Guacamelee!

Did You Know?

• The Mexican theme was originally proposed by the animator.
• Former IGN editor Colin Moriarty advised adding D-pad movement to the control scheme.
• Juan appears as a playable guest character in the fighting game Brawlout.

Gameplay

Guacamelee! blends a 2D brawler with Metroidvania exploration. As luchador Juan, you navigate a non-linear world, chasing story goals while gathering upgrades and fighting foes. Defeated enemies drop coins for buying skills at shops, which also act as checkpoints. A second player can drop in as Tostada, the Mask's Guardian. Juan smashes "Choozo statues" to unlock powers, with some moves matching colored barriers in the environment. He also gains a double jump, a chicken form for tight spaces, and the ability to shift between the living and dead realms to reach new areas or fight plane-specific enemies.

Plot

Outside the Mexican village of Pueblucho, Juan Aguacate is a humble agave farmer. On Dia de los Muertos, he goes to meet his childhood friend and love interest, Lupita. An evil charro skeleton named Carlos Calaca attacks and kidnaps her. Juan confronts Carlos but is killed and sent to the land of the dead. There, Tostada gives Juan a mystical mask that transforms him into a powerful luchador and returns him to the living. Juan battles to rescue Lupita and stop Calaca's plan to sacrifice her in a ritual uniting the worlds. After defeating X'tabay, she reveals Calaca once sold his soul to the Devil to heal a broken arm for a rodeo competition; the Devil dragged him to hell, but with X'tabay's help Calaca deceived the Devil by having him transformed into a rooster. Juan defeats Calaca's forces but does not save Lupita in time. In the normal ending, Juan lives in peace until reuniting with Lupita in the afterlife. In the true ending, attained by clearing all hidden trials, Lupita is revived by the mask's power, and they marry.

Downloadable Content

The Costume Pack, released June 3, 2013, includes costumes and abilities: the Pollo Luchador regenerates health with slower stamina; the skeleton costume grants infinite stamina but no health pickups except at save points; identity swap switches Juan and Tostada's costumes, making attacks stronger and throws weaker. El Diablo's Domain, released July 23, 2013, contains seventeen challenge areas, three outfits, and seven trophies. Gold medals require a flawless attempt. Outfits include El Portero (powerful throws, weak melee), Alberije (massive damage dealt and taken), and El Diablo (more stamina, less health, attacks grant health). All DLC was included in Guacamelee! Gold Edition and Super Turbo Championship Edition.

Release

Guacamelee! launched on PlayStation 3 and Vita in April 2013, offering cross-buy. Its Gold Edition, which included DLC and Steam Workshop support, hit Steam in August, later arriving on OS X and Linux in February 2014. The Super Turbo Championship Edition, adding new levels and bosses, came to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Windows, Xbox 360, and Wii U in July 2014. It was free on PlayStation Plus in May 2015. The Switch version arrived on October 8, 2018. IndieBox released a limited physical edition in July 2015, containing a DRM-free flash drive, soundtrack, and collectibles. Vblank Entertainment issued 3,800 copies of the Super Turbo Championship Edition for PlayStation 4 in August 2017.