Guacamelee! (PSN Exclusive)

By DirtyLarry
in PlayStation

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

So has anyone else picked up Guacamelee! for the PS3 / PS Vita?

Official Website

Launch Trailer

It is developed by Drinkbox Studios, a little development outfit from Canada who made a little game called Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack.

Based on the fact they have a pretty decent track record with that game, and this game itself was getting a decent amount of buzz, and especially because I was looking for something new to play on my Vita, I decided to pick it up.

Key Features

  • It is $14.99, $11.99 for + subscribers.
  • The first great thing about the game is it supports Cross-Play, so purchase it once and you get it for both the PS3 and Vita.
  • Apparently it supports Cross-Save, although I have yet to check that out to see how well it works.
  • It also has drop-in/drop-out CoOp Play on the PS3 version (supports the Vita as well), which is supposed to be a lot of fun.
  • It has an awesome visual style IMHO.
    Launch_08.png

Write Up From Official Website

Guacamelee! is a Metroid-vania style action-platformer set in a magical Mexican inspired world.

The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore, and features many interesting and unique characters. Guacamelee builds upon the classic open-world Metroid-vania style of games, by adding a strong melee combat component, a new dimension switching mechanic, and cooperative same-screen multiplayer for the entire story. The game also blurs the boundaries between combat and platforming by making many of the moves useful and necessary for both of these.

The game features a down on his luck Mexican named Juan Aguacate, who sets out to save the world when El Presidente?s Daughter is kidnapped by an Evil Charro Skeleton. The story takes place in and around a small village in Mexico, and has the player travelling through alternate dimensions: ?The World of the Living? and ?The World of the Dead? on his quest to rescue the girl he loves.

I have to say, the game is pretty damn awesome so far. I am playing it on the Vita right now, and it looks gorgeous. The visuals really do look outstanding on the Vita itself.

The amount of references and the homage it pays to other games and internet memes is also brilliant.

There are so many, Kotaku actually did a full article on just that aspect of things.

The Many Memes, References and Homages of Guacamelee!

original.jpg

original.jpg

Initial reviews are overall very positive, averaging a 85% on Metacritic.

I personally love platformers, so I was going to pick it up regardless, but I have to say I am truly liking it more than I thought I was going to. I only planned on quickly checking it out last night, and I wound up playing it for over 2 hours and went to bed way later then I normally do.

Definitely recommend it to Vita owners, and also recommend it to anyone who likes platformers looking for something a bit different.

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/1146556-guacamelee-psn-exclusive/
Share on other sites
Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

I'm on the fence, I've never been into the 'Metroidvania' style games, I'm not super into melee combat with complex combos, its 20% off for PS+ users and I'm not sure...

If your really not into those style of games, then this probably is not for you. Although I will say it does not seem to be all that complex with the combat. I have definitely seen way more complex combat in similar games. However I am early on, so that can change, but it is pretty simplistic so far.

Give it a couple of months and we will probably get it free from out PS+ :laugh:

Yep you are probably right, and I did think about this fact for a few seconds. I came to the conclusion though that I feel like if certain games like this are not supported from the beginning, it may discourage studios from developing them, as at the end of the day, they need to make money for their hard work. So if I am going to pick up any games on release, it would be a game like this to support this type of more smaller independent games being made on the PSN, especially since Sony has made such a commitment to releasing these types of games.

Grand Master

Lingwo

Posted
Posted

I'm loving it so far. I was the same, only was going to play it for 20 minutes, 3 hours later i'm still playing it.

Soon as they mentioned Metroidvania i was sold. This generation hasn't had enough of them to be honest.

Not tried it on the vita yet, it is cross buy so at the moment i am playing it on the PS3.

Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

Great game. All the references to other games are funny. I wish they would post hi-res versions of the references on their website.

I loved the "no power" part

Was not sure what you were talking about, but just got to that part a little while ago. Awesome. (Y)

Really is a sleeper hit IMO. Great game for the genre no doubt.

Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

Gametrailers Video Review is Up. They give it a 9.0

I checked it out on my PS3 last night for a bit, looked awesome on the big screen, and the sound really is well done as well. My dog kept looking out the window as the part I was on had dogs barking in the background faintly, and he swore it was real dogs somewhere outside LOL

I bought it as soon as it came out. Reminded me of another Metroidvania style I got a while ago, Outland. It's a very good game and it even has a Platinum trophy. I don't regret my purchase at all.

