Review: Guacamelee (PS3 and PSVita)

Fortunately, Guacamelee is more than capable of living up to the high standards set by its predecessor and surpassing them. Guacamelee is difficult to put down once picked up and shows qualities that every game could learn from.

Guacamelee uses simple yet extremely stylised graphics to bring the world alive. The character animations are great to look at and some of the bosses really stand out.

Enemies come in all shapes and sizes and are easily identifiable so it’s possible to know what attacks are coming your way.

You’ll grow to like all the characters, good and bad, due to the amazing dialogue throughout the game, which although told through speech bubbles is still a treat.

This works to the game’s advantage as players will not miss the at-times hilarious chat.

There are numerous references throughout Guacamelee, some will give you a nostalgic rush while others are Easter eggs for recent games.

The characters are over-the-top and exaggerated, there are a few running jokes throughout the game and even the posters in the background are visual gags, which might be hard to notice the first time through an area.

It’s rare to see so many comments regarding a game’s visual aesthetic and overall presentation, but the world of Guacamelee is so impressive, especially when considering the game’s dual-world dynamic, it needs to be mentioned.

Gameplay is similar to the 2D Castlevania games, better known to gamers as the Metroidvania-style games, which involves the players earning skills throughout the game and using these to reach areas of the world map that were previously inaccessible.

Interestingly, abilities that appear useful only in combat or platforming can be utilised for either, with it being advisable in some areas of the game.

Players with a good memory will take note of certain places which appear to have potential secrets for later in the game, but for the less keen-eyed a great deal of exploration is available.

Surprisingly, combat has a decent level of depth, though while playing on normal difficulty the first section of the game is possible without utilising more advanced moves, although it makes little sense to avoid using them.

The more adventurous will be able to use the surprisingly large number of moves to link together lengthy combos. On hard mode players will need to utilise the extra moves and the dodge mechanics to progress. With sufficient skill it certainly could be possible to avoid damage in combat, but don’t expect to attain this level of proficiency without playing the game several times.

The game is not all action though. Platforming makes up the other half of the gameplay.

The protagonist Juan is able to shift between the living world and the dead world, as well as learn some other interesting skills.

The game teaches moves at a very decent pace, and this will allow you to instinctively use abilities together to get through some challenges which might at first seem impossible.

It’s this kind of game design that is seen rarely, but when executed this well can feel extremely rewarding. Even the combo system for attacks is taught like this and there is an available in-game tutorial if you wish to be trained in utilising more complex combos, which really demonstrates the hidden depths to combat in this game.

There are so many nice little touches in combat to talk about, but part of the beauty of the game is discovering these on your own.

The story is relatively simple, but is certainly entertaining enough to keep you playing.

It’s difficult to find any faults in this game. The PS3 and Vita version of the game both play excellently, with no notable differences between either. Buying one version will give you access to the other and saves can be uploaded to the cloud so you can switch between devices with minimal difficulty. This feature seems to work perfectly with no problems.

Playing on the PS3 does allow players to play in local co-op which is a very nice feature to have as the game is fun.

As co-op is drop-in-and-drop-out, players can just have a friend jump in to help them for the boss fights, which can be extremely challenging.

At first it may seem impossible to beat some of the bosses, but the dodge function is essential and recognising a boss’ attack patterns is a key to success.

For the £10 the game costs (with limited-time Playstation Plus discounts) Guacamelee is hard to pass up.

It lasts around 10 hours on an initial play-through, with a higher level of difficulty available after completion.

Some may criticise that 10 hours seems to short, but this game is made to be played again and again, and the game never drags, which is a problem in many games which are artificially lengthened.

There are hidden collectibles which will unlock an alternate good ending, so there is an incentive to explore. There are even leaderboards to further encourage players.

All round, Guacamelee is a great game and just shows how far indie developers have gone this generation.

Verdict: 9 out of 10

Out now for PS3 and PSVita – both versions played