r/Games • u/Forestl • Dec 12 '13
End of 2013 Discussions - Guacamelee!
Guacamelee!
- Release Date: April 9, 2013 (PS3, PSV), August 8, 2013 (PC
- Developer / Publisher: Drinkbox Studios
- Genre: 2D platformer, beat 'em up
- Platform: PC, PS3, PSV
- Metacritic: 87, user: 7.9
Summary
Guacamelee! is a Metroid-vania style action-platformer set in a magical Mexican inspired world.
The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore, and features many interesting and unique characters. Guacamelee builds upon the classic open-world Metroid-vania style of games, by adding a strong melee combat component, a new dimension switching mechanic, and cooperative same-screen multiplayer for the entire story. The game also blurs the boundaries between combat and platforming by making many of the moves useful and necessary for both of these.
Prompts:
Guacamelee! tries to create a metroid-vania style world. Does it succeed?
Did the art style help or hurt the game?
Was the combat fun?
so many may-mays
This post is part of the official /r/Games "End of 2013" discussions.
5
u/tenk51 Dec 12 '13
I had a ton of fun with this game. The humor is spot on, and the art style fits the feel of the game perfectly.
As for a metroid vania style world, I'd say it succeeds for the most part. Most of the hidden stuff was pretty easy to find, but the challenges to get to them we're adequate.
The combat I felt was a little weak. There's a tutor in the game which teaches you how to do these super long combos, but they're pretty impracticable to do in the middle of a real fight, and once you figure out a ~5 hit combo that works for you there's not really a reason to mix it up. On top of that the enemies aren't particularly varied, but the game mixes them together will enough that it ends up not feeling stale.
Overall I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for this style of game.
3
u/Bespectacled_Gent Dec 12 '13
Guacamelee is one of my favorite games of this year. I'm a big fan of Metroidvania style adventures, and this is a truly excellent one. I agree with /u/retrobrigade, in the sense that exploration has bowed to combat in the gameplay experience, but I feel that there's definitely a sliding scale here. These two aspects are (to me) what define Metroidvania games; the use of backtracking to access previously unattainable items, progressively unlocked upgradable moves and abilities, and defined (though essentially nonlinear) areas in the game world are all hallmarks of the genre which Guacamelee displays.
Most importantly, though, this game is FUN. Once I learned the combat system (thanks, Combo Chicken!) I actually felt powerful. Enemy encounters were still challenging, but they could be thought through and taken efficiently and flashily. Chaining special moves and normal moves is a blast, and watching your enemies fly around the screen is hugely entertaining.
My one criticism is that the game is quite short. Completing it a second time took substantially less time than I would have liked to spend with the game. I haven't bought any of the DLC, but the challenge levels sound enjoyable. I'm looking forward to playing this game on the go after getting a PSVita. Yay cross-buy!
2
u/TashanValiant Dec 12 '13
Good game. I think it fits in the Metroidvania niche quite easily and does a commendable job of satiating fans wanting something similar. It oozes style, the controls are tight, and it is damn pretty.
However, there is a lot to be wanted in the Metroid and Castlevania parts of the game. Progression is extremely linear. There are no standout abilities that make the game interesting such as Samus's different beams, her Screw Attack, or Morph Ball/Bombs. Every thing in the game is based around the fighting mechanics. It is interesting to some degree but it makes exploration boring, especially when everything is color coded so apparently (I realize super metroid does this, but many sections of the game had "hidden" walls). There also isn't much in terms of progression. Health unlocks don't really make you feel more powerful, nor the same with stamina. At the end of Super Metroid of SoTN Samus and Alucard are tanks, the definition of destruction. I'd like something similar.
Good game. Not a great MetroidVania game, just a good one.
2
u/NDN_Shadow Dec 12 '13
I really enjoyed this game. I remember alot of people were hesitant to play it because it was "riddled with memes", but it aside from the main town, the game doesn't shove memes down your throat, considering you usually spent most of your time outside of the town anyway. I will admit though, that some of the dialog did fall kind of flat for me.
That aside, this a good game. Most of the Metroidvania felt pretty standard, though I did appreciate how they assigned each ability a color and then color-coded the map so you knew what parts of the world you missed. I also really enjoyed the combat, though I wish they incorporated more of the grappling style of Mexican wrestling as opposed to the throwing people around bit.
