Indie gaming is absolutely in love with Metroidvanias, games that feature sprawling maps, exploration enhanced by weapon and power upgrades, and a spooky atmosphere. The developers of Guacamelee said, “What if we took all of that, and then made the combat and the story fun, too?” If you haven’t played it already, Guacamelee and its sequel are both free for the next week on the Epic Games Store.
And you absolutely should play it. I’m honestly not a huge fan of Metroidvanias — I get easily frustrated if there’s one tiny spot on the map I need to find to progress, and one extremely specific thing I need to do to unlock it, and there aren’t any obvious connections between the two. But Guacamelee solves that problem in the most direct way possible: by letting you beat the crap out of pretty much everything with your bare hands, in a combat system that takes direct inspiration from classic side-scrolling beat-em-ups like Streets of Rage and Double Dragon.
You’re Juan, a farmer who gets killed on Dia de los Muertos while your girlfriend gets kidnapped and stashed in another castle in the land of the dead. But luckily a ghostly gal pal gives you a magic luchador mask, which turns you into a muscle-bound wrestler who can switch between the worlds of the living and the living-impaired. You’ll have to traverse both to beat up the bad guy and his army of henchmen, rescue your girlfriend, save your village, and generally do the hero thing.
Guacamelee mixes fast-paced 2D combat with a focus on throws and combos, with some eye-popping traversal moves that will have you bouncing and shooting around the stage like a wrestling-themed rocket. It also has a wonderfully unique 2D art style inspired by Mexican folk art, and the game is packed with humor and nods to other indie titles. If you’re as tired of drab pixel art as I am, you’ll find it’s a breath of fresh air. The upgraded Super Turbo Championship Edition includes 4-player co-op and extra costumes.
Guacamelee 2 builds on the original with an even bigger world, more powers and movement abilities, extra challenge levels, much-improved graphics, and a greater co-op focus. Both of them are free this week on Epic, and as usual, once you claim them and associate them with your account they stay playable forever.
Author: Michael Crider, Staff Writer
Michael is a former graphic designer who’s been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.