Guacamelee! (PS3/PS Vita, Cross buy / save)

[Icemage]

I just picked up Guacamelee! on PSN this evening. This is an amazing 2D Metroidvania-style game which casts you as a humble agave cactus farmer who is magically transformed after death into a mystical luchadore (Mexican wrestler).

The game is getting rave reviews everywhere, and deserves it.

Guacamelee! - Review - YouTube

Fantastic controls, great visuals, funny and topical humor, and great game pacing make this easily one of the best games for the PS Vita.

The game features cross-buy and cross-save so you can play it on either PS3 or PS Vita with a single purchase (trophies are unified, so only one set of trophies that can be earned on either version, but there's a platinum trophy for the game for those who care).

Buy this game, folks. It's great!

[PA_Kid]

Only just started it last night on the Vita - haven't had a chance to try it on the PS3 with the cross-controller.

11.99 with Plus this week - hardest working yearly service in the business.

What I played so far was fun, but barely started - stopped just after getting the mask. Seems like anyone who loved Tales From Space should make it a must buy.

[RaijinUT]

Might need to pick it up.

Here is a review I just read on it...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/games/20...eview-ps3vita/

9/10-

[Show spoiler]'Guacamelee!' Review (PS3/Vita)
Erik Kain, Contributor
Comment Now Follow Comments
Indie action-platformer ‘Guacamelee!’ is one of the funnest and most challenging games to launch in so far in 2013.



Guacamelee! is brilliant and immensely fun. It’s also diabolically difficult at times, which makes it all the more rewarding.

That’s the short review. Here’s the long one.

Drinkbox Studios has crafted a real gem for PS3 and PS Vita owners: an old-school “Metroidvania” style 2D action-platformer that has both excellent combat and some of the best platforming I’ve seen in a long time.

The game is set in a Mexican fantasy land and boasts the big, gaudy colors one might associate with a Mexican fairy-tale: deep reds, purples, greens and yellows stand out in a bold array, while our orange-skinned protagonists leaps and punches his way through each level.

On the eve of El Dia De Lost Muertos (the Day of the Dead) calamity strikes and your character, Juan, has greatness thrust upon him. El Presidente’s daughter has been kidnapped by the skeleton Calaca and it’s up to you, a newly minted Luchador—or professional Mexican wrestler—to save her. There’s even a great little Super Mario Bros. moment in the game.

In fact, while it’s a much more complex platformer than the old Mario games, the challenge reminds me of those older 2D titles. Sure, you don’t run out of lives, but there are a handful of moments in the game that are truly brutal.

Basically as you make your way through the game you learn new special powers. These are all color-coded. So you learn the special upper-cut and the power flashes red when you use it. This power lets you use your special attack, but it also lets you break through red blocks that guard certain passages (typically on the ceiling) and break enemies with red force fields.

The downward strike you learn next is green, allowing you to break through green blocks (typically on the floor) and break green force fields. You unlock more and more powers as you go, including the ability to grab onto walls and later run up walls or launch into a “Goat Fly” that sends you flying in a horizontal line until you hit another wall, and so on and so forth.



Each special move uses up one block of stamina, though these regenerate pretty quickly. Still, you can’t just button mash your powers or you’ll run out of stamina quickly. The addition of force fields also means you need to use precision rather than button mashing to beat enemies. Stunned enemies can also be tossed into other badguys which can be quite useful especially in a crowd.

Combat is fast and fluid throughout, and gets progressively harder the more powers you accumulate, so there’s absolutely a lot of player skill required. Still, I found the hardest parts of the game tended to be the platforming rather than the fights.

On top of these combat and traversal powers you also get transformed into a chicken at one point and are able to switch forms at will, giving you the ability to move through low passages and find new areas and new secrets. Chickens actually play a really big part in the game, all in keeping with its often super cheesy, but endearing, humor.

You also eventually get the power to flip dimensions which plays a hugely important part in the platforming elements of the game as well as its combat. For instance, in one dimension some walls may appear while others disappear, so as you go leaping about trying to get up to a high perch, you need to flip back and forth and back and forth between dimensions. It can be extremely challenging.



The dimension swapping reveals two different worlds: the world of the living and the world of the dead. In keeping with the notion that a game’s story and a game’s mechanics ought to be inextricably linked, these two dimensions serve as the crux of the game’s plot. Calaca wants to merge these two dimensions so that he can rule them both. It’s your job to not only save the girl, but to stop him from achieving this.

