Guacamelee was played 13 years ago today! – an action metroidvania title with motifs of Latin American mythology.
Mexican culture is not very often represented in the world of video games, but on this day in 2013, we got a game that covered almost all the important motifs. Luchadors, mariachis, telenovelas, chickens, a colorful afterlife – we had it all in a game called Guacamelee!
It was a 2D metroidvania with an emphasis on action. In the main role was the wrestler Juan Aguacate, whose girlfriend Lupita was kidnapped by the skeleton Carlos Calaca. Although Juan dies at the beginning of the game, he gets a second chance when he is revived by the mysterious wrestler Tostada, also the second playable character if Guacamelee was played with two players.
Guacamelee had an interesting dynamic switching between two worldswhich was used so that some opponents could only be beaten in the corresponding world (although they could beat you regardless of where you were). Additionally, Juan could turn into a chicken at certain times to squeeze through tight spaces.
Guacamelee was initially launched as PlayStation exclusive for the then PS3 and PS Vita consoles, and was one of the first games that could be bought in the so-called Cross-buy format.where the player would get two versions of the game for both PlayStation Platforms with one purchase. Later in 2013, Guacamelee came to PC, and then to Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
The game was a critical and commercial success, and in 2018 it received its sequel. It significantly contributed to the promotion of Mexican culture in gaming, but it is interesting that the game itself was not made in Mexico. He actually stands behind her Canadian team DrinkBox Studioswho decided on a Mexican theme at the suggestion of one of his animators.