Games of mixed genres - which has the most?

[GPX | 1,369]

As per title, which games have mixed genres incorporated to its levels, forcing you to be adequate at the various genres in order to complete it? For the sake of a discussion, I’m mainly referring to games that aren’t the mini-games variety. Games that have some form of story telling and level progression.

For the big prize, which game has the most genres in it?

———

A game I’m reminiscing at the moment is Mystical Ninja for the SNES. The levels fluctuate between 2D-platform-action to 3D-action/RPG elements. Within one of the levels, you get to play some mini games of Snakes and one level of Gradius (2D-shooter), but these are optional bonuses that aren’t needed to complete the game.

[Reed Rothchild | 9,509]

Retro Game Challenge

Super Turrican 2

ActRaiser

[mbd39 | 2,017]

Lone Ranger for NES has first person shooter levels, side scroller levels, top down levels.

Vice Project Doom has driving, first person shooting and side scroller.

Bayou Billy has beat em up, driving and shooting.

 

 

[fox | 1,665]

Probably the wario ware games throwing just about every genre at you and then some

[mbd39 | 2,017]

12 minutes ago, fox said:

Probably the wario ware games throwing just about every genre at you and then some

OP specified no mini game collections though.

[fox | 1,665]

20 minutes ago, mbd39 said:

OP specified no mini game collections though.

Micro games not mini games with story and level progression.  They are required for completion, not optional.  If you have no rhythm you will never beat Wario Mambo.

[fox | 1,665]

Also in a similar vein to Mystical Ninja, the Yakuza games are stuffed with side activities.  Not required but they are really fleshed out and you can spend hours on just them.

[fox | 1,665]

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom has 2 side scrolling stages, a racing stage, a flying stage, a train stage, and a trivia contest.

[Sumez | 2,931]

5 minutes ago, fox said:

Also in a similar vein to Mystical Ninja, the Yakuza games are stuffed with side activities.  Not required but they are really fleshed out and you can spend hours on just them.

Yakuza for sure! A lot of them are required in most of the games, too. Yakuza 5 especially takes the cake, with fleshed out side stories for every playable character, like racing, driving according to traffic rules, hunting in the mountain , batting, and one chapter where every "combat" encounter is replaced with various types of rhythm games.

[GPX | 1,369]

4 hours ago, fox said:

Probably the wario ware games throwing just about every genre at you and then some

That was the exact game I was thinking of excluding when I referred to “mini games”! Lol

Games such Mario Party/Wario Ware franchises, are kind of a given they have snapshots of varying genres. I’m more in search of games with fully-fledged levels that differ in style from level to level, or mission to mission. And from a deeper perspective, more variety/fun for the gamer and exquisite talents on the part of the programmers.

[mbd39 | 2,017]

3 hours ago, fox said:

Adventures in the Magic Kingdom has 2 side scrolling stages, a racing stage, a flying stage, a train stage, and a trivia contest.

Muppet Adventure: Chaos at the Carnival is very similar, only it's terrible.

 

[GPX | 1,369]

5 hours ago, Reed Rothchild said:

Retro Game Challenge

Super Turrican 2

ActRaiser

Mind expanding on this? I knew of Actraiser having platform mixed with strategy-simulation elements. I never heard of Retro Game Challenge, and always thought Super Turrican games were 2D shooters.

[fox | 1,665]

15 minutes ago, GPX said:

Retro Game Challenge

You are a kid with a game console and unlock different games and have set challenges you need to do in order to progress, like get the high score or reach a certain level in a shmup.  There are also magizines with tips and cheats that unlock.  New games are unlocked at certain points.  They start out really simple 8 bit style affairs, but by the time you get to the rpg and the final sidescroller, they get pretty deep.  Once you finish all the challenges you can go back into freeplay and just play them each as standalone games properly.

[mbd39 | 2,017]

Tron in the arcade has a few different modes of gameplay.

[Tanooki | 4,929]

The original Animal Crossing with an entire basement turned into a NES arcade line up?  IF not that, just that game alone, you get a digging game, forestry, trading simulation, fishing, bug catching, sims lite relationship building.  There's lots of various genres mashed into that little bit of town life.

2in1 though, Blaster Master is an obvious one going between overhead shooter to side scrolling exploration drive and gun stuff.

