Guacamelee!

Guacamelee!

Super Turbo Championship Edition cover art
Developer(s) DrinkBox Studios
Publisher(s) DrinkBox Studios
Distributor(s) Activision (Xbox Live)[1]
Composer(s) Rom Di Prisco
Peter Chapman
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows, OS X, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
Release date(s) PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
  • NA April 9, 2013
  • EU April 10, 2013
Microsoft Windows
  • WW August 8, 2013
OS X, Linux
  • WW February 18, 2014
PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One
  • WW July 2, 2014
Genre(s) Metroidvania, platformer, beat 'em up
Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer

Guacamelee! is a 2013 action platforming video game developed and published by DrinkBox Studios.[2] The game was originally released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in April 2013,[3] and was later ported to Microsoft Windows in August 2013, and to OS X and Linux in February 2014. An enhanced edition was released for Wii U, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Xbox 360 in July 2014.[4] The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore.

Gameplay

Screenshots of gameplay.

In Guacamelee!, players control Juan as he fights his way across various enemies and obstacles in order to rescue El Presidente's daughter. Juan can attack enemies using basic attacks and can perform various grapple attacks when they are stunned, dealing more damage or throwing them towards other enemies. Defeating enemies yields coins that can be spent at certain locations to unlock new grapple attacks or increase the player's health and stamina gauges. As the player progresses through the game, Juan breaks various "Choozo statues" which grant him new abilities. These range from offensive moves, such as an uppercut, headbutt, and dashing punch, or abilities that increase Juan's mobility, such as double jumping, wall jumping, and the ability to turn into a chicken. Juan also gains the abilities to transport between the land of the living and the land of the dead, required for solving puzzles or fighting enemies that can only be attacked in a certain world. Players can use these moves to access previously unreachable areas to find secrets, or break through barriers shielding enemies. The game (excluding the Vita version) also features a local co-operative mode, in which an additional player can play as Tostada. This mode can only be accessed after the introductory level.

Plot

In a small village in Mexico, Juan Aguacate is a humble agave farmer who is in love with El Presidente's Daughter. When an evil charro skeleton named Carlos Calaca attacks the village and kidnaps El Presidente's Daughter, Juan is killed during his attempt to stop him and winds up in the land of the dead. There, a mysterious luchador named Tostada gives Juan a mysterious mask that transforms him into a powerful luchador and brings him back to the world of the living. It is now up to Juan to stop Carlos from sacrificing El Presidente's Daughter in a ritual that will allow him to take both the living and dead worlds.

Development and release

The DrinkBox development team

The game was originally released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in April 2013, with cross-buy support and additional missions and costumes released as downloadable content (DLC). Guacamelee!: Gold Edition, released on Steam in August 2013, includes the previously released DLC, as well as Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create their own character skins using Adobe Flash and share them online. This version was later released for OS X and Linux in February 2014.[5] Guacamelee!: Super Turbo Championship Edition, which adds additional levels and bosses in addition to previous DLC, was released for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U in July 2014.[6][7] The game was a PlayStation Plus free title for subscribers during May 2015.[8]

Reception and legacy

Guacamelee! was selected as a nominee at Indiecade in August 2012.[9] The game was also nominated for the 2013 Independent Games Festival for Excellence in Visual Art.[10] IGN gave the game a 9.1,[11] citing that the game's only misfire was the short length.

Juan will be appearing as a playable cameo character in the upcoming Wii U and PC game Hex Heroes.[12]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.activision.com/games/guacamelee/guacamelee-super-turbo-championship-edition
  2. ↑ "New DrinkBox Game Announced–Guacamelee! «". Drinkboxstudios.com. 2011-10-19. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  3. ↑ "Guacamelee! PS3! PS Vita! Pub Fund! Chickens! – PlayStation.Blog". PlayStation Blog. 2012-05-30. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  4. ↑ "Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition Release Date Announced". IGN. 2014-06-19. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  5. ↑ Matulef, Jeffrey (2013-07-31). "Guacamelee: Gold Edition launches next week on Steam •". Eurogamer. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  6. ↑ Hinkle, David. "Rumor: Guacamelee coming to PS4, Xbox One with new content". Joystiq. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  7. ↑ Dyer, Mitch (2014-03-05). "Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition Announced". IGN. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  8. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (April 29, 2015). "PlayStation Plus' free games for May include Guacamelee, Hohokum, Unfinished Swan". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on April 29, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  9. ↑ "The 2012 IndieCade Finalists In Full In A Long List". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  10. ↑ "The 16th Annual Independent Games Festival". Igf.com. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  11. ↑ "Guacamelee! Review". IGN. 2013-04-08.
  12. ↑ Prismatic Games LLC (2014-03-27). "First Cameos Revealed!". Kickstarter. Retrieved 2014-01-05.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guacamelee!.