Olé.

Guacamelee isn't an exceptionally good beat-em-up, nor is it among the better Metroidvanias. As a hybrid of these genres, it does fairly well -- well enough, really. But it's impossible to play Guacamelee without fixating on some of its deficiencies.

It has the interconnected world map of a Metroid-style adventure, and ability upgrades which unlock new paths through said map. Like Shadow Complex, Guacamelee takes an irritatingly-long time to get to some of its most crucial upgrades (namely: the double jump) -- but ultimately, it does result in an admirable collection of skills for expertly navigating the game's world. At the same time though, there is a visible lack of creativity in its obstacles: almost all of them are colored blocks, that just need to be hit with an ability of the corresponding color. Maybe in raw mechanical terms this isn't actually different from Super Metroid's power bombs, super missiles, beam upgrades, screw attack, et al; but the design sense of Guacamelee's blocks is distinctly underwhelming. The interconnected map, too, is lacking in surprising shortcuts ala Metroid Prime, and actually isn't all that different from Dust's isolated sub-maps.

Guacamelee also has the dodging and attacking mechanics of a 2D action/fighting game, in which those same ability upgrades factor heavily -- in fact, one of the combat system's biggest problems is that, until a sufficient number of these abilities is unlocked, the moveset is pretty limited. Once uppercuts, horizontal dashes, and body slams enter the repertoire, punching and kicking the Jesús out of undead enemies can get pretty damned entertaining. But issues like automatically triggering moves when they aren't wanted, and enemies with too many interrupting and/or knock-backing moves, make some encounters more frustrating than they really should be. The combat is excellent when it's working, especially against some creative and challenging bosses; but frequently fails to work, especially against large waves of lesser foes.

Guacamelee offers a few other mechanics of interest, like an upgrade system that rarely feels helpful, sidequests that can't be tracked (which sidequests am I still on? no idea!), and some dimension-shifting platforming challenges that are actually super-fun. Aesthetically, too, Guacamelee is conflicted: its avant-garde art style looks great in characters and some landscapes, but often makes it too difficult to distinguish foreground and background elements. The soundtrack is pretty good, but most of its tracks have very short patterns, and end up sounding extremely repetitive. Even the game's story suffers from inconsistent quality, with a few clever moments surrounded by an otherwise unremarkable and totally unengaging narrative (and an introductory area steeped in an uncomfortable amount of pop-videogame references).

What's most disappointing about Guacamelee isn't, really, any of these issues in particular. It's that this version I played, the "Super Turbo Championship Edition," is the third release of the game. There has been so much time for Drinkbox to revisit and hone this game; and this is what's come of it? The problems that remain in Guacamelee STCE are too obvious to really excuse after this much iteration.

There is enough good in Guacamelee to enjoy, just as there's enough bad to deride. While I'm glad to have "finished" it, I have no interest in re-scouring the map for its remaining collectibles. Guacamelee is fun, but could be even more so, if more critical attention was paid to its varied and disparate shortcomings.

Better than: Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Not as good as: Dust: An Elysian Tail
Seriously, it's baffling: that the game doesn't have any list of active sidequests. What am I doing!?

Progress: Beat the final boss on Normal.