Welcome to our review of Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition, a Metroidvania brawler inspired by Mexican Luchador wrestling.
Carlos Calaca has kidnapped El Presidente’s Daughter, and he plans to sacrifice her in order to merge the World of the Living with the World of the Dead. Juan Aguacate, an agave farmer who stumbles upon a Legendary Luchador mask, must find the strength and courage to become the Hero he’s always dreamed of being and put a stop to this.
Guacamelee! is a Metroidvania-style action-platformer set in a magical world inspired by traditional Mexican culture and folklore. The game features melee combat, parallel dimensions, and same-screen co-op. The original Guacamelee! received wide critical acclaim and was a finalist for both IndieCade and the Independent Games Festival’s Excellence in Visual Art award.
Most of all, Guacamelee! brings a great brawling experience with loads of combos and is far from a button mashing game! Swap between both realities to go even further down the rabbit hole and you got one amazing game in your hands with this one.
As you start out, it is mostly the usual stuff, learning how to fight and move through certain obstacles, a mechanic you will need quite often to escape from harm or to avoid incoming projectiles. I love how the game slowly but steadily gives you more and more special powers. There is the massive uppercut, the clinging to walls, the headbutt and so many more. How to get these upgrades? Simply smash those ugly statues along the way and the elder will teach you all about your newly found skills.
But it is not all fun and games, Guacamelee! often pushes you to the limit of how it works. Swapping dimensions instantly followed by a certain skill and then another just to avoid falling down a pit. Guacamelee! does take some pure button tapping skills, almost like a rhythm game!
Accompanied with a dynamic map that clears up as you go along, I especially loved being able to see your destination. Sure, it is never a straight line from start to finish. Often big obstacles are blocking your way and you need to learn a new skill in order to advance. While at times this is a delight, at others it may be a source for irritation. This is not the games fault, it is the genre and backtracking principles that are so deeply engraved into the Metroidvania genre, that are to blame. Guacamelee! does not feel boring when you need to backtrack!
In conclusion, Guacamelee! is a big indie title to have finally hit the Nintendo Switch. Having never played it before, I was lucky enough to get a review code! I loved this game and can only recommend it. One thing though, while it does get tougher as you go, simultaneously the fun increases. A very nice and welcome surprise. I wish more games would be this well presented and Guacamelee! is an example for all!
