The number of metroidvania games available to consumers today is enormous, and many are unquestionably high-quality titles. So what does Guacamelee! offer that would make us choose it over so many other good options? The truth is that its main distinction lies in the fluidity of its gameplay, with constant character progression and a relaxed narrative that appeals to every kind of player, whether or not they are a video game veteran.
Another contemporary classic that will be remembered in the future.
Guacamelee! is a metroidvania game developed and published by DrinkBox Studios in April 2013 for PlayStation 3 and PS Vita, and later ported to Microsoft Windows, still in 2013. In 2014, Linux, Wii U, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 4 received their versions of the game. Finally, this great game reached Nintendo Switch in 2018. The version reviewed here is the Super Turbo Championship Edition for Xbox One.
Below is the trailer for Guacamelee!.
Interesting fact: DrinkBox is an independent game studio from Toronto, Canada, founded in 2008 by Chris Harvey, Ryan MacLean and Graham Smith, three programmers who worked together at Pseudo Interactive, a software house that closed that same year. The debut studio's first name was Not a Number Software, but all its members soon thought it was terrible and changed it to the name we know today. Although DrinkBox is internationally known for the Guacamelee! franchise, this was not its first game: Tales From Space was the series that began the team's work in 2011.
The DrinkBox Studios team.
Story
The story of Guacamelee! is quite simple and works well for the game's premise. It begins when our protagonist Juan, a simple farmer from the Agave Fields who dreamed as a child of becoming a great luchador, much like I dreamed of becoming He-Man, but anyway, decides to travel to the nearest town, where an important festival is taking place. Unfortunately, upon arriving, he finds the mayor's, or El Presidente's, house in flames and major villain Carlos Calaca kidnapping the ruler's daughter. Juan tries to stop it, but Calaca easily kills him.
Every environment in the game was created with great care and dedication by the developers.
Juan awakens in the world of the dead and, after briefly exploring, encounters Tostada, guardian of the Mask, who grants him this important artifact. Upon putting on the Mask, our protagonist returns to life and transforms into a Luchador, beginning his adventure to end Calaca's evil deeds and rescue the mayor's beautiful daughter.
The beginning, with the village apparently at peace. Below, in the image, we can already see Mega Man — I mean, Mega Hombre.
Interesting fact: In 2014, Guacamelee! received a new version called Super Turbo Championship Edition, which added various pieces of content, including new stages, the “Intenso” ability, a new boss and other small details. These additions made the title more complete, and this is the definitive version of the classic.
Guacamelee! Characters
Unlike the usual bestiary descriptions in my articles, this time I will discuss several Guacamelee! characters, since they all possess tremendous charisma that deserves recognition. Their characteristics will be presented without compromising the story for anyone who has not yet played this great game.
Just some of Guacamelee!'s charismatic characters.
- Juan Aguacate: Our hero, whose surname means avocado. He is a humble, kindhearted farmer who dies before his time and, fortunately, receives a second chance, now as a Luchador capable of delivering high-impact blows to his enemies.
Juan Aguacate
- Carlos Calaca: He was once a human being who was betrayed by the Devil after making a deal to surrender his soul upon death. His reason for kidnapping the mayor's daughter involves a ritual to acquire enormous power capable of uniting the worlds of the living and the dead, allowing him to rule both.
Carlos Calaca
- Uay Chivo: He is old, wise, decrepit, somewhat naughty and capable of transforming into a goat. Even so, he is the master of the region's principal luchadores, including Tostada, Jaguar Javier and Juan. He also owns the countless Choozo statues that can grant special abilities to those who break them. His character is based on the traditional Huay Chivo from Mayan folklore, a being said to be half man and half beast that terrorized herds at night. His legend is one of the main foundations for stories of the Chupacabra.
Uay Chivo
- Tostada: She is a supporting character within the Guacamelee! universe, but nevertheless extremely interesting. In life, her name was Josefina, and she died heroically while helping the population evacuate the Camposanto region during the eruption of Pico del Gallo. Because of her deeds, she received special treatment in the world of the dead, where she acquired luchadora abilities and the mission of serving as guardian of the Sacred Mask.
Tostada.
Interesting facts: One of the most interesting things about Guacamelee! is the relaxed atmosphere it maintains throughout the campaign. One highlight is the countless references to films, series, games and memes from the time of release. This genuinely gives players added curiosity to explore and find every Easter egg.
Who wants to guess where the inspiration for this statue came from?
Technical Analysis of Guacamelee!
The gameplay of Guacamelee! is that of a typical metroidvania in which we must explore vast two-dimensional environments in search of items while facing countless enemies. The original game has 12 areas in which we must search for chests and power-ups. These are highly necessary not only for completing the campaign itself, but also for defeating enemies that become somewhat difficult as the adventure progresses.
Maps in the style of its genre open up throughout the campaign.
The game's difficulty increases, with enemies that are extremely easy to overcome initially but become troublesome closer to the end, especially for players who do not learn to perform the valuable combos. We therefore recommend exploring the environments in search of health and special power-ups, as well as learning how to fight different types of opponents. Even so, an experienced player will not have serious problems finishing the game.
Items found throughout the stages increase our health and magic bars.
The game's graphics are extremely well made, with art that deserves praise, especially from an independent title. I encountered no significant bugs during the entire campaign in this first entry in the franchise; if there were any relevant ones, they were probably fixed in an update after release.
You are big, but there is only one of you. Wait, there are two after all.
Although strongly criticized by some people, I found the controls wonderful, responding well to commands and matching the difficulty proposed by the game.
Guacamelee! is the kind of game that shows the platforming style still has a long future ahead.
The entire narrative of Guacamelee! is humorous and strongly evokes Mexican culture. The countless references in the environments and character dialogue let us feel the lightness the title maintains throughout its campaign, as well as the curiosity of finding Easter eggs and double entendres. I would highlight moments, as seen below, when the mayor's daughter becomes awkward after being called the Virgin of Sacrifice, or when, after a difficult dungeon, Juan discovers that his princess is in another castle with the hostess's beloved. These are priceless, memorable moments within the adventure.
The campaign length of Guacamelee! is around 10 hours on a first playthrough if the player dies a few times and spends time exploring. This can rise somewhat when seeking 100% completion, just as it will decrease considerably on a second playthrough.
We encounter enormous enemies during the Guacamelee! campaign.
The replay value in Guacamelee! can be considered high, since players will probably want to seek the so-called 100% completion because of the tremendous entertainment the title provides.
The campaign is tremendous fun throughout, not only because of its engaging gameplay, but also because of the continuous progression of your character and the countless humorous moments across the entire game. Anyone who has played it will certainly want to revisit this marvel someday.
This chaos, with a screen full of enemies, is one of the charms of this mixture of beat 'em up, platforming and exploration.
The soundtrack in Guacamelee! is incredible, perfectly matching the Mexican setting maintained throughout the adventure. We hear touches of bullfighting, the worship of the dead and the region's wrestlers, all accompanied by music that perfectly suits the game's frantic action. The effects do not disappoint either and deserve praise. The Portuguese subtitles are among the best translations and adaptations I have ever seen, a genuinely worthy effort that manages to retain the title's central humor.
Below is the complete Guacamelee! soundtrack.
Interesting fact: Given Guacamelee!'s tremendous success with the public and critics, it was unsurprising that a sequel would be produced for the franchise. This happened in August 2018, when Guacamelee! 2 was initially made available, like the previous title, for PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows. Nintendo Switch received its version in December 2018 and Xbox One in January 2019. As expected, the game was well received by critics and the public, and perhaps it will someday receive an article of its own here at Epic Play.
Played on Xbox One.