It is very reminiscent of Outland, but I think it is overall much better for some reason. Outland got brutally hard and frustrating there towards the end, and I actually never wound up beating it. I just do not see that happening for this game.

Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

I actually beat the game, something I can honestly say I almost never do with these types of games, as I usually reach a point I get so damn frustrated I give up. I also actually collected all the orbs before beating it, which was truly a test of my patience, but I stuck with it, so I got the alternate (good) ending as well.

Just really a great, great game overall. I actually liked the Vita version better than the PS3 version, as I thought it was easier to Dimension Warp with the Vita's shoulder button that it was with the Dualshocks. And if you go for all the Orbs, Jumping + Dimension Swapping at the same time with precision is a must use move. So yeah, I actually can say the Vita version was better IMO.

I actually would rate it a 9/10. It is pretty much near flawless.

I may even consider trying to get the Platinum trophy over the next year or so. :laugh:

Grand Master

Lingwo

Posted
Posted

I'm coming up to the end of this and been grabbing orbs whenever possible. The Dimension jumping makes me want to throw my controller sometimes, some of the simplest jumps i mess up. Mainly because i warp too quickly and end up in a wall :laugh:

Still really enjoying it though as they are not long sections and usually the most difficult jumps are for an orb.

  • 2 weeks later...
Grand Master

DirtyLarry Veteran

Posted
  • Author
  • Veteran
Posted

Only thing left for me is to finish it on Hard. Getting the orbs was a challenge. Especially the Tree Tops one.

Yeah, that was easily the biggest pain in the ass.

If I did go back and Platinum this game, would be the first game I did so I believe.

Grand Master

D. S. Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

Yeah, that was easily the biggest pain in the ass.

If I did go back and Platinum this game, would be the first game I did so I believe.

Already got it. Hard Run in about 4 hours. Curiously I had some troubles beating Flame Face and breezed past Jaguar Javier and Carlos Calaca. It's a very fun game to Platinum.

  • 3 months later...
Grand Master

AbandonedTrolley

Posted
Posted

Only thing left for me is to finish it on Hard. Getting the orbs was a challenge. Especially the Tree Tops one.

 

There is actually a glitch that lets you complete on hard just by doing the final fight.

 

I've not done the Orb collection yet, but it's a great game that I too wouldn't mind getting the platinum for.

 

 

Picked this up just now in the sale on UK PSN. ?7.99 with plus discount. What should I expect? Sounds like a great game from DL's impressions.

 

It's an awesome game, slow starter but once you get a few more abilities it's probably my favorite platformer in a long time.  Just picked up a WiiU with Mario so that opinion may change soon.

 

Also Larry not sure if you knew/realised but you can also use your Vita as a controller while playing on the PS3, this was it displays the map on the Vita and you get to use it's great D-Pad for accuracy.  Photo I took a while back.

 

h2nSO00.jpg

 

Grand Master

DrunknMunky Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

I'd heard of this game a while ago but never paid much attention to it during the development. It wasn't until recently I heard it was a Metroidvania game that it sparked my interest though.

 

It just released on Steam with a Gold edition so I'll probably pick it up soon (Y).

