Guacamelee!

This is where you can deliberate anything relating to videogames - past, present and future
Post Reply
User avatar
JaySevenZero
Admin
Posts: 2643
Joined: August 27th, 2012, 4:28 pm
Location: Liverpool, Europe, Earth
Contact:

Guacamelee!

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions for Guacamelee! for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder that where the feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but keeping it brief is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mostly reading out essays. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.
User avatar
Truk_Kurt
Member
Posts: 692
Joined: July 9th, 2015, 10:00 pm

Re: 559: Guacamelee!

Post by Truk_Kurt »

Guacamelee! came as a huge surprise to me. Being a huge fan of the PS Vita I was always keeping up to date with its latest releases and picked this up after seeing the positive reviews. At the time I think it must have been only the second metroidvania I had ever played, prior to it I had played and really enjoyed Shadow Complex so I knew it was a genre I would be interested in playing more in. Looking back now from a position of playing many more metroidvanias, I can still see that Guacamelee is a truly unique and special metroidvania. The theme and art style are the obvious ways it stands out but there is also the combo focused combat which I think Drinkbox absolutely nailed. It felt so satisying to chain together combos and mixing it in with the platforming. It cold get pretty tough towards the end with both the combat challenges and platforming and that would be my only criticism of the game as I nearly through the Vita at the wall at times. I managed to push through though and was left with one of my favourite metroidvanias.
User avatar
seansthomas
Member
Posts: 856
Joined: March 31st, 2015, 8:10 am

Re: 559: Guacamelee!

Post by seansthomas »

For about 5 years, the Wii U was the only console I owned, and after I'd blitzed through many of the Nintendo releases I moved onto the indies. Guacamelee was easily one of the stand out titles on the system.

As the moveset increased, the levels became more and more challenging, with the final few almost beating me. I haven't gone back to the game in a good while but in my head it felt like it was the precursor to much of what Celeste did so well years later, in terms of asking you to chain various forms of movement and momentum together to make progress.

The wrestling theme and colourful nature to the game also played it's part in stopping frustration setting in. The nods to other games felt original at the time too.

I doubt Guacamelee would bother many 'best games ever' list, but it's a fine example of a 2D indie platformer.
User avatar
Alex79
Member
Posts: 8423
Joined: September 2nd, 2012, 12:36 pm
Location: Walsall, UK.
Contact:

Re: 559: Guacamelee!

Post by Alex79 »

I really like Guacamelee, I've played it through twice, once on Vita and again on Switch. I thought it had some really cool ideas with regard to the combat and platforming, and the challenge was just on the right side of things - some areas were pretty tough but it never felt frustrating or unfair. I thought the art style was good, and I enjoyed all the little nods to other games or aspects of popular culture. The music was great too. For whatever reason I've never played the sequel, but I ought to get round to it at some point. All in all I'd say it is one of the best games for the Vita, although perhaps gets a little lost when surrounded by the plethora of other quality Metroidvania type games on other systems.
User avatar
Mr Ixolite
Member
Posts: 189
Joined: April 10th, 2018, 3:02 pm

Re: 559: Guacamelee!

Post by Mr Ixolite »

For a time I was pretty out on Metroidvanias, finding them repetitive and samey. But here Guacameelee was an outlier. The various abilities you unlock do not simply let you double jump or destroy color-coded blocks, but also expand what combos you can pull off in battles, as well as how many color-coded enemies the game can throw at you. Combat is not something you can absent mindedly pull off in Guacameelee, and by the lategame you're juggling so many abilities and dimensions that Platinum games would nod in approval. Fighting feels good, and throwing enemies into each other never gets old.

Outside of battle theres never a dull moment either; rarely can you just walk into a room and pick up an item, as the game constantly challenges you to overcome platforming challenges with your ever-expanding moveset. Many of these can be quite devious, but the generous checkpointing and unlimited lives ensures that they never grated, at leas for me.

My only real sticking points was the bland, unexpressive protagonist, and the tone leaning a bit too much on winking metahumor. I didn't mind the various posters plastered across town, but when the sarcastic elder chides you for destroying his "Choozo" statues it felt like a bit much. The game has so much distinct visual and gameplay flair that it's a shame the writing can't quite match it, but it's by no means bad, and Guacameelee is ultimately a well-paced, always engaging experience.


3 word review:
Simon Says PILEDRIVER
User avatar
Tleprie
Member
Posts: 144
Joined: November 2nd, 2014, 4:13 pm
Location: Indoors
Contact:

Re: Our next podcast recording (4.3.23) - 559: Guacamelee!

Post by Tleprie »

I think Seansthomas makes a good comparison between Guacamelee and Celeste's movement chaining.

I've tried going back to Guacamelee a few times over the years after loving my initial time with it on the Vita, but always bounced off an hour or two in. I think it's that I generally don't care for the metroidvania format. Even the few I really like, I could usually do without the excessive backtracking and exploration. Celeste scratches a similar platforming itch without all those pesky superfluous corridors and powerups and more corridors.

Juan frog-slammed and turned into a chicken so that Madeline could teach us about self-acceptance and wave dashing (just kidding Smash Bros taught us wave dashing).
Post Reply