Content Warning:
Death. Underworld.
Story:
Juan is a local agave farmer who happens to be in love with the El Presidente’s daughter. A denizen of the underworld, Carlos attacks Juan’s village and kidnaps the El Presidente’s daughter. Juan tries to save her but is killed in the process. In the underworld, Juan is given a special mask by a luchador named Tostada. This mask turns Juan into a luchador and allows him to go back to the land of the living. Now Juan must catch Carlos and save the El Presidente’s daughter before she is sacrificed on an alter to help Carlos take over both worlds.
Gameplay:
Guacamelee! is a classic 2D Castlevania type game. You can head anywhere in the world but are gated by needing special abilities to access those areas. As Juan gains more abilities he is able to take on more different types of enemies and get access to new areas of the world. The attacks are very luchador and range from headbutts to special abilities like the Rooster Uppercut. You gain these special abilities by breaking certain statues found around the game. You use combinations of these moves to create combos to take out your enemies. Once you have softened up an enemy enough, you can grapple them and throw them in any direction.
Gameplay is fun and the platforming is spot on.
Presentation:
Guacamelee! uses the bright Mexican color pallet. The design is simplistic but it works in its favor. The Mexican color pallet and simplistic design work in concert to make a wonderfully charming game. Having Mexican mariachi music all throughout the game adds another level and takes this game to the next level.
Summary:
Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is a charming, well-made and executed game. It is well worth the money to invest in a game that sucked me in and made me lose track of many hours.
Notes:
Played on PS4. Screenshots provided by GamesPress.com.
The Bottom Line
I’m so glad somebody reviewed this! This game reminds me of the film “The Secret of Kells” in that it’s very culturally-based (albeit in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way, in this case). I had a lot of fun playing Guacamelee. It’s a unique gaming experience and the hours certainly fly by while you enjoy it 🙂