Guacamelee! Preview (PlayStation Network, PS Vita)

Find Lucha Libre-fueled revenge in the latest platform game from the creators of Tales From Space: When Blobs Attack!

We already knew what kind of charm Drinkbox Studios was capable of with its prior releases Tales From Space: When Blobs Attack for PlayStation 3 and Mutant Blobs Attack for PS Vita.  Both games ooze a 50’s sci-fi sort of vibe, while at the same time introducing gameplay mechanics that you don’t normally find in a side-scrolling platformer.  There’s something about the presentation that grabs us; whether it’s the blob capability to eat up everything on the fly or the Danny Elfman-inspired soundtrack, we just love these games.

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But Drinkbox isn’t done yet, as the company is working on an equally inspired platforming adventure that’ll be arriving on PlayStation Network this week following a very successful showcase at PAX East a little while back.  Guacamelee! has been getting a great deal of attention with its beautiful presentation and unique gameplay tactics, which differ quite a bit from the Blobs games while still keeping that Drinkbox appeal that we’ve gotten so used to.  You game players are in for something special.

In the game, you play as Juan Aguacate, a Mexican strongman who has earned the affections of El Presidente’s daughter.  However, a sinister force has kidnapped her and mortally wounded you in the process.  But never fear – you’re soon resurrected as a powerful Lucha Libre wrestler who unlocks new abilities over the course of the game that allows you to fight back against this demon force.

Over the course of Guacamelee, you’ll earn new power moves that help turn the tide against opposing enemies and also help you break through blocks that can get in your way.  Using a powerful uppercut, a devastating headbutt or a frog-oriented ground pound, you can break into new areas and find hidden goodies that will help power you up with heightened skill levels.  Throughout Guacamelee!, you’ll be powering up your health and strength, building stamina to the point that you stand a greater chance in combat.

In addition to your fighting techniques, Guacamelee! also introduces an interesting mechanic where you’ll cross over between two worlds.  See, when you’re initially wounded, you find yourself in the “Dead World”, but can cross over through portals back into the “Living World”.  You’ll see these portals pop up in certain areas that are built into the game’s level design.  There are some stages where you’ll need to bounce off walls (NES Batman-style), but some walls are actually in the “other” world, forcing you to time your jump through a portal so that you hit the wall on the other side.  Likewise, some enemies can’t be defeated in one realm though they can still harm you.  To destroy them, you’ll need to jump through a portal and pound the crud out of them.

Combat is very savvy in Guacamelee!, as you’ll be mixing up a variety of moves to get the jump on adversaries.  Combos can be practiced in the fighting ring in the local town square, including ground strikes, air strikes, and the ability to grab an enemy and throw them into others, using prompts that must be completed with your analog stick.  Later moves are introduced in the game, ones that can really make all the difference when it comes to rescuing El President’s daughter.

In addition to the main story (which will take you a few hours to complete), Guacamelee! also introduces side missions in a Metroidvania style set-up where you approach citizens throughout the city and complete their tasks in order to earn extra coins and goodies that can power you up.  These range from beating up chickens that are taking refuge in a house (clearly Juan hasn’t learned what happened in the Zelda games) to locating items that are outside of these citizens’ reach.  Those of you looking to prolong your play time with the game – and get that 100 percent completion goal – should definitely look out for these folks.  (Just watch for people with red and yellow question marks above their head.)

Guacamelee! sounds like serious business, but remember this is Drinkbox we’re talking about.  The development team has loaded up the game with plenty of humorous references, whether it’s winks to other game franchises (keep an eye out for a Casa Crashers flyer) or the sarcasticness of someone trying to help you out (like rampaging through a barrel-filled house for power-ups, then hearing them weep about what you did to their collection).  This smooth, enjoyable rhythm makes Guacamelee! worth going through all the way, if only to see what little jokes come your way next.  (Oh, and we mentioned you can play co-op with a friend, right?  The game supports both local and online play.)

You can check out Guacamelee! for yourself when it arrives tomorrow on PlayStation Network.  It’s $14.99, but that includes both the PS3 and PS Vita versions (two for one!), and also comes with Cross-Play, so you can continue your adventure on the go.  There’s nothing wrong with that, hombre…


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Prima Games Staff
The staff at Prima Games.