Guacamelee review

[Administrator]

From skeletal mariachi players to side-quests concerning enchilada construction, Guacamelee is a surprisingly lovable trawl through a nation's stereotypes. It's beautiful, because the possibilities suggested by Mexican art are beautiful - particularly when indie influences like Fez and Superbrothers are thrown in on top. It's satisfying, too, because the heft and snap of Mexican wrestling makes an ideal basis for the brawler that sits at the heart of this 2D metroidvania. The greatest source of inspiration Guacamalee finds in Mexican culture isn't the luchador mask its resurrected hero draws his power from, however, or even the grinning skulls that litter its battlefields. Instead, it's the humble piñata: the colourful sacrificial bobkin of a million summer birthday parties, built of papier maché, loaded with glittering surprises, and ready to spill forth riches once its flimsy body has been caved in.
It's the piñata that gives the game its ultimate pleasures, as you use your sun-baked fists to split open the paper ghouls and monsters you're up against before snagging the coins they've been holding. It's the piñata that serves as your reward for beating a combat arena: warping into view ready to be blown to pieces with a few valedictory punches. Most of all, it's the piñata that symbolises this light-hearted confection of throwaway violence and colourful feedback. Guacamalee is an afternoon's worth of sugary memories. Fire it up, knock it around a bit, and don't be surprised when you can't remember that much about the whole business afterwards.
The story is suitably forgettable stuff. Juan, the hero, is a newly murdered nice guy who is raised from the dead in the form of a super-powerful luchador when the woman he loves is kidnapped by spectral banditos. From there, you're into standard genre territory, spreading out across a map in all directions as you chase down bosses, stock up on powers, and unlock new areas that range from sprawling deserts and spooky forests to dusty mines and a flying temple. It's extremely traditional throughout, but therein lie its pleasures. If you like knocking down a series of different door types as you collect various bits of things, you won't be disappointed with Guacamelee's itinerary.
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