Of Luchadors and Legends: It’s Guacamelee!
Put on the mask and bring the pain.
By: Brian Walton
Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things. But a Luchador? That’s a whole ‘nother story. In Drinkbox Studios’ Guacamelee! (available on PSN today) you fill the wrestling boots of Juan, an agave farmer with dreams of being a Luchador. But when your village comes under attack by the inhabitants of the Land of the Dead, it’s up to you to come to the rescue and save El Presidente’s daughter. With a little help from your friends and a goat that’s perpetually in a bad mood, you will become the greatest Luchador to ever live… and die. You will be going back and forth from the Land of the Dead after all.
In a world that has Donkey Kong ruins, “Choozo” statues and advertising for “Casa Crashers” and “El Mario Hermanos”, Guacamelee! is an ode to classic 2D platformers, with game play straight out of Metroid and Castlevania. You may not be able to turn into a morph-ball or have a fancy whip, but you can turn into a chicken and lay down some sweet, sweet wrestling moves in your quest to take down the skeleton faced Calaca and his minions. You’ll face everything from a human-jaguar hybrid to a fire faced bandido, but don’t worry, you won’t have to face it all alone. The game supports co-op play, so you can partner up with a female masked wrestler to bust-up the bad guys.
Filled with colorful imagery, easy to grasp combo-brawling and fun, dimension-shifting play mechanics, Guacamelee! is easy to pick up and very hard to put down. The lives of the princess… er, first daughter, Juan’s village and even the entirety of the Land of the Dead are at stake. So break out the tequila, strap on your boots and get ready to bust heads like they were piñatas. Viva Guacamelee!
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