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Posts

    • The Light of Life? We actually do glow till our Death, study finds

      By hellowalkman · Posted

      The Light of Life? We actually do glow till our Death, study finds by Sayan Sen Image by Rafael Rendon via Pexels A study by researchers at the University of Calgary has found that living organisms produce an extremely faint light known as ultraweak photon emission, and that this glow appears to drop significantly after death. The research was published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry in April 2025 and quickly drew widespread attention, leading to more than 200 news stories about the findings. Ultraweak photon emission (or UPE), sometimes called biophoton emission, refers to tiny amounts of light released by living cells as a result of normal biological activity. A photon is the basic particle of light, and researchers say every living system examined so far, including plants and animals, has been found to emit these photons. The glow is far too faint to be seen by the human eye. “I suppose it has a little to do with people being reminded of auras,” says Dr. Christoph Simon, PhD, one of the authors of the study and a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy in the Faculty of Science. “It is a fact that living beings glow. It’s a very weak glow, but it’s there and visible with very sensitive cameras.” According to the study, the light involved is extremely weak, ranging from 10 to 1,000 photons per square centimetre per second across a spectral range of 200 to 1,000 nanometres. For comparison, a nanometre is one-billionth of a metre and is commonly used to measure wavelengths of light. Detecting emissions at such low levels requires highly specialized equipment. To study the phenomenon, researchers used electron-multiplying charge-coupled device (EMCCD) and charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras. These imaging systems are designed to detect extremely small amounts of light, including individual photons, while minimizing background noise. The technology allowed researchers to capture signals that would otherwise be impossible to observe. The team worked with the Human Health Therapeutics Research Centre at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) in Ottawa to examine photon emissions in mice. Researchers took two-hour exposure images of the animals before and after death and compared the results. “We saw that the level of light that they emit – this biophoton glow – is distinctly different between living and dead animals,” says Dr. Daniel Oblak, PhD, an associate professor in Physics and Astronomy and the corresponding author of the study. The images showed a clear decrease in photon emissions after death across the entire body of each mouse. According to the researchers, this provided direct evidence that living and dead tissue produce different levels of ultraweak photon emission. “It’s a very small amount and it’s, of course, very tricky to detect,” Oblak says. The study grew out of discussions between Simon, whose research interests include quantum biology, and Oblak, whose work focuses on detecting light for quantum communication experiments. Quantum biology is a field that explores whether processes described by quantum physics, which studies matter and energy at very small scales, may also play a role in living systems. “Since I work as a quantum physicist on light detection for quantum communication, I thought that experimentally we have a lot of the tools to be able to detect the light,” Oblak explains. The researchers also investigated UPE in plants and found that the light changed in response to stress. When plants were exposed to higher temperatures or physically injured, their photon emissions increased. Chemical treatments also affected the glow. Among the substances tested, the local anesthetic benzocaine produced the strongest emission response when applied to injured plant tissue. These findings suggest that ultraweak photon emission is closely linked to biochemical and metabolic activity inside living organisms. Metabolism refers to the chemical reactions that allow cells and organisms to stay alive and function. Because these reactions change when an organism experiences stress, injury or disease, researchers believe UPE may provide a way to monitor those changes. The researchers stress that the glow is a physical and biological phenomenon, not a metaphysical one. Oblak says more research is needed to understand exactly how the light is produced and what information it may reveal about the condition of living tissue. “We must understand what that is to figure out what’s happening,” he says. “If we can understand how that relates to certain influences on the body – stress, diseases – then that could be used as a diagnostic tool.” The researchers believe the technique could eventually help scientists study health and disease without invasive procedures. Because UPE can be measured without adding dyes, markers or labels, it may offer a way to monitor whether tissue is healthy, damaged or alive. In plants, it could help researchers better understand how organisms respond to injury, heat and other forms of stress. While the work is still in its early stages, the study demonstrates that ultraweak photon emission imaging can provide a non-invasive and label-free way to observe biological activity. Researchers say the approach could become a useful tool for studying vitality, stress responses and other important processes in both animals and plants. Source: University of Calgary, ACS publication This article was generated with some help from AI and reviewed by an editor. Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, this material is used for the purpose of news reporting. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By +Edouard · Posted

      Damn, I loved this show back in the day.  
    • Rufus 4.15.2393 Beta 2

      By Copernic · Posted

      Rufus 4.15.2393 Beta 2 by Razvan Serea Rufus is a small utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc. Despite its small size, Rufus provides everything you need! Oh, and Rufus is fast. For instance it's about twice as fast as UNetbootin, Universal USB Installer or Windows 7 USB download tool, on the creation of a Windows 7 USB installation drive from an ISO (with honorable mention to WiNToBootic for managing to keep up). It is also marginally faster on the creation of Linux bootable USBs from ISOs. A non-exhaustive list of Rufus supported ISOs is available here. It can be especially useful for cases where: you need to create USB installation media from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, UEFI, etc.) you need to work on a system that doesn't have an OS installed you need to flash a BIOS or other firmware from DOS you want to run a low-level utility Rufus 4.15.2393 Beta 2 changelog: Add RISC-V 64 support to UEFI:NTFS Improve the guards for using the "silent" option Improve the ability to cancel during write retries Improve progress reporting for compressed image extraction Fix unrestricted XML entity expansion and integer overflow in ezxml parser (courtesy of @esadowski4) [GHSA-55r2-34wg-8mv9] Fix "silent" Windows installation failing at 75% in most cases [#2960] Fix a crash during boot when using UEFI:NTFS on Snapdragon X based ARM64 platforms [#2934] Fix the first WUE option always being checked by default [#2965] Fix an infinite loop when using Windows ISOs that contain multiple WIMs Fix "Enable runtime UEFI media validation" checkbox not always being properly enabled Other WUE improvements/fixes for OneDrive removal and username validation (with thanks to @christian8641) [#2984, #2991] Download: Rufus 4.15 Beta 2 | 1.9 MB (Open Source) Links: Rufus Home Page | Project Page @GitHub | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Tixati 3.43

