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DayOfTheDeadmeets superheroicwrestling actioninthisdifferent kindofMetroidvania withafondnessforall thingsMexico.Here’s howGuacamelee!’s comedicallycolourful sequelexcelledby beingdifferentand rewritingthegenre rulebook.

Words by Aaron Potter

» System: Switch, various

» Year: 2018

» Publisher: Drinkbox Studios

» Developer: Drinkbox Studios

» Key People: Graham Smith, Ryan MacLean

» [Switch] Most enemy encounters always happen in closed-off spaces, encouraging you to get experimental with Juan’s combos and unique grapples.

» Based out of Toronto, developer Drinkbox Studios first garnered attention with its charming puzzle platformer Tales From Space: About A Blob. It’s unfortunately left stranded on PlayStation 3 as an exclusive.

» Guacamelee! 2 is grander in scope in almost every way, featuring twice as many enemy types as the original, alongside additional chicken combat and a map that is much larger.

THE BACKGROUND

If there is such a thing as difficult second album syndrome, Drinkbox Studios hasn’t heard of it. Guacamelee! 2 is proof enough of that. A sequel to the original 2013 Mexico-tinged Metroidvania released early on during the genre’s indie boom, Juan’s followup journey is full of just as much life, vibrancy and humour – only now with a far grander scope. Before diving straight into the next entry, however, Drinkbox chose to refresh its development palette by doing something unexpected: make a PlayStation Vita exclusive. Severed was a solid experiment as far as dungeon-based first-person slashers go, but luckily the five-year wait for Guacamelee! 2 was worth it.