Hi

I am new to Godot and I find it strange that almost all of the tutorials I see use KinematicBody nodes for characters (and hence a physics based character). Which node should I use if I do not intend to apply any kind of physics actions to the character? Area2D can detect collisions so why not use it for Characters? Coming from a simpler game engine like Gdevelop, I have learned to control the movement by myself by manipulating X, Y of the objects.

Lastly, if you can point me to a learning resource that go straight into making a Platform styled game using KinematicBody, that would be awesome!

    terminus_outpost Area2Ds are meant as areas, they detect stuff that enters and exits them and can also be used to distort gravity.
    It's useful of course to have an area2D on a character in case you want to detect nearby objects but as a root node there are better options.

      terminus_outpost Does that mean that an Area2D based character cannot collide with tiles?

      Correct. If you want the character to collide with tiles, you need CharacterBody2D or RigidBody2D. If you want to move the character directly without dealing with forces but still collide with tiles, CharacterBody2D is the best option.

        terminus_outpost You can use whatever physics body you prefer. You can even use StaticBodies, honestly. A "player character" is just a graphic moved by code. So if you can code that and you don't need heavy physics, use what works and looks good to you.

        I have seen many users using Area2D as player objects, because Areas can detect when things enter them and the signals are easy to understand.