Quick Review: Guacamelee! Gold Edition

Luchador life isn't for me. What would my stage name be anyway? El Tabarnaco?

Some great stories start with the hero dying. Wait, what?

A game by Drinkbox Studios published by them and Kepler Ghost and released on August 8th, 2013, Guacamelee! (specifically, the Gold Edition) is a metroidvania set in Mexican culture. Our protagonist, agave farmer Juan, is helping prepare the Dia de los Muertos festivities when tragedy strikes. El Presidente’s daughter, whom Juan had a crush on, is kidnapped by Carlos Calaca, a lich from the World of the Dead and his crew of other assorted superpowered undead. Calaca plans to unite it with the world of the living, which would cause untold chaos. Juan is killed during his rescue attempt and lands in the World of the Dead. There, he finds a magical luchador mask allowing him to return to the living, where he must use his new wrestling abilities to stop the lich’s plan.

No matter how big the monster, the Rooster Uppercut will
take them down! Or any new comes that we get afterwards.

Classic metroidvania formula; Juan starts with the basics. As we progress, however, we’ll unlock new skills allowing him to access new areas, and venture further into the world. The special moves, all color-coded can be used both offensively and for platforming; as an example, the first is a flying uppercut that can let Juan reach platforms otherwise too high for him. The colored moves are associated with colored roadblocks which Juan breaks by using the corresponding attack. These are all triggered with a specific button or key pressed while holding an arrow key or the joystick in one direction (ex. Up for the uppercut). These moves require stamina points to use, however, so you may have to wait if you spend all those points quickly.

You can beat a skeleton by throwing another skeleton into
it! They deserve it, they work for evil!

The combat system emphasizes Juan’s capacity to chain hits and rain damage. Long combos can be comprised of hits on the ground, in midair, special moves, and full-body wrestling throws, and can net you extra money! Cash can be spent at save points to gain new attacks, as well as perks relating to stamina and health. The fights get harder by throwing new ideas and challenges. Some enemies can only be fought in one of the two worlds. Later enemies are protected by color shields that must be destroyed with the corresponding special move before they can be damaged.

Come one come all, I've got exactly what each of you needs!
Two Rooster Uppercuts, and a headbutt, to go!

Of coure, expect the bosses to test all of your skills
gathered thus far. Some of these get tough!

Juan gains the special attacks and movement skills from breaking Choozo statues scattered around and getting a mean talking-to by their owner, an old master who spends his time living as a goat. Movement abilities include staples of the genre, like dodge rolls, wall jumps, double jumps, and wall runs. More peculiar abilities are unlocked through the story. After one boss, Juan is given the ability to switch between both worlds at will; some walls and platforms that don’t exist in one world can exist in another, and vice versa. This opens many platforming options, and the game makes full use of them by throwing every possible challenge in your way. Juan also gains the ability to turn into a chicken! Yes, really!

Bawk bawk bawk! Don't be fooled, Juan can still attack!
That beak is a weapon all to itself.

This game is designed so that a Player 2 can join in as Tostada, the Guardian of the Mask. Multiplayer overhauls of the death system, with a dead player respawning after a moment.

Mustaches, a star, and a red and green color palette.
Gee, I can't figure it out!

Guacamelee! takes its gameplay very seriously, but coats it with a lovely art style, an irreverent sense of humor, and every pre-2013 video game reference and Internet meme it could throw in. These are all so obvious, and yet they never fail to give me a chuckle. Barring a few instances (like a platform “boss” ending in a Super Mario Bros. homage), most references are posters, statues, wall coverings, or soundtrack moments homaging famous video game music, and therefore don’t impact gameplay. The whole thing isn’t just a good game; it also pays tribute to many games that came before. (I did mention the “Choozo” statues, a homage Metroid’s Chozo statues…)

A Luchador Between Worlds. Gotta make the walls appear
and disappear thanks to our ability to switch at will
from one world to the other!

This game is so damn good. Story-wise, we’ve got characters with cool designs and even cooler personalities, and a plot that’s basic but perfect for the genre (and the use of Mexican mythology and aesthetics complements it perfectly). In line with the Metroidvania, the game all the way to the final boss will be a test of your skills (and I can confirm; it gets TOUGH in the final stretches!), but there are tons of secrets hidden away that can only be found once you’ve obtained the necessary ability, and those chests and collectibles will often be even more challenging than what you’d find in the same area. The main collectibles are heart pieces (gather three to permanently increase your health) and skull pieces (again, three, and you gain an extra point of stamina for Juan’s special moves), though the best-hidden ones are orbs that form a luchador mask that grants a final ability.

Running up walls? That's gonna break the platforming!
Just wait; later, you learn to fly off from walls, too!
Yes, really!

My only critique of the game is not a negative; I play on keyboards since I don’t own a controller for my PC, and this game recommends using a controller. Let’s just say, I can confirm, as there are lots, and I mean LOTS, of controls to keep track of, especially as we pile on the special moves and abilities, which does make me feel like I could have had an easier time overall using a controller instead of the eight keys my left hand needed to keep track of. At last, a game where I felt the warning was completely justified.  Maybe, someday, I’ll buy a controller…

Guacamelee! Gold Edition is available on Steam for 14.99$ USD. It comes packaged with the Super Turbo Championship Edition, which I also own… and might review someday as well, I guess.