In the late '90s, everyone was going 3D. After Super Mario masterfully translated its gameplay to those dimensions, everyone decided to do it. Not everyone did it successfully, though. For every Super Mario 64, there's an Earthworm Jim 3D.
But with the recent critical acclaim of Kirby and the Forgotten Land, 3D transitions are looking more possible than ever before. Kirby managed a solid one after remaining sidescrolling for decades. And there are plenty of franchises that either never tried to adapt to 3D or went back after one or two games. The sidescrollers, platformers, and more could use a reinvention.
Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country was a beloved game trio on the SNES that helped codify the 3D aesthetic in games. But when the gameplay itself went 3D in Donkey Kong Country 64, the praise was less universal. While plenty liked the game at the time, it's often cited as the turning point of the perception of collectathon games. This is why the series returned to 2D platforming.
This is fair, and the Returns games are some of the strongest DK outings ever made. But it does feel like an important part of DK History is being ignored. A lot of characters and elements introduced in DK64 have been ignored in recent games, and it's the last main game appearance of beloved villain King K. Rool. Fans hope for a return to this interesting midpoint in the series.
Metal Slug
Metal Slug is a classic run-and-gun series from King of Fighters creator SNK. The series was a quarter-munching 2D platformer with cartoon sensibilities and excellent sprite work. This might seem difficult to translate into a 3D game, but it had been done before in the PS2 Japan-exclusive Metal Slug 3D.
The game was considered a failure, and the series went back to 2D. Then it went dormant for years before the announcement of Metal Slug Tactics. But there's always a rumbling that a new game could be in SNK's project future. And a 3D iteration of the series that reintegrates the run-and-gun formula into a third-person shooting style would be an excellent update.
Mega Man (Classic or X)
The Mega Man series has had several attempts at a 3D jump. Most successful was the Legends series of games, which took a more Zelda-like style. But Mega Man X had X7, which bombed, and a cancelled project called Maverick Hunter. This game would have taken the series closer to Metroid Prime.
It's an interesting idea for the franchise that's worth considering. It worked well for Metroid, but while the games aren't entirely similar, it could be close enough to work. But in any case, the prototype was not greenlit, and the games returned to being 3D in just presentation. Mega Man 11 also used 3D for its presentation, but it could go fully 3D.
Ghosts 'N Goblins
Ghosts 'n Goblins recently saw a new entry on Capcom's fantastic RE engine. While that game was fantastic, it didn't really move copies. This is a shame, but the side-scrolling game with its intense difficulty might've thrown players off. But truth be told, it could still reimagine itself in multiple ways in 3D.
In the early 2000s, there was a spin-off called Maximo that made the franchise a 3D platformer. But as the series was mostly projectile-based, it could find success as a third-person shooter. The series is also often compared to Dark Souls retroactively. Perhaps a game mixing that with Forgotten Land's level scope would be more true to a modern version of the series.
Rayman
Some might be surprised to see one of Ubisoft's best game characters among some other titles. Rayman had two excellent platforming adventures at the turn of the century, after all. These games would define him for the 2000s, but it's not the 2000s anymore, and Rayman has been a sidescrolling mascot for longer now.
The original Rayman was a 2D platformer, but the team chose to emulate Super Mario 64 for the sequel. It paid off and created two especially dreamlike games that helped realize what combat would be like in 3D platformers. But in the 2010s, the series changed back to platformers. While Legends and Origins are great games, fans think it's long overdue for Rayman to return to 3D.
Classic Sonic
Sonic the Hedgehog has plenty of 3D titles. The series' relationship with 3D has been well documented, but it chose to reinvent itself when it made the polygonal jump. But there are plenty of games that show an alternate world where the old level-based gameplay remained dominant. Classic Sonic could totally make the jump to 3D if Sonic Robo Blast 2 is any indication.
SRB2 is a DOOM mod that recreated the classic gameplay in a 3D environment. But the games Sonic X-Treme and Sonic 3D Blast were official attempts to bring the formula to 3D. X-Treme was cancelled, and 3D Blast is contentious, but the isometric design had potential. Sonic has always had a lot in common with Pinball, so bringing 3D elements to the series in that way would be great.
Super Meat Boy
There's a large variety of 3D platformer games in modern gaming. But one type that only really exists in the 2D space right now is the punishingly difficult platformer. Games like Super Meat Boy are pure platforming challenges with quick respawn times that encourage failure. Until recently, quick respawns in 3D games were tough to do.
But now that it's easier to achieve, a tough as nails parkour-type game in a 3D space should come along. 3D platformers usually have just as much if not more of a focus on execution than difficulty. Super Meat Boy would be a great franchise to lead this charge. It would be an innovator in the 2D and 3D platform spaces.
Golden Axe
Golden Axe was a classic arcade series from SEGA in the fantasy beat-em-up niche. While Streets of Rage has continued to be an alive and well beat-em-up series, their other franchise Golden Axe has fallen by the wayside. There are a lot of ways a revival of this series could go. There was an infamous Golden Axed prototype that SEGA released publicly without notifying the devs.
The prototype was a brawler game with the stylistic violence common to games in the day it was made. This is one possible version of a modern Golden Axe. But others include making it a more fantasy themed-open world game, as those definitely have brawler DNA. There's also the chance it could become a 3D version of Streets of Rage, but fans want it back regardless.
Shantae
Shantae is a franchise that has lived on being thoroughly Game Boy era. The franchise began there, and even as graphics improved and 3D backgrounds were added, it stayed 2D. It's always styled itself as being one of many platformers. So, much like other platformers, it would be great to see the series try 3D.
The series' transformations could be great for traversing a 3D environment. The large boss battles would be just as possible in 3D as in 2D. And the Metroidvania elements and secrets could easily be retained. Plus, a 3D version of the towns and the mini-games would help flesh out the half-genie hero and her world that much more.
Ice Climber
Super Smash Bros. is a franchise known for resurrecting old characters. Perhaps its most successful resurrection was Kid Icarus, which saw a new title shortly after Pit joined the brawl. But while some characters saw resurgences after appearing in Smash, not everyone did. This is most noticeable with one of Smash's earliest retro characters, the Ice Climbers.
Ice Climber was an NES game that saw two climbers cooperating to scale a vertical mountain. To say that this idea would thrive in an online environment is an understatement. Both a cartoonish style true to the original game and a more realistic arctic adventure could work wonders. Climbing a series of tough mountains and glaciers with only a friend could call together the same vibes as Journey, and it's a shame that any game, this IP or not, hasn't tried it.