Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition

Game Info

I never got the opportunity back in 2013 to experience Guacamelee when it was originally released on the PlayStation 3 and Vita consoles.  I was ecstatic when I saw that the Super Turbo Championship Edition (Love the poking at Street Fighter) was announced for the Wii U eShop.  The new addition came with the DLC intact, new game play areas, new enemies and boss character, multiple save slots and other enhancements.

The story, as you may have guessed, takes place in a small village in Mexico.  You play as a character named Juan Aguacate who is in love with the president’s daughter.  When his love gets kidnapped by an evil skeleton named Carlos Calaca, Juan sets off to rescue his damsel.  Unfortunately for Juan, his adventure is cut short when he winds up getting killed.  It is here in the land of the dead, that Juan gets powers from a luchador mask given to him by Tostada.   With his newly acquired powers, Juan is able to get back to the land of the living and continue his quest.

The immediate feeling I got while starting off on the quest was how open and expansive the world feels, while maintaining a similar approach to the genre as Metroid or Castlevania.  The multiple villages has multiple quests you can do for the villagers in order to earn more money or heart and stamina pieces.  There are areas of the world that will be blocked off at first until you find a special move that will allow you to proceed into that next sequence.  It feels very similar in that regard to Metroid.

Guacamelee references many other video games, which helps add quirky humor to the game.  I saw references to Metroid (Choozo Statues!) Mario, Zelda, Castle Crashers and other popular franchises.  I love when games like these do homages to the classic games, just gives me that warm fuzzy feeling.

The gameplay is very unique for the genre though, which is refreshing.  Their are jumping platforming areas, but the combat is awesome.  You can to many different combos and can refine your combo skills at the dojo in town.  There are even grapple moves where you can perform wrestling classics such as the piledriver or the suplex to damage your enemies.  The moves are pulled off a la WWE No Mercy, where you will first grapple the enemy and then use a direction and the A button to lay the smackdown.  The combat is a refreshing take on the formula.

One thing I loved about the Wii U version was that the map is constantly displayed on the gamepad, even when you are playing co-op.  This is WAY better then having to pause or bring up a map. Also, there is the percentage of the area you have completed and secrets that are displayed which is super helpful for completionists.  There off course is off-screen play to, which at this point is almost a standard.  The co-op is also really fun, but lacks online support and in some areas when switching between worlds via portals, co-op jumping has to be precise and in coordination, which could become frustrating if you are playing with someone less talented.  But if you can get through the challenge, these are some of the coolest and most reward puzzle bits in the game.

Graphically, Guacamelee has a pretty HD 2D-look that fits well with the comedy of the game.  Every character is illustrated beautifully and has an authentic Mexican look about it.  Some parts reminded me of the Mariachi parts of Rayman Legends, which is definitely a great thing.  The soundtrack is also quite fitting and brilliant.  The sounds of the guitars and Mexican tunes really make the game all come together.

The Recommendation

There is nothing thrown together about this game or generic.  You can feel the love that DrinkBox has put into this game and as a result the Super Turbo Championship Edition is a polished and complete offering only enhancing the experience and making this a worth while addition to the Wii U library.  This isn’t just another Metroidvania, as the combat drives this game and makes it actually very deep and engaging. The stretch of amazing indie titles that have hit the eShop recently is ridiculous and this is no exception.