Guacamelee!


Great game. If you're a fan of the metroidvania genre, it's worth checking this one out. It's not a huge game by any means, but it's spaced out enough and requires just enough navigation that it feels larger than it actually is. There are enough moves that you can start to generate favoured combos, but unfortunately not enough to really expand beyond a few simple power hits and some mid-air juggling. The more difficult fights usually turn into a dodge fest while you either wait for your opening to get a couple hits in, or try and corral the enemies into a corner and lay waste to all of them at the same time (not as easy as it sounds at times).

The only real mark against this game is it's length. It's too short. I played through twice, once to just beat the game (then some exploration afterwards to find everything and get the alternate ending), then once more on Hard Mode. My first playthrough was something like six hours, then another two hours (I think) to 100% the game. Hard Mode was 3:33. Once you know where everything is, you can very quickly race through this game. The only trouble will be a couple of the bosses, and a few of the later "arena" matches. Otherwise, game is remarkably easy, and you can skip large sections of it if you don't feel like fighting the enemies.

However, for $14.99, it's well worth the price.