      By Copernic · Posted

      Tixati 3.43 by Razvan Serea Tixati is a free and easy to use BitTorrent client featuring detailed views of all seed, peer, and file transfer properties. Also included are powerful bandwidth charting and throttling capabilities, and a full DHT implementation. Tixati is one of the most advanced and flexible BitTorrent clients available. And unlike many other clients, Tixati contains NO SPYWARE, NO ADS, and NO GIMMICKS. Tixati portable version is meant to run on a USB flash drive or other portable media. It stores all its configuration files in the same folder as the executable binary files, and all file paths are stored in a format relative to the program executable folder. It is important you do not delete the "tixati_portable_mode.txt" file within the executables folder. This file is what triggers Tixati to run in portable mode. (The executable binaries are actually the same as the standard edition binaries.) When running the portable edition from a USB flash drive, especially one that is formatted in FAT16/FAT32, you may experience some lag when initially loading a new transfer. This is because initializing and allocating large files on flash-based media consumes a greater amount of time and resources compared to a conventional hard-drive. Tixati has the following features: detailed views of all aspects of the swarm, including peers, pieces, files, and trackers support for magnet links, so no need to download .torrent files if a simple magnet-link is available super-efficient peer choking/unchoking algorithms ensure the fastest downloads peer connection encryption for added security full DHT (Distributed Hash Table) implementation for trackerless torrents, including detailed message traffic graphs and customizable event logging advanced bandwidth charting of overall traffic and per-transfer traffic, with separate classification of protocol and file bytes, and with separate classification of outbound traffic for trading and seeding highly flexible bandwidth throttling, including trading/seeding proportion adjustment and adjustable priority for individual transfers and peers bitfield graphs that show the completeness of all downloaded files, what pieces other peers have available, and the health of the overall swarm customizable event logging for each download, and individual event logs for all peers within the swarm expert local file management functions which allow you to move files to a different partition even while downloading is still in progress 100% compatible with the BitTorrent protocol Windows and Linux-GTK native versions available Tixati 3.43 changelog: Several major DHT improvements Added several screening heuristics to filter malicious DHT nodes, prevent Sybil floods Rewrote DHT search algorithms to add support for multi-path lookups Improved DHT logging, more details in several error messages Extended timeout lengths for outgoing queries over I2P Added incoming query / response per second to DHT table status display Updated Regex engine to PCRE2 Faster Search function, scans channel user profiles in much less time Fixed problems with file name parsing and date handling in RSS Faster and more accurate RSS filtering and episode number detection Several optimizations to global text processing functions, such as UTF-8 cleaning, line splitting, and token parsing Complete update of port-mapping UPNP/NAT-PMP engine, added PCP support, mapping over VPN support, and more Several refinements to default gateway detection on Windows / Android, which is used for port-mapping Support for IPv6 interface-scoped addresses, which is sometimes needed for IPv6 gateway detection and port mapping Full support for PCP port remapping, added backup zero-port query in case requested port is rejected New UPNP/NAT-PMP Monitor in Help > Diagnostics New reflected local port/location tracker that analyzes DHT replies to detect true port/location and NAT mapping type New TCP/UDP Ports monitor in Help > Diagnostics, with several statistic and information tabs, and a detailed event log Calculated/reflected local port is now used for port parameter in tracker queries and peer handshake Fixed several problems with Linux Wayland compatibility Completely replaced tray icon functions in Linux, new SNI implementation is now the default with GSI backup Implemented full DBus-Menu server to be used by new SNI tray icon implementation Replaced Linux tray balloon notification DBus client Rewrote auto-shutdown DBus interface for Linux Rewrote sleep inhibit DBus interface for Linux Dropped deprecated Linux dbus-glib dependencies Completely new Windows asynchronous file handling, now using IOCP model with several block-alignment optimizations Better handling of system network resets and interface down/up cycles Added option to fully clear configuration in Settings > Import/Export Remember last option checkboxes when using Import/Export Fixed minor I2P incoming connection routing problems Much faster I2P vanity host name finder Much faster channel user vanity key finder Raised length limit for torrent tracker remote failure messages to 120 from 64 Fixed problems setting download location on a torrent before the meta info is resolved Added location/MOC paths to category pane tooltips Several minor Web Interface fixes Refinements to static and scrolling ellipsizing layout routines Several fixes and improvements to single and multi-line text edit controls Many other minor fixes throughout the user interface A major overhaul of the Android framework has also been done: API target raised to 35, page alignment set to 16K Rewrote all inset processing routines Full rewrite of foreground service, application, and main activity objects New permission request routines Added multi-cast lock request before UPNP/LPDP discovery operations Fixed file permission and locking problems when loading .torrent from web browsers Fixed problems with Z-ordering of modal / non-modal and popup windows Fixed handling of back gesture on newer OS Added status bar icon adjustment based on status bar background color Added option in Settings > UI > Behavior to continue running in tray when task removed from recents App can be closed by swiping away notification Rewrote IME interface, fixed several problems with auto-correct, on-screen keyboard visibility, and cursor positioning Added full support for Android hardware mouse and keyboard function Added full tooltip implementation for Android hovering via mouse or other cursor device Full rewrite of popup menu widgets to better support hardware pointers and keyboard Added mouse cursor updating framework for Android hovering Added Settings > Import/Export to Android builds Added language file support to Android builds Download: Tixati 64-bit | Tixati 32-bit ~20.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Portable Tixati 3.43 | 114.0 MB Download: Tixati 3.43 for Linux | Android View: Tixati Website | Screenshot Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
    • Firefox 152.0.1

