I picked up this game a few months before it hit the Humble Bundle scene.  Had I purchased it honestly, it would have been worth it.  But I didn’t.  I did a terrible thing and stole money to fuel my gaming addiction...but...Looking back, although I’d do things differently, I’m happy with the time I spent with this game.  To this day, it is one of my favorites and is an absolute blast to play.

The game centers around a central, speechless protagonist named Juan and his quest to deliver his love from the clutches of the powerful Carlos Calaca, who seeks to rule both the worlds of the living and the dead.  After he is initially killed, he gains a mask that transforms him into a powerful luchador and brings him back to the world of the living.  On his quest, he gains many abilities which prepare him for a terrible, final fight against Calaca.

Guacamelee! is beautiful to look at.  Every environment is loaded with charm, and really emphasizes the Mexican folklore-theme of the game.  Backgrounds pop out without getting in the way, characters look simple yet robust, and animations are wonderfully done.  I found nothing I could call a flaw in this department.

Its music really serves to immerse you, too.  While, like many games, it has little music, the music never grows irritating.  The themes are perfectly done, and listening to the Mexican-themed pieces never grows old while