Was "Yoshi's Touch & Go" the first infinite runner? Or does another game predate it?

[koifish | 615]

I recognize that other games have a similar format, i.e. you might argue that most arcade games are infinite runners, in that you go as far as you can until you die, but typically these games do not have the format points which often most define infinite runner games, namely that you cannot stop moving. The side view perspective is also a hallmark of the genre, but not a firm rule, so I'm not sure how far it counts.

I was playing it the other day and this idea came to me, curious what you all think of it.

[Gloves | 12,453]

Technically, Scramble. It at least hits the mark as far as your criteria goes, I believe.

Or are you perhaps trying to stick to what might otherwise be called "platformers"?

[Sumez | 3,205]

Moon Patrol is similar to Scramble in this context, but might be more properly described as a platformer.

I'm not sure what really defines an "infinite runner" game though, as I don't think I've ever played a game defined as such. Does it imply indirect control of the character, similar to Touch & Go?

Edited January 25, 2021 by Sumez

[Tulpa | 3,770]

B.C.'s Quest for Tires on computers (notably the C64 and Apple II) was another in that vein. I think they all had elements of what became the "endless runner" genre, but the genre wasn't defined yet.

[GPX | 1,435]

So this “infinite runner” basically means a platformer where the screen automatically scrolls across?

Not quite, but very close, is Wonderboy. You’re essentially constantly running due to the time factor and your vitality being drained if not constantly grabbing more fruits. 

[DefaultGen | 5,802]

Yoshi's Touch and Go doesn't end at all (AFAIK) whereas games like B.C. or Scramble loop the same levels. I would've guessed it's Canabalt simply because that's the game that exploded the genre, but YT&G has a lot of the same qualities.

Most endless runners are a lot faster paced, so I'm not sure if that's part of the genre definition in a post-Canabalt world. When you get looser with the definition a lot of games could count like that helicopter cave game or SkiFree, so I bet we can come up with something before YT&G.

[OptOut | 9,210]

Never really got into Yoshi Touch and Go, felt more like a mini-game that would be included in a real Yoshi game, rather than its own stand alone thing.

[koifish | 615]

On 1/29/2021 at 11:42 PM, OptOut said:

Never really got into Yoshi Touch and Go, felt more like a mini-game that would be included in a real Yoshi game, rather than its own stand alone thing.

I had the same feeling back when I got it. In my defense, I had an NDS at launch and didn't have anything to play on it beyond Mario and some multiplayer games. Returning to it now, I'm a fan of what it has going on, and it feels more interesting than when I was a kid. It's obviously a game you either enjoy or don't, and I don't think it has widespread appeal, but still I'd say it can be fun.

 

Given the discussion here, I think it's fair to say that the notion is pretty old, but then it bears defining a lot of factors as to how exactly an endless runner game is defined. The only constant I'd say is that it doesn't end until you die. I feel like many games fit that, so you would probably have to look at more games which people consider endless runners as opposed to just games that don't end, as otherwise you would miss the point of why people started to refer to certain games as that name.