10 Video Games That Revolutionized Genres

While almost every step in the platformer genre was done by Mario games, others did improve on the formula as well. Super Meat Boy by Team Meat took the difficulty and pacing of old-school hardcore platformers and cranked it up to 11. The speed and precision required to complete the game were both the things that attracted the players and frustrated them to the point of smashing the controller against the wall and uninstalling the game.

Beyond the incredibly steep learning curve lied an addictive, well-thought-out game polished to perfection. The game design was as sharp as the player's skill had to be with every obstacle and enemy being placed precisely where they were needed to be for the game to become devilishly difficult but not impossible. Not unlike Dark Souls, dying was not only expected, it was made a part of the gameplay itself. Upon completing the level, all your previous failed attempts were shown to you at once as a gory but spectacular replay.

After Super Meat Boy reached incredible success, other developers began borrowing the elements that made this game great. We saw a resurgence of retro-platformers, hardcore arcades, and even in large games, there had been an increase in difficulty. From Enter The Gungeon to the aforementioned Dark Souls series, developers began challenging the player more, a change that was welcomed in the age of mainstream games becoming more and more simple.