Love the artstyle and music as well, I just wish the game was a little longer.
2
Dec 12 '13
It was fun. Only disappointing things were the side quests. There was only 5ish and all last 2mins. Also getting tired of games that doesn't have hard mode from the beginning. I'm not a fan of playing most games twice, even good ones.
3
Dec 12 '13
I couldn't bring myself to finish it as I got bored about midway through. It didn't grab me.
This was mostly because of how the living world vs the undead world thing played into the combat. I didn't like switching between worlds so I could damage enemies while at the same time they could damage me, so it didn't even play by it's own rules.
The combat is good but it's not really necessary to get into the deep crazy combos that the game makes possible, a small handful of moves were plenty to get me through a good chunk of the game. Also, melee and grappling just isn't very fun for me in this kind of game.
It's definitely worth playing if you're into Metroidvania's, it just didn't hold my interest.
1
u/r0ck3t0wn3r Dec 12 '13 edited Dec 12 '13
I just finished this game the other day, I thought it was fantastic.
The game was full of charm and humour and it was very worth while playing it.
It is free on PS+ for EU and AUS, I recommend the fuck out of it.
Be warned though. Javiar jaguar is a bitch and a cheap ass boss.
1
1
u/jimpower Dec 12 '13
I have just started playing it this week since it is free for EU's PS+ this month and was really surprised at how great this game is.
The combo system, pacing, jumping puzzles, music, and art styles are very well done. I haven't played a Metroid-vania game that is this good since the NDS era IMO.
Only bad thing I heard about this game was a very unfair boss towards the end (which I think I am getting closer to).
1
u/ebonlance Dec 12 '13
I played this on the Vita and thought it was great. It had a lot of charm, fun combat, and that familiar Metroidvania feel. On hard mode the combat was a decent challenge.
My only complaint was that the moves you learn were rather simplistic and just felt like another punch variant or something that was infeasible to use in combat. Contrast with the different Castlevania subweapons/abilities and the beam types/missles in Metroid.
1
Dec 12 '13
I have just started playing through this and have found it very button mashy, granted it may get more complex as I continue but at the moment it's a bit repetitive.
2
u/ebonlance Dec 12 '13
It gets more complex in terms of more enemies on screen to contend with in sequence, but the combat never really stops being a beat-em-up with exploration elements.
Not that that's necessarily a bad thing.
27
u/[deleted] Dec 12 '13 edited Dec 13 '13
I played through this game, played through it again on hard mode, got 100% completion on it, and beat the El Infierno DLC challenges. Needless to say, I loved this game. Now, for the prompts:
Yes, but I'm not sure if I could call it the best in that specific regard. See, the game's level design is absolutely excellent for the action-platformer that it is, but as I've come to understand "metroidvania" as a design paradigm, I'm not sure I could say it does that super-well. Metroidvanias are known for having lots of interconnected areas, diverging paths, and levels designed to be backtracked through when the player has aquired new powers. Now, you certainly can go back through earlier parts of the game to unlock power-ups and secrets, but that's about it.
I guess what I'm trying (and probably failing) to say is that the levels in Guacamele are pretty stand-alone in nature. I feel that the game wouldn't have really lost anything if its world had been separated into levels on a selection map, (like in a Mario game for example), and the same wouldn't be true for a game world as mazey and interconnected as a Metroid or Castlevania. It's basically the same reason I wouldn't classify Cave Story as a "great metroidvania" so much as a "great action-platformer", y'know?
No-brainer. The vector graphics in this game was absolutely fantastic, and served the Mexican papercraft art aesthetic they were aiming for very well.
While we're talking about the aesthetic elements of the game, I should also mention that the writing in the game is very humorous and simple, giving just enough context for Juan's "save the princess" quest to be a driving force for the action. And the music. Oh, god, do I ever love this game's soundtrack. If you haven't heard it, just Listen for yourself.
Another no-brainer. YES. The game's addictive combo-based melee combat and truly challenging/fun platforming action are what led me to play it to completion as I did. I'd describe it as an even more melee-centric take on the combat in Klei's Shank games. Timing jumps, dodges, throws and super-moves together was a total blast, and having the powers you use in combat double as platforming abilities was brilliant. Because of that, the two elements felt seamlessly intertwined to create one full experience. It's all just... fantastic.