This tutorial covers the fundamentals of creating and arranging platforms for a 2D sidescroller game in Unity. You'll learn the basics to design levels using the Unity’s Tilemap package.
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This tutorial uses the Tilemap package. It is already installed in the URP 2D template. However, you can check on it in the Package Manager Window.
Select de Unity Registry category on the left side and type Tilemap in the search bar*.*
If it is not installed, the Install button should be displayed instead.
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One of the most used types of 2D game is the sidescroller platformer. The best example is the well-known Super Mario Bros.
The goal of this tutorial series is to recreate the game, with some tweaks, in Unity; starting by its level’s most essential: Platforms.
Unity's Tilemap feature is the ideal solution for 2D platformer games. It provides a grid-based system that allows efficient creation and editing of levels by using reusable assets. This is particularly useful when elements such as floors, walls, and platforms frequently repeat throughout the level, like in Super Mario Bros. The Tilemap system also ensures consistent spacing and alignment.
However, before starting to use Tilemap, we need to find the assets that will be used in the project. Let’s start with the blocks, as they are the basic asset for crating a test level.
The source of the used assets is the following page:
Super Mario Bros. Sprite Sheets - NES - Mario Universe.com
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You can download the used blocks sprite directly from the original page or in a .zip:
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The assets used in the tutorial might not allow a perfect match with the original game. Keep in mind that the main purpose of the tutorial is to show how to properly import and configure assets, as well as how to use the Unity’s Tilemap package.
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Now, let’s add and set up the assets.
Create a Sprites folder in the Assets folder. Use the right click on the Project window, or the + button at the top left corner of the same window.
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To change the icon’s size, use the slider at the lower- right corner of the Project window.
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Decompress the blocks.zip package and drag the blocks.png file into the project. The asset should be inside the Sprites folder displayed as in the image on the right.
