We all know ‘em, some of us love ’em. Sometimes you just get a craving for a game with bright colourful graphics, and a protagonist that walks a little too slow taking up a little too much space on the screen! I‘m in the mood for it. Give me all your big sprite 2d platformers. Hell, let’s make a game of it. The bigger the sprites, the better.
China Warrior has to be the grandaddy of big sprites
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MykZwvCPPi0
I remember playing with these big bois in the arcade. Rampage!
https://imgur.com/yVPBXHt.jpg
^(^(ok maybe they looked bigger on the arcade screen))
The Sega Saturn has Crows: The Battle Action from Athena…
https://youtu.be/7aIdFV1_Nhg
… **Princess Crown** from Atlus and Vanillaware…
https://youtu.be/T9x1LYFqKAo
… And a stealthy candidate: Victor’s **Keiō Yūgekitai: Katsugeki-Hen** a.k.a **Keio’s Flying Squadron 2** which has always felt zoomed 20% too close to the screen and loves to dabble with big sprites as obstacles or interaction opportunities for Keiō.
https://youtu.be/g3Phzqa8_pQ
I will always love oversized sprites, even to this day when they‘re not a technological feat, even when they make the game bad to play. Let’s get these particular levels from Genpei Tōma Den in here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54JEkmE3Pns&t=90s
Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu has some pretty big sprites (especially for the NES). Great game too!
NES
TG16
@tokucowboy came here to post this. Just the end all be all of big sprite 2d sidescrolling.
I'm cheating but TECHNICALLY this is a bit sprite 2D sidescroller because it is 2D and scrolls to the side.
the super spy has real big spritos!
Ditto Crossed Swords, while I'm already cheating.
Less cheating, we've got Mutation Nation:
I think we should qualify what “big” is. I think it has to fill at least 1/3 of the vertical space on the screen!? So @copySave I would say that's NOT BIG ENOUGH
Ninja Warriors Again with this fella counts
I’m not sure if the sprites are especially big, but the player sprites in Night Slashers feel super chunky and good!
https://youtu.be/SMfLO4o1rt4
But for me, the king of all giant sprite games has to be Art of Fighting 2. I can remember being completely blown away by how big the sprites are the first time I played it!! I know it’s not technically a sidescroller, but… honorable mention maybe?
https://youtu.be/ZB6HLhfLQJk
@copySave tried these two out and dude gennei toma den kinda rocks.