[Nintegageo | 582]

Guardian Legend

Rescue The Embassy Mission

Crash Bandicoot games

 

[Tulpa | 3,488]

Ultimate Stuntman has platforming/run and gun, car shooter, aerial shooter, bomb disposal, one on one boss fights, and a first person shooter mode combined with an escort mission of sorts.

Golgo 13 has first person shooter, run and gun, helicopter shooter, scuba, and maze running.

Edited April 25, 2021 by Tulpa

[Californication | 1,477]

Lone Ranger is king in my opinion. 

2d Platforming, Lightgun, Horseback riding, Gambling, run and gun areas, first person mazes, overhead shooting?, information gathering rpg elements, there are stores to buy stuff, and it has a real story.

 

Edited April 25, 2021 by Californication

[DarkTone | 984]

Vice project doom or warioware. 

[DoctorEncore | 3,690]

Battletoads of course! Frog Fractions also comes to mind.

Although I haven't booted it up yet, apparently Nier Replicant/Gestalt has quite a few different gameplay styles.

Edited April 26, 2021 by DoctorEncore

[SpoonMan Abrams X | 697]

Stardew Valley? Farming Sim with some decent action adventure elements and other bits

I feel like most open world games by nature fall under this, namely Grand Theft Auto (3 and onward)

Paper Mario series in general is this. Each game, especially more recent releases, vary more but they tend to combine more staright forward platforming elements with RPG and then some (Origami King having some solid puzzle type stuff going on, especially for boss battles)

I don't think any of those games is a contender for having the most, (un)fortunately lol

[WhyNotZoidberg | 585]

It's easier to pick older games for this because as soon as you come into the PS2's generation, games like GTA offer multiple genres but still feel like one continuous experience because the different genres all blend together.

You're running and punching people like a beat 'em up, but then bring up your gun and you're now playing a 3rd person shooter only to hop into a vehicle so now you're playing a driving game, but you might also be doing an actual race. And some shooting. And some escorting. And then you fly a remote helicopter or some shit. 

But on the NES, Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode has you platforming, swimming, first-person shooting and maze romping all in different levels where the styles of play don't mix at all.

 

Star Control II is a game that has you managing ressources, flying through space and hyperspace and mining planets and doing space combat with asteroids-like control, so that's a good mix of genres.

Phoenix 3 on the 3DO has action platforming and space shooting.

Edited April 29, 2021 by WhyNotZoidberg

[GPX | 1,369]

On 4/30/2021 at 5:19 AM, WhyNotZoidberg said:

It's easier to pick older games for this because as soon as you come into the PS2's generation, games like GTA offer multiple genres but still feel like one continuous experience because the different genres all blend together.

You're running and punching people like a beat 'em up, but then bring up your gun and you're now playing a 3rd person shooter only to hop into a vehicle so now you're playing a driving game, but you might also be doing an actual race. And some shooting. And some escorting. And then you fly a remote helicopter or some shit. 

But on the NES, Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode has you platforming, swimming, first-person shooting and maze romping all in different levels where the styles of play don't mix at all.

 

Star Control II is a game that has you managing ressources, flying through space and hyperspace and mining planets and doing space combat with asteroids-like control, so that's a good mix of genres.

Phoenix 3 on the 3DO has action platforming and space shooting.

Yeah, I agree with the modern 3D action games often having a blend of genres (action, platforming, fighting, shooting, driving/racing). Even the 2D Castlevania from the PS1 and thereafter - Symphony of the Night. You had action, shooting, platforming, RPG elements all mixed up. With these modern-type games, you sort of had expectations from the get go of doing different genres, and throughout the levels.

The more retro games had more clear and distinct genres between their levels (whichever title applies). As a gamer, it felt to me much more unique playing mixed-genre games back in the 80s to early 90s. You could probably classify it as a genre within itself - genre of mixed-genres!

[T-Pac | 7,513]

On 4/24/2021 at 2:59 PM, mbd39 said:

Vice Project Doom has driving, first person shooting and side scroller.

 

On 4/25/2021 at 2:02 AM, DarkTone said:

Vice project doom or warioware. 

Yeah, Vice Project Doom always seems to get a lot of hype for genre-mixing, but to be honest the Ninja Gaiden-style platforming is the only memorable bit for me. Definitely not a bad thing, though!

-CasualCart