Of course, it only gets worse when the dimension swapping is necessary to fight enemies. Half of them might be in one dimension while the other half are in the other, so you’re swapping back and forth to fight the bad guys sometimes while you’re also maneuvering some really tricky environments…it’s tough, and at times a bit frustrating, but it’s so much fun. Truly, not enough games like this are being made.

The game is designed around an open-but-gated world design. So you have a couple towns and the desert, the forest, the agave fields, etc. and you’re free to go anywhere you like right off the bat. The problem is, many of these areas are gated off by blocks that you can’t get through or areas you can’t reach until you learn new powers.



The same goes for many of the side quests you receive in the towns. You’ll get a quest that you won’t be able to solve until way later in the game because you won’t have the right power to get through an area. You’ll remember areas you couldn’t reach before and backtrack to explore them once you’ve gotten the right power. It’s all designed with enormous care and cleverness.

Boss fights get progressively more and more difficult, but they’re designed to allow players to learn. There were a couple that I had a really hard time with, but I just had to slow down and pay more attention and pretty soon I was getting the timing right and playing defensively enough to survive. Defense consists of well timed dodges and staying the hell out of the way for the most part.

Along with upgraded powers you upgrade your health, stamina, and regeneration rates and can buy a couple extra moves from the little shops scattered about each level with money you earn from killing enemies. Hidden treasure chests also contain various upgrades, giving you an incentive to explore each level and do lots of backtracking to areas you couldn’t fully explore before.



The game has a great mix of mariachi style and more electronic music which fits the gameplay like a well-tailored suit. I do wish there had been a few more tracks to enjoy, especially in the areas you spend the most time in, but that complaint really goes hand in hand with my only real problem with the entire game: it’s a $15 game, so it’s not going to be as big as a full AAA release, but the gameplay is so good I found myself wanting a great deal more.

I also think the game would have benefited from more monster variety. Most of the time you’re fighting skeletons, with the occasional dragon or giant, spiky armadillo thrown in. The skeletons are made more interesting by the force fields and the later addition of swords and shields, but as your combat prowess increases, it would have been nice to rely less on enemy defense and dimension swapping, and include more versatile foes. Some badguys crawling on the walls would have been a nice addition, for instance.

Likewise, while there’s lots of exploration I would have liked to see more puzzles. There are some, but more would have been welcome, especially for optional side quests and secrets.



The game is a cross-buy, cross-play title and it’s co-op. This means you can play on your PS3, save it to the cloud, and pick up where you left off on your Vita. It also means you can play co-op on the PS3 using either two controllers or one controller and the Vita as the second, with the mini-map showing up on the Vita’s screen (sort of like the Wii U….)

The addition of a second player in co-op can be a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it, of course. Tough platformers can be a source of grief when both players need to traverse tricky areas. Still, there’s not enough co-op games out there and this is a great one to play on the couch with a friend.

I also think the game works better on the PS3 than the Vita. I’m not a big fan of the touch controls which, while fairly minimal, are necessary to make up for the lack of buttons on the Vita compared to the DualShock.

All told, I can’t recommend this game highly enough. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had all year, and certainly more challenging than many of the games that have come out so far in 2013. The graphics are nothing to write home about, but the art style is beautiful, colorful and distinct. Some voice acting would have been nice for the few snippets of important dialogue, but keeping the voice acting out of the game makes it feel more old school and keeps the game file smaller. It also costs less, leaving more resources left over for other cool features.

Basically, if you’re looking for a challenging, fun game on the cheap, this will only set you back $15 but you’ll get hours of play on either your PS3 or your PS Vita or both. It’s well worth both your time and your money.


Guacalamelee!
Platform: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
Developer: Drinkbox Studios
Publisher: Drinkbox Studios
Released: April 9th, 2013
Price: Cross-buy for $14.99
Score: 9/10

[PA_Kid]

IGN and Sixthaxis both gave it a 9 also.

The only serious complaint I've seen is that it is short - one said 5 hours for the main game and maybe another 3 for cleanup. But he also said that part of the reason it probably feels so short is because he loved it so much he wanted to play more.

[Icemage]

I just reached one of the secret levels (Tree Tops) and it is kicking me in the teeth. Good lord, some crazy platforming on this level.

