Guacamelee! 2 Review - Un Pollo Loco

Guacamelee! 2 is a genie disguised as a video game in that it will make all of your wishes for a metroidvania game come true. Smart level design? Snap, wish granted. Great writing? Snap, wish granted. An addictive combat system? Snap, wish granted. Now, don't go on thinking that Guacamelee! 2 is the kind of genie that only grants three wishes. Actually, Guacamelee! 2 does more than the average. Not only is it better than the first game, but it excels in the metroidvania genre. It's a game perfect for newcomers while also giving veterans a challenge. DrinkBox Studios delivered on the sequel and made me un poco loco for the world of Guacamelee! once again.

Gorgeous art work here. Mostly included this image because my name is in it!

Guacamelee! 2 takes place years after the luchador hero and protagonist, Juan Aguacate, defeats the menacing Calaca. While Juan has retired his luchador mask, fate has a different plan in store for him. The hulking luchador Salvador and his band of misfits seek the legendary sacred guacamole, which if eaten is said to grant unfathomable

power. It's up to Juan to stop Salvador before he gets to his cosmic prize and potentially destroy the Mexiverse. On his journey, Juan will explore the the vivid lands of Mexico with the power to alternate between two dimensions - The World of the Living and The World of the Dead, come across familiar allies and villains, and uncover the mysteries of a rumored chicken illuminati. That's right, this game has a secret society of religious enlightened chickens and it's magnificent.

Each location has its own "day" and "night" aesthetic.

You can probably list a good amount of metroidvania games that are similar to Guacamelee! 2's core. The player jumps, fights, and solves platforming puzzles until the credits roll and you do it all again on a harder difficulty or in a speedrun playthrough. However, no other metroidvania game can replicate Guacamelee! 2's combat, its humor, or its ability to stand out from the rest.

The Mexican-inspired art style is a primary example. Guacamelee! 2 is an extremely colorful game, and it uses its gambit of colors wisely. The game's World of the Dead and World of the Living aesthetics is the greatest unintentional day and night cycle. Backgrounds aren't too distracting from the combat and platforming action, but still contain character in its hues like World of the Dead's blues and purples. What I love even more is how colors play into the brawler-combat. Certain moves, like an uppercut or a dashing punch, leave behind a colored trail, suggesting that that particular move has to be used on an enemy with a aura of the same color. For instance, uppercuts are red, so use an uppercut on an enemy with a red aura to break the shield and start a combo.

Get used to dodging - it can save your life!

Speaking of combos, Guacamelee! 2's combat system is like a fighting game in which Juan is able to grapple, throw, dodge, and combine his four special moves one after another. Not only is it ridiculously fun, but it's extremely satisfying to juggle enemies with special moves, then grapple and throw them into the wall. Not every enemy can be thrown though, and each have their own specialties to get around. Some have the colored shields, others can summon more opponents, and some fly. There's a wide variety of enemies, and Guacamelee! 2 will test your luchador fighting skills once you have all of the moves under your belt.

Guacamelee! 2 has smart level design that rivals even the best of metroidvanias. To add even more depth to Juan's uppercut, dash punch, body slam, and headbutt, all must be used in the many platforming sections of the game to unlock areas or reach a vantage point. Now, all of the gameplay elements I just went over are amazing and fun to play, but it's the dimension-swapping that truly makes Guacamelee! 2 one of a kind. An effortless shift from the World of the Living to the World of the Dead can reveal a new platform to jump on or make an enemy vulnerable to your attacks. Just like the first game, it took my brain a bit to get used to freely swapping between the two dimensions. Once I did however, it made the game way more entertaining. Especially for those intense late-game platforming challenges that will definitely test your skills with the mechanics.

Un Pollo Loco

A returning feature in Guacamelee! 2 is Juan's best move - turning into a chicken. In the original game, chicken Juan was used just to get around tight spots. For Guacamelee! 2, chicken mode can now be used in fights and more interesting platforming puzzles. These challenges ended up being some of the most amusing portions of the game. However, a new addition to the sequel is an upgrade system. Throughout the course of the game, you'll unlock more convenient abilities and skills, making Juan one hell of a world-saving luchador. Guacamelee! 2 is one of those rare games that has perfect balance in its gameplay. No platforming section goes on for too long and there's enough fighting action to be more than satisfied.

However, there were only four story boss fights in the whole game, which is a bit disappointing. With that said, each boss was different and forced me to use all that I learned up until that point to win. They were a nice breaks from the meat of the game. I just wish there were more of them, and that's where the optional bosses come into play. With how creative DrinkBox Studios can be, I was looking forward to seeing really interesting boss fights with the rich gameplay and style Guacamelee! 2 offers. I'm happy to say they didn't disappoint. Along with a ton of mini bosses, the game has a few great optional bosses to take on that will have you grinning from oreja a oreja.

One of my favorite elements about any metroidvania game is the music, and Guacamelee! 2 just nails it. Peter Chapman, Rom Di Prisco, and the Mariachi Entertainment System did a fantastic job with the soundtrack, having each moment and location just sing with more personality. The art and music of Guacamelee! 2 are just a match made in heaven and why the game stands out so much. Some of my favorite track are "Pueblucho", "Sierra Morena", and "Isla Bonita."

*Image from IGN. The game includes local 4-player co-op!

All of this, and the game is one of the funniest video games I have played. It's not the raunchy, over-the-top humor like South Park, but more of a self-aware, silly kind of humor. Guacamelee! 2 has its serious moments, but it's mostly a game that likes to have fun and make you laugh. It's apparent in the many video game references hidden or blatantly shown and the obvious chicken obsession.

Guacamelee! 2 is as rich, tangy, and fresh as the sacred guacamole in the game. Needless to say, it was worth the 5-year wait. I finished my normal playthrough at around 12 hours, which included near 100% completion on maps and secrets and 64% completion for the trophies. I achieved the platinum trophy for the first game, and I fully intend to go for the platinum in the second. Guacamelee! 2 is a prime title in the metroidvania genre and has become one of my favorite games of 2018 for being such a tight, vibrant, and fun piñata to beat the hell out of.

Guacamelee! 2 is available now on PS4 and PC.