Audiences continue to enjoy a wide variety of 3D platformers, including the adorable student-made Palette Cleaners, which is now available for free. Released exclusively for PC via Steam, Palette Cleanser sees players taking on the role of a cute little robot working to restore the color palette of its futuristic home garden.
Following the recent success of Astro Bot, 3D platformers have seen a surge in popularity, harkening back to the impact of the genre in the late 90s and early 2000s with classics like Banjo-Kazooie, Spyro the Dragon, and Mario 64. Fans have long voiced an appreciation for the colorful environments and diverse gamplay offered by 3D platformers, and Palette Cleanser takes that love of vibrant gaming to the next level.
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Developed by a group of students under the moniker Team 1 at Breda University of Applied Sciences, Palette Cleanser is a short but sweet 3D platformer that is now available for free on Steam. Players control a cleaning robot in a whimsical garden of the distant future and must help to undo the damage done by color-slurping aliens who have completely desaturated the vibrant flora. The robot will need to capture the alien invaders and activate its paint sprinklers while dashing and jumping through the garden to restore the plants and return the once-beautiful environment to its lively state again. While some of the aliens may fight back, players are encouraged to safely capture the invaders while exploring the open-ended garden. Reminiscent of games like Super Mario Sunshine and Splatoon, Palette Cleanser brings familiar gameplay in this eye-catching new 3D platformer.
Why are 3D Platformers Becoming Popular Again?
The Team 1 students of Breda University of Applied Sciences worked for eight months to fully develop Palette Cleanser, and some may wonder why a 3D platformer would be chosen when other options may have proven simpler to produce and just as popular. While the group has not publicly disclosed its reasoning, many have noticed a renaissance of sorts in the 3D-platforming genre, arguably helped by big-name launches like Astro Bot and, most recently, Donkey Kong Bananza. The renewed popularity of 3D platformer video games reflects a growing desire for nostalgic gameplay with new stories, which may be contributing to the re-emergence of 3D-platforming as a beloved genre among young developers, veteran creatives, and general audiences.
Gamers continue to voice an appreciation for smaller teams and student developers for sharing original ideas that reflect larger patterns in the AAA gaming industry. As players enjoy Palette Cleanser and discover other hit indie games on Steam, they may find that the world of 3D platformers is showing no signs of slowing even decades after its peak popularity.