No spoilers, but if you want a platinum trophy on this, you have to pass this level, and it's distilled frustration from start to finish.

[Shin-Ra]

I'll definitely try a demo out if released. I'm hearing very good things about the controls on both platforms but still really need to try the combat out for myself.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by Shin-Ra

I'll definitely try a demo out if released. I'm hearing very good things about the controls on both platforms but still really need to try the combat out for myself.

You'll like it. The combat is truly excellent and the controls are like butter.

---

I finally passed the Tree Tops secret level, and now I'm stuck trying to figure out how to get my last chest in the hot desert (Desierto Caliente). It's in the middle of the zone in an area you have to use Pollo Power to reach, and you somehow have to pass through 2 of the red spiky vines to get to a platform. Can't figure out how you're supposed to get there, and there isn't any other way to get to that area.

[RSuarez]

I got this last night and I loved it!

All the videogame and meme references make it even more fun to play, controls are great and the graphics are excellent! Loved the Alebrije sequence... well worth the money (and I don't have Plus)

[PA_Kid]

Anyone else play around with cross-controller?

I did a bit a night or two ago - didn't change things too much, but was a fun little touch.

Funny how long it took me to figure out how to do it - unlike LBP you start the game on the PS3, hit the PS button and then select remote play on the PS3 and on the Vita (not the cross control option).

Had to look at their website faq to figure it out.

[IllMattIc]

Originally Posted by Icemage

I just reached one of the secret levels (Tree Tops) and it is kicking me in the teeth. Good lord, some crazy platforming on this level.

No spoilers, but if you want a platinum trophy on this, you have to pass this level, and it's distilled frustration from start to finish.

That part is definitely one of the worst in the game other than that I am enjoying this a lot.

[Icemage]

Originally Posted by IllMattIc

That part is definitely one of the worst in the game other than that I am enjoying this a lot.

Yeah I got the platinum trophy for Guacamelee yesterday. It's arguably the most difficult part of the game (either Tree Tops or the crazy hidden part of The Great Temple with the Mega Man-like coin-sized disappearing platforms).

Only those two levels are hard, but they're hard enough to keep the Platinum trophy for this game out of the reach of more casual players for sure. That and the last zone on Hard; that one's pretty crazy too. There's one spot with 4 fast enemies that each have a different shield... took me a while to figure out and pass.

For those that are worried, the crazy platforming sections are optional hidden levels - the main path for the story is relatively easy and has no nightmare sections.

[IllMattIc]

Originally Posted by Icemage

Yeah I got the platinum trophy for Guacamelee yesterday. It's arguably the most difficult part of the game (either Tree Tops or the crazy hidden part of The Great Temple with the Mega Man-like coin-sized disappearing platforms).

Only those two levels are hard, but they're hard enough to keep the Platinum trophy for this game out of the reach of more casual players for sure. That and the last zone on Hard; that one's pretty crazy too. There's one spot with 4 fast enemies that each have a different shield... took me a while to figure out and pass.

For those that are worried, the crazy platforming sections are optional hidden levels - the main path for the story is relatively easy and has no nightmare sections.

Congrats on your platinum I just got it a little over an hour ago, that mountain orb was more of a pain in the ass for me than tree tops due to me going through the wrong door and having to do it over again.

[PA_Kid]

So the 300 hit combo isn't the hardest trophy?

[ScarletKnight71]

Originally Posted by PA_Kid

The only serious complaint I've seen is that it is short - one said 5 hours for the main game and maybe another 3 for cleanup. But he also said that part of the reason it probably feels so short is because he loved it so much he wanted to play more.

5, hah! I finished the main story in over 13 hours! I was stuck on MANY platforming areas and a couple of the bosses. This game is extremely difficult for me but I am really enjoying it. I originally got it just to test the cross functionality with the Vita (which I think is pretty darn cool), and it really is well done.

I'm currently 'stuck' in Caverna del Pollo mopping up the collectibles. I can't imagine what it's going to be like on hard.

Originally Posted by PA_Kid

So the 300 hit combo isn't the hardest trophy?

Actually, that one is pretty easy. You'll get to a point in the game where you have to destroy the shields of enemies by using specific button combos in order to damage them. You just have to get one of these guys against a wall and keep punching. If you don't destroy their shield, you can't damage them but you can add to your combo.