I normally wouldn't be drawn to a collection of game reviews unless I had played a majority of the games covered (which was not the case here.) This was a glowing exception to the rule, however, because I have a deep appreciation for platformers and what they've done for games as a whole -- but not the time or skill level to fight my way through all of the classics. Not only does 'Bottomless Pit' give reviews on the games, it explains how each one contributed to the evolution of the genre.
As a writer, it was also good to know that this was a passion project done for the author, and offered a little break from the usual wares. Again, I could really relate to the introduction of needing to put a pin in the usual writing content to work on something fun and exciting in a different format.
There were a couple things I would have liked to see done differently though. The first is that there were sections I feel could have been more polished up (a typo or two, some awkward phrasing, etc.)
The second is that the book just sort of ends. The goal is outlined as playing through all the platformer games and while the Volume 1 in the title suggests it will not all be completed in this book, I was disappointed by stopping point in the journey. I would have liked to see a little more context, either in the introduction or conclusion (maybe both) about why that was the stopping point and what the journey had been like thus far. As written, the end felt a little abrupt.
Complaints aside, I did enjoy the book. It was entertaining, I learned a lot about platformers, and it did pique my interest in the author's other video game work. I'd highly recommend it for anyone who is super into retro platformers, or someone who has any curiosity about how we got to the modern platformers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review