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:
- Below: What Ingredients You Need To Craft Every Recipe | Recipes Guide
- Below: How To Create Checkpoints & Shortcuts | Progress Guide
- Below: How To Survive In The Deep Darkness | Tips & Tricks
- Below: Where To Find Every Helmet & What They Do | Equipment Guide
Dead Cells Guides:
- Dead Cells: 10 Tips To Help You Beat The Game | Completion Guide
- Dead Cells: How To Find Keys & Cash In The Promenade | Secrets Guide
- Dead Cells: How To Get The Vine, Teleportation, Ram & Spider Runes | Locations Guide
- Dead Cells: Want To Make Easy Progress? Equip Double Turrets | Powerful Build Guide
- Dead Cells: How To Access Every Area | Hidden & Optional Areas Guide
- Dead Cells: All Secret Key & Blueprint Locations | Gardener’s Keys, Architect’s Key & More
La-Mulana 2 Guides:
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: How To Beat The Roots of Yggdrasil | Part 1
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Divine Fortress & Valhalla Guardian | Part 2
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Annwfn & Annwfn Guardian | Part 3
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Hunting Ratatoskr, Crystal Skulls & Key Items | Part 4
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Immortal Battlefield Guardian | Part 5
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Dark Lord’s Mausoleum Puzzles & Guardian | Part 6
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Ancient Chaos Guardian Boss | Part 7
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Icefire Treetop Guardian Boss | Part 8
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: 7 Gates of the Underworld & Eternal Prison Guardian | Part 9
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Halls of Malice Sub-Bosses & Guardian | Part 10
- La-Mulana 2 Walkthrough: Unlock Spiral Hell & Beat The Last Boss | Final Part
- La-Mulana 2: How To Unlock Hard Mode | Secrets Guide
- La-Mulana 2: How To Get The Chain Whip Upgrade | Double Damage Guide
- La-Mulana 2: All Mantra Locations & Second Meanings | Locations Guide
- La-Mulana 2: How to Combine Apps For Bonuses | App Combos List
- La-Mulana 2: How To Get The Flail Whip | All 4 Sigil Locations Guide
- La-Mulana 2: How To Get The Double-Jump Feather Early | Treasure Guide
- La-Mulana 2: All 10 Sacred Orb Locations | Health Upgrades Guide