Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition

Genre: Metroidvania

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local)

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Review:

Guacamelee is a Metroidvania that combines that genre’s style of sprawling, connected map and ability-based game progression with a fighting engine that’s surprisingly deep and varied and actually makes it a part of the exploration.

The secret to what makes the gameplay of this game click so well is that it does a good job of highlighting how your character’s fighting abilities are important for moving around – that uppercut you use to slam enemies into the air will also act as an extra jump of sorts, and that dodge you use to get past attacking enemies will also let you move safely through dangerous obstacles, that sorta’ thing. It works surprisingly well, making it feel like you’re becoming a better fighter and getting more mobility in the environment at the same time.

Speaking of the environment, this game is absolutely vibrant and joyous, using a stylized presentation, expressive and memorable characters, bright colors, a wonderful sense of humor, and an absolutely amazing soundtrack that works well with the game’s Mexican luchador Dia De Los Muertos aesthetic.

The Super Turbo Championship Edition of the game adds in a slew of extra content over the original, including a new boss and area that are both pretty cleverly worked into the game’s story and progression, a new “Intenso” meter that temporarily powers up your attacks, some post-game challenge content for those looking for some more difficult action, and support for 4-player couch co-op. All good stuff, but it’s really the core game at the heart of everything that truly shines.

Guacamelee is one of my favorite Metroidvanias to come out in recent years, I think only topped by Ori and the Blind Forest on the Xbox, and this version of the game on Nintendo Switch does nothing to lessen how much I thoroughly enjoy this game. If you’re a fan of Metroidvanias, or even if you’re just looking for an action-platformer with a really great fighting engine, definitely check this game out.

tl;dr – Guacamelee is a Metroidvania with game progression that ties into your character’s fighting abilities, with your fighting prowess and movement options growing in tandem. It’s also a joyous celebration of color, humor, memorable characters, and great music. This is one of my favorite games in this genre in years.

Grade: A

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