See The BEST Metroidvania Games Of 2018 | Year In Review [VIDEO]

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2018 has seen a huge resurgence in indie platformers. What were once simple games have grown in complexity, and formed a massive cottage industry all centered around the Metroidvania genre. What is a Metroidvania? It’s hard to define, but essentially they all share the same elements — exploration, action, platforming and puzzle-solving. Depending on the game, these central pillars can take very, very different forms.

You might get Dead Cells, a rogue-like with fast-paced combat, or you might get something like La-Mulana 2, a mind-bogglingly complex game all about solved puzzles in a lost temple. Whether they’re procedurally generated or 100% designed, Metroidvanias are flexing on every platform. There are so many, it’s very likely you missed a real gem.

That’s why we’re exploring the subject in video-form, discussing all the best (and worst) Metroidvanias of 2018. It’s a genre that’s near and dear to this editor’s heart, so we’re appreciate it if you took a moment and remembered all the indie adventure-platformers that made 2018 a very special year.

I personally covered many of the Metroidvanias on this list, and wrote many (many!) guides. If you’re looking to re-explore any of these awesome games, or just want to take another look into this bottomless void of indie adventures, here’s a quick-and-dirty overview of most of the Metroidvania articles published on Gameranx in 2018. Spoiler: There’s a whole lot of them.

BELOW Guides:

Dead Cells Guides:

La-Mulana 2 Guides: