A fresh take on Metroidvania with an awesome Hispanic theme. Juan’s journey to become a luchador, save his love, and save the world from an army of undead is a fairly short, sweet, and excellent time.

The love this game was made with is oozing out of every pixel. From the Hispanic influences, to the creative characters, to the clear love of video game it just pops everywhere. And when I say love for games I mean they put a parade of video game Easter eggs in the game. Just off the top of my head they had Final Fantasy, Mario, Metroid, Castle Crashers, Goat Simulator, Zelda, Castlevania, and Mega Man. I’m sure I’m missing some but the point is they have an obvious joy of the medium and it shows. That joy is contagious as I smiled every time I saw an easter egg.

The gameplay is fun and can be skilled based but doesn’t have to. You can beat this game easily without learning to use the moves to thier maximum value but if you take time to learn the combos you can become an ultimate luchador killing machine. I was impressed by the gameplay and had fun the entire way through the game.

The characters are fun as well as funny. From Juan, to the literal devil, to an old man that doubles as a goat, they are well written and a very good overall cast of characters.

I loved the Hispanic art and music throughout the game. It is so colorful even in the world of the dead and the music is surprisingly great throughout the entire game.

What I thought would be an ok game became an unforgettable Metroidvania that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys video games. Great game and excited for Guacmelee 2!

Here is where it landed on my Metroidvania list.

https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/-metroidvanias-ive-played-ranked-/

It also scraped its way into my top 100!
https://www.backloggd.com/u/DVince89/list/my-favorite-100-video-game-of-all-time/

This is a very unique spin on metroidvanias and I’m here for it!

The aesthetic, music, characters, etc.. are all wonderful and it’s very cool to see a Hispanic inspired game. The most underrated part of this game is the humor, where I found myself laughing multiple times.

You can also tell how much the people that made this game love video games and their history, as there are so many Easter eggs hidden throughout the vast map.

The gameplay is pretty solid, and much like any good metroidvania you feel unstoppable by the end, flying around the map with no concerns. There were also some very challenging sections, but all were optional as to not deter anyone from playing.

The game also adds some replayability with one of my favorite sections of the game! I can’t wait to see what the sequel is all about.

Guacamelee years later still stands out in the seas that are the Metroidvania genre with integrating the platforming & combat so well and still evolve the challenge further as I unlock new abilities which the game pushes me to use in order to progress through the level design or boss fights, it makes the difficulty curve in this game as smooth as butters. Top it all with charming characters & stellar art direction, you have a game that I had a delightful time with.

It isn’t perfect though, I find the whole enemy shields thing to be obnoxious to deal with sometimes, especially when the game loves to make me fight wave after wave of enemies all at once. I also think the rewards are a mixed bag with purchasing cosmetics or leveling up my attack abilities being so underwhelming compared to finding pieces of stamina & heart or unlocking new abilities that the game makes me constantly use. My final minor gripe is the lack of enemy variety which makes combat just a little bit repetitive by the end of it.

Either way, these complaints are minor because I really had a wonderful time with Guacamelee and I strongly recommend it if you are looking for a decently challenging Metroidvania game.

another "been on the backlog forever just beat the game you know you'll like idiot" game and lo and behold, i liked it! the game looks great, a very fun and unique style. it's filled to the brim with references and cute nods in the background of especially the towns. the combat is surprisingly fun and can get pretty deep with the way you combo everything together. the upgrades are all pretty fun, if not a bit generic but they do have the added bonus of making combat more fun at least! the platforming was pretty solid, although some of the harder sections rather than feeling satisfying felt as if i was almost janking the game out which was a bit odd. combining the B abilities felt great for combat, but for the more intense platforming it felt a bit stilted and awkward at times. for the length of the game there was a good amount of enemy variety, the bosses were pretty uninteresting though. i wish the intenso meter (which i think was added to this updated version of the game) gave the b attacks more wacky suped up attacks but it was still a pretty fun move to use when you're being overwhelmed or just wanna do a ton of damage.

solid game overall, nothing super mindblowing for the genre or anything but a really unique aesthetic and some pretty solid combat/platforming lead to a solid time for the 8ish hours it took me to 100%! excited for the sequel!

When it comes to the Metroidvania genre, there's many games that are put in there which aren't really close to Metroid or Castlevania. This game is extremely close to Metroid, if Metroid got a really silly parody with a luchador that can do extremely powerful melee attacks rather than attack with a cannon.

The main path is pretty linear, but you get plenty of opportunities to branch off to get items or complete side quests, which is very rewarding. As you progress through the game you'll unlock new moves that are useful for both combat and movement, eventually being able to dish out so much damage when paired with other upgrades that makes the combat really satisfying. As it is the case with many good combat systems, it's pretty simple in concept but you'll need a decent amount of strategy and skill to keep up your combos.

I don't know how this compares to the other editions of the game, but I had a lot of fun with this. If you like Metroid then there's no reason not to play this.

Honestly... This game is fun. But that's about it. It's just dumb fun. There's no real challenge. There are some video game references (mostly Nintendo games) but the jokes get old really quick.

And something's really wrong with this game's audio mixing. Some sound effects are obnoxiously loud and the music really overstays its welcome. I'm not sure if it gets better later on but the game really holds your hand, showing you where your objective is and where you should be going next. You can't really sequence break either as you need to follow your objectives to get your power-ups one by one. This game felt like a really shallow Metroidvania.

The sprites remind me of SpeedRunners and the cutscenes are very nice. But the gameplay... It just bored me.

It's a great metroidvania and I appreciate the drop-in, drop-out multiplayer. The couch-coop is GREATLY appreciated. I can understand consoles but PC games have no excuse to not include it, especially with Steamworks doing half the work. That said, the true ending is notoriously hard to get, not because of the difficulty but because you have to collect these pieces that just are randomly placed around the map. I recommend just looking the ending up on YouTube. Or don't, because the 'bad' ending is good enough by itself.

A solid metriodvania with a lot style and love put into its central mexican culture theme. As a Mexican myself I was very happy with a lot of the games artstyle and the overall life it gave to its environments. On top of all that it was a fun beat-em up style metriodvania with an interesting world to explore. The story was pretty basic but with these types of games its not really the story you play it for, they're heavily gameplay focused and its something Guacamelee does well. If you're looking for a short but fun time to get into, you can't go wrong with this game. I picked it up on a sale and I was very satisfied with the game.

Statue destroying simulator is great!

Lucha Libre + Metroidvania = This.
Nice blending of two elements we could not imagine that would work, my feelings overall with this game is that I did have a good time.
I've beat this before back in 2019, but to be honest, did not remember its content that much, so I revisited it and beat it again in even less time, as I was already used to the core gameplay, which is basically put people down using punches and wrestling moves, sounds fun, huh?

As expected, there is a lot more Mexican culture references here, like the Dia de Los Muertos atmosphere, nicely implemented on the lore and in-game mechanics, you cannot say that it has no identity, because it does.
However, can not help but mention that it can be somehow a forgettable experience, as it happened to me, I mean, it's not bad, but just not extraordinary.

You have a great challenge here, some sections really put me in trouble (and frustration) due to the enemy's flood on the screen. There are also some good gimmicks here that will require more platforming skills from you, that part in particular annoyed me a bit in some parts, as the platforming mechanics are not a high point here, as sometimes they can feel a little bit slow.

Regular enemies can be repetitive at some point, and the bosses are great, but not very striking, aside from the flame-head guy and Calaca. I also found the colorful shields mechanics a bit overused, being a core element for every fight, changing only the moves of the bosses.

OST is fine, it fits the game, nothing epic, and the graphics remind me 2000's Cartoon Network flash games, so, a nice nostalgic touch for me.

Gameplay in other hand is pretty satisfying, striking enemies and making different combos, mixing basic moves, special moves and throws is fun as hell, making it a unique title among the genre. The colored blocks as a metroidvania core mechanic is well implemented and simple, the map is also fine and objectives are pretty clear here, making this game a great entry title for those who are trying to get into the genre.

Sights & Sounds
- It's hard to find a good place to start when every aspect of the presentation is so good
- The style of the both characters and environments is fantastic. I particularly like the villains
- The music is so good. Almost every song is a banger

Story & Vibes
- The story is your basic "save the princess" archetype, but it's effective here because of all the level design. Going through the diverse towns and environments with NPCs directing you and cheering you on gives you a sense of progression
- With all the humor and bright colors, the game is very inviting. Those aspects make you want to keep playing it, if that makes sense
- The humor deserves special attention. There's some clever writing in here (i.e., Fray Ayayay)
- All of these factors contribute to what feels like a cohesive, well-crafted world to play around in

Playability & Replayability
- The attention paid to the other aspects of the game should clue you in to how good the gameplay is. It's outstanding
- This is much better on a controller. I found myself naturally fighting with the d-pad and platforming with the analog stick
- The fighting mechanics are quite good. By the time you pick up all the skills and abilities, fighting feels like you're playing Smash Brothers with additional platforming options
- Being a 2D platformer in the Metroid vein, a lot of those skills you pick will also help you solve platforming challenges and reach previously inaccessible areas
- Some of those puzzles are really quite challenging, and fit in well with the excellent level design
- I absolutely want to pick this one back up for a 100% run someday. It's all good enough to reexperience

Overall Impressions & Performance
- This game is just pure fun. I had such a great time playing it
- Everything ran beautifully and bug-free

Final Verdict
- 10/10. In the 2D platforming genre (including so-called "metroidvanias"), this stands at the top with games like Super Mario Bros. It's a masterpiece. I'd recommend it without reservation

I am not overly into metroidvanias but found this one to be well made. The game also has platforming elements akin to Mario 2d games.
I enjoyed the art style as well as the music as it captivates a Mexican theme. Most importantly, the level design is fantastic, which is crucial for such a game. The controls are tight and majority of deaths felt is was at fault of my own.
Great enemy variety which escalates in difficulty as the game progresses.
There are moments at the end game with so many enemies you will get stunned locked which is unfair. I did find some platforming rooms to be tedious but there is a sense of accomplishment in figuring it out and beating the room. The final two bosses were difficult as they move quickly and have an attack range far greater then yours. Although I can admire the mechanics implemented to test the player on their skill sets.
Overall it took e 8.5hours for the game with some extra side quests done and recommended for people whom are up for the challenge.

I’ve never played a Metroidvania game before and was told Guacamelee was a pretty friendly entry-point to the genre. I wholeheartedly agree. The game might have eased me into its progression but it sure wasn’t a breeze. The combat is simplistic but very effective. The presentation is absolutely stellar and the writing is cheeky and hilarious. The game is just a modern classic.

Guacamelee presents information in a clear and concise manner through great use of color-coding that translates information just a bit faster to non-veterans of the genre. Metroidvanias are characterized by progressively giving players more and more abilities that help them interact with the game in a new way. What Guacamelee does so well is assign each ability you gain with a color. If you get an ability that emanates with blue energy, it’ll be effective against blue pieces of the environment and enemies coated in blue. It just makes the game a lot more friendly to comprehend.

Guacamelee oozes early-2010s charm in its writing, has a timeless art style, is easy to pick up and understand without prior knowledge of its genre, and is just an overall fun and addicting time. This was just the palette cleanser I needed after feeling like I’ve been in a bit of a rut. ¡Magnífico!

Culture.

Guacamelee is a dive into the world of Mexican culture in the best way. From visual design to music to the way Lucha wrestling is incorporated into combat, this game is a all thrills festival of fun and culture.

While some mildly frustrating design concepts bog this down enough to make me not give it a 5, it's still sitting right on that edge. Here's to hoping the sequel gets a 5 star.

Truly enjoyable game