Guacamelee! Critic Reviews

As a solid mix of combat, exploration, and heart, it’s a shining example for Metroidvanias everywhere.

Sure, the camera in co-op mode could’ve used some work, and some enemy types and variations got a tad stale by the end, but by no means does that overshadow everything else the game brings forth. In an age where we don’t see these kinds of games crafted with such passion anymore, or even barely at all, Drinkbox Studios saw an opening, capitalized on it, and sent Guacamelee frog splashing its way into my heart.

Drinkbox has crafted a brilliantly unique world on top of a platformer that combines the best of the classics, along with a few of its own ideas — things like two player local co-op is a feature I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a Metroidvania game, and I challenge more developers to try to include it.

Regardless of if you are looking for something to pass the time, something portable or something more hardcore, Guacamelee delivers on all these fronts and more. It's fun, challenging and above all else a joy to play.

The team at Drinkbox has studied the greats, but they've forged their own path with a consistent, engaging art style, and meticulously perfected controls and level design. This passion for Drinkbox’s influences has produced more than homage; Guacamelee is remarkable on its own.

Guacamelee! is a rich, fun, free-scrolling action platformer with a fantastic fighting engine, some truly tricky platforming challenges, and a vibrant style all its own.

The responsive controls and a grin-inducing sense of humor make it near impossible to put down, and the expressive use of color will warm the hearts of even the most cynical among us.

Even with its platforming frustrations, Guacamelee is an excellent addition to the genre, retaining important classic elements and introducing several fresh additions. The main campaign took me around seven hours (with a decent amount of secret-searching). The pacing is just right, sending you from one adventure to the next without any bloated, boring spots.

True to its fanciful food title, Guacamelee serves up a saucy mix of eclectic influences in a fresh take on a classic dish. While there’s always the risk of sampling too many flavors, the end result is a delightfully diverse game that successfully showcases a different side of itself at every taste.

As with food, video games are all about the freshness of the ingredients and the care taken in preparation and presentation. And when everything is just right, the result can be something like Guacamelee!

Guacamelee! is a fantastic game. It has style in spades, charming writing, deceptively deep gameplay, and is wholly satisfying to play. DrinkBox studios has made an action game of extremely high caliber, and revives a genre that many gamers grew up with.

This is just a great example of how to evolve classic ideas to make them feel fresh. Guacamelee! is one of those games you will play till you finish it.

For a couple of pounds more than the cost of a burrito, it’s a tasty morsel of personality – but prepare yourself for a technically demanding challenge.

The perfect mix between action, exploration, puzzles, humor and love for videogames. One of this year's greatest surprises.

Simply put, Guacamelee! is a fun game with a great colour palette, excellent combat and plenty of laughs.

Without reservation, Guacamelee is easily DrinkBox’s finest game to date. It subscribes to the design that made Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night the classics that they are, but it offers its own unique spin on the genre.

Switching between different dimensions does more than changing up the visuals. You can be attacked by enemies from both worlds, meaning you will have to constantly (and sometimes frantically) switch between dimensions to survive.

Guacamelee isn’t only pretty to look at, it’s also a hell of a lot of fun to play. Its Metroidvania inspiration is undoubtedly strong, and yet it does so much to help it stand apart, not the least of which by providing gamers with a deceivingly deep combat system and a two-world polarity system that simply makes the experience more dynamic.

Few games have felt as smooth to control and fun to play through as Drinkbox Studios’ latest and greatest hit, and if the upward climb from Tales from Space to this title is any indication, the company’s next efforts should be something to look forward to with baited breath.

Guacamelee is a fantastic, albeit slightly short experience for PS3 and Vita owners. I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who has either system. If you have both, the cross-save/buy mechanic makes it an even greater value being able to take the experience wherever you go. I only wish it would have lasted longer, but for the price there is more than enough here to love.