Developer: Drinkbox Studios
Publisher: Drinkbox Studios
Plaforms: PlayStation 4, PC
Tested onl PlayStation 4
Guacamelee 2 – Review
Long ago, in a galaxy which is ours, Guacamelee was an added game to PlayStation Plus subscription. Apparently the game sold well enough because now Guacamelee 2 is a thing. If you haven’t finished the first game, don’t worry too much as the game will have you covered. Although it’s always fun to play games in order, just in case nods to previous events are done in the sequels. There are few AAA games that center around the luchador lifestyle, so maybe Drinkbox Studios is on to something like FromSoftware is, namely doing one thing so good people flock to your content.
Story
Guacamelee 2 takes place seven years after the events of the first game. If you haven’t finished or played the first game don’t worry as this one starts off with a short recap and forces you to beat the final boss of the first game again and that’s where the story of the sequel starts off properly. Juan, the main protagonist and former Luchador is –mostly- enjoying the life of being a house-father and being around his kids and wife, when things go sideways. It doesn’t take long before he’s pulled back into the life of a Luchador because he’s the only one to stand up to the new threat that opposes not only his world, but the whole ‘Mexiverse’. So it’s up to Juan to dust off his boots, don his mask and body the enemies that stand between him and the survival of unlimited amount of timelines.
The story is mostly conveyed by dialogue so there’s a lot of exposition dumps, with a very sparse sprinkling of animated cutscenes. The writing is funny and conversations are short and snappy enough to keep you entertained but also keep you from drowning in a sea of superfluous information.
Graphics
Cartoony graphics are what Guacamelee is all about, the second instalment is no different. Guacamelee 2 is quite colourful, which is a good thing to keep the atmosphere just as light as the plot, but on other times it’s not so fantastic when larger amounts of enemies show up and things become hectic. So much so, that you’ll be hard pressed to see where Juan has disappeared to in the cacophony of colours. As the game progresses and more gameplay elements are implemented, the colours are basically screaming at you.
The levels aren’t samey when it comes to the regions you’ll visit, they are all distinct enough so they don’t grow dull after several hours of gameplay.
Sound
The soundtrack of Guacamelee 2 is really energetic and upbeat. It’s also something that doesn’t grow stale even though it loops for quite a bit during gameplay. Enemies aren’t quite distinct when it comes to their voicing, with several of them not even making any noise, which is a shame, but it’s understandable because of aforementioned amounts of enemies that might pop up on screen. The background noises are also a nice addition to the audio. So even in-between the lull of music there will be something to listen to.
Gameplay
Guacamelee 2 is an action/adventure platforming game. It can be described as a Metroidvania kind of game, and is actually quite influenced by Metroid even down to the statues you have to destroy to get your upgrades.
Your quest is all about getting the pieces of a relic that will open a door that shouldn’t be opened. As you try and acquire the pieces you’ll get upgrades. Several of them. Some among them are wall jump, a headbutt,… The use of powers depletes your stamina, and once depleted you’ll be forced to wait until you can use them again, so using them sparingly and tactically is the best course of action. All these powers have their distinct colour, so blocks with the same colour can be broken by using the power on them. Enemies tend to have shields around them that have a certain colour, so you’ll have to use it on them to break it so you can damage them.
The combat can be hectic, especially when multiple enemies have different colour shields and gang up on you, so you’ll have to prioritise enemies on which ones are the biggest threat and take those out the fastest. You can’t block enemy attacks, but you can dodge away or through them, unless when they are coloured purple, because those attacks are ones you can’t roll through, and you should dodge away from them.
The biggest difficulty spikes are in the platforming sections. In several places in the game there are huge difficulty spikes in-between regular platforming sections. At one point you might be coasting by just fine, only to have the game jerk you awake with platforming that throws together the use of several powers and the need of some rather quick reflexes to pull off. These can be quite frustrating. One of two things can happen, if you fall into a non-lethal trap, you’ll get booted to the last solid platform you’ve landed on. If however you’ve been killed, then it’s back to the start of that section, which is really really frustrating when you’ve died just before the end because the game throws a curveball at you at the last minute. The bosses are all unique in the way they attack, but they also telegraph their attacks, so deaths don’t feel unfair.
Conclusion
Guacamelee 2 doesn’t have a large size file, but there’s quite some content that will keep you entertained for many an hour, even more so if you are going for a completionist run. Although it must be said that it might make you ragequit several times as the platforming can be very difficult and at times demand near perfect reflexes. Then again, no one’s making you do a completionist run, and even without having opened every chest, the game is still plenty fun and challenging.
Guacamelee 2 - Review,
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