But there’s so much that differentiates Guacamelee from the games that came before it. For one, its humorous, over-the-top presentation makes it stand alone. The main character, a luchador named Juan, is a far cry from Samus, Alucard and Jason Fleming. Likewise, the enemies he fights, from sword-wielding skeletons to a creature with a fiery face aptly named Flameface, don’t exactly invoke a deep level of fear like Mother Brain or Count Dracula (okay, fine… Alucard fights sword-wielding skeletons).
The same is true of the environments Juan explores and the characters he meets on his journey. Vividly-colored and uniquely drawn, Guacamelee certainly totes its own style, but it’s not gothic or sci-fi like those aforementioned classics. And the characters he encounters? Well, let’s just say that the only creatures I came across that weren’t trying to kill me were chickens. And did I mention that you yourself can turn into a chicken whenever you’d like?
Are you starting to get the picture? Guacamelee doesn’t only rest on its solid foundation as a non-linear, exploration-based side-scrolling action game but also on a uniqueness borne from developer DrinkBox Studios’ pedigree as a team eager to make you laugh. If you’ve played the Tales From Space games on PlayStation 3 or Vita, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. That solid foundation of never taking anything too seriously and literally making you chuckle as you play has segued wonderfully to Guacamelee, and it makes the game absolutely ooze with charm you’ll be hard-pressed to find in too many places around the gaming industry.
All of that’s well and good, of course, but how does Guacamelee play? The answer is, whether you’re playing it on PlayStation 3 or PlayStation Vita, it plays very well. A vast majority of my time with the game took place with a DualShock controller in my hand at the recommendation of my guides from DrinkBox Studios, but the games are virtually identical no matter whether you choose the home console or the handheld.
Combat is a little button-mashy, though you’ll need to quickly employ some tactical acumen if you intend on sticking around for very long. Mashing on the square button to attack as you jump around with X proves easy enough to master (while throwing in the occasional finishing move via triangle), but mixing it up will ultimately be the key to your success. My only disappointment with the core control scheme was my inability to use the directional pad to move, an identical complaint I had with this studio’s PS3 game Tales From Space: About A Blob, an issue later rectified in Vita’s Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.
Regardless, my version of Juan, who was about halfway through Guacamelee’s campaign, was equipped with a couple of special attacks to supplement his regular moveset. Among them was a Dragon Punch-like assault executed by holding upward on the analog stick while pressing circle. My character could also wall-jump by pressing X to bounce back and forth like Ryu in the old-school Ninja Gaiden trilogy. And as I mentioned before, I could even turn into a chicken by pressing up on the directional pad.
What purpose does turning into a chicken serve? Why, it allows Juan to instantly become smaller, granting him access to tiny alcoves that often hold secret goodies likely in the form of a hidden treasure chest chockfull of experience points. Indeed, the Dragon Punch-like move serves a purpose beyond its offensive capabilities, too. You can use it to bash through breakable rocks above your head, opening new paths to explore. Think of these moves as the Mist and Bat of Symphony of the Night, skills which allowed Alucard to explore new sections of Dracula’s castle. The same premise applies in Guacamelee.
Another interesting aspect of Guacamelee is its interplay between two different “worlds,” one of the living and one of the dead. Juan can switch between them at any time, adding significant depth to exploration and puzzle-solving. For instance, some enemies can attack you from one plane but can’t be attacked from another, forcing you to switch back and forth as you fight. This also goes with objects and items in the environment, often requiring you to switch between one world and the other on the fly in order to proceed.
Gamers will also be pleased to learn that Guacamelee supports entirely optional local co-op. A member of the development team played right alongside me, making for an interesting dynamic. I probably won’t opt to play co-op when Guacamelee launches in early 2013, but it’s there if you want to mess around with it.
DrinkBox Studios told me that they want Guacamelee to be at least five hours long, but they don’t want to arbitrarily and artificially pad its playtime either. They also told me that they’re unsure about if purchasing the Vita version will net you the PS3 version for free or vice-versa, though it would certainly be nice. Regardless, PS3 and Vita gamers should keep Guacamelee on their radars moving forward, because for a game that doesn’t take itself very seriously, it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.
