Variable jumping

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Variable Jumping is a common technique in advanced platformer game engines, in which the longer a jump key is pressed, the longer the controlled character will be jumping. Usually, this is done by the jump key setting a certain height for the character to jump, and the release of that key cutting the ascension short, as opposed to the character gradually gaining height as long as the jump key is held. Variable Jumping is usually designed this way because it allows for easier and cleaner implementation of the maximum height the playable character can reach with jumping under normal circumstances.

The lack of Variable Jumping is almost always considered to be a fatal design flaw in platformer fangames, because almost every Mario series platformer released by Nintendo includes it, and because it adds an additional depth of intuitive complexity to the platformer genre.