Jump Bug was the first platform game

Platform game

A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...

 to include smooth horizontal scrolling. It was developed by Alpha Denshi under contract for Hoei/Coreland

Banpresto

is a Japanese toy company, best known in America for game development, headquartered in the Shinagawa Seaside West Building in Shinagawa, Tokyo. It was founded April 1977 as Hoei Sangyo, Co. Ltd. The company was renamed Coreland in 1982, and during the 1980s it worked mainly as a subcontractor for...

 and released to arcades in 1981, only five months after Donkey Kong

Donkey Kong (video game)

is an arcade game released by Nintendo in 1981. It is an early example of the platform game genre, as the gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main character across a series of platforms while dodging and jumping over obstacles. In the game, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a...

.

Gameplay

A player controls a constantly bouncing car while driving through various environments including a city, pyramid and underwater. Unlike most other sidescrollers at that time, the main character, a buggy is jumping constantly. The height of the jump and speed of a fall can be controlled with up and down key. Player is also able to shoot down various enemies that appear on a stage. Points are gained by collecting treasure, killing enemies and jumping on clouds.