      By Copernic · Posted

      Firefox 152.0.1 by Razvan Serea Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. It offers great security, privacy, and protection against viruses, spyware, malware, and it can also easily block pop-up windows. The key features that have made Firefox so popular are the simple and effective UI, browser speed and strong security capabilities. Firefox has complete features for browsing the Internet. It is very reliable and flexible due to its implemented security features, along with customization options. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online. Firefox key features Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) – Blocks trackers, cookies, cryptominers, and fingerprinters by default. Private Browsing Mode – Deletes history, cookies, and temporary files when closed. Lightweight & Fast Performance – Optimized memory usage with efficient page loading. Cross-Platform Sync – Sync bookmarks, passwords, history, and open tabs across devices. Customizable Interface – Toolbars, themes, and extensions can be tailored to user needs. Strong Privacy Controls – Options to manage cookies, permissions, and site data easily. Reader Mode – Strips away clutter for distraction-free reading. Pocket Integration – Save and read articles offline with Pocket built into Firefox. Picture-in-Picture (PiP) – Watch videos in a floating window while multitasking. Extensions & Add-ons – Vast library for productivity, security, and personalization. Built-in PDF Viewer – No need for external software to view PDFs. Firefox Monitor – Alerts users if their email is part of a known data breach. Multi-Account Containers – Isolate browsing sessions (e.g., work, personal, shopping). Performance & Resource Efficiency – Uses fewer system resources than some competitors. Open Source & Community-Driven – Transparent development with global contributions. Firefox 152.0.1 fixes: Fixed frequent crashes affecting users with Intel Raptor Lake processors. (Bug 2039575) Fixed an issue on macOS where choosing a PDF option, such as "Save as PDF", from the system print dialog would send the job to your printer instead of saving a file. (Bug 2047850) Download: Firefox 64-bit | Firefox 32-bit | ARM64 | ~70.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Firefox for MacOS | 146.0 MB View: Firefox Home Page | Release Notes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

  • Recent Achievements

    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      AMV earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Collaborator
      ryansurfer98 went up a rank
      Collaborator
    • One Month Later
      Eurosoft10 earned a badge
      One Month Later

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      514
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      78
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      73
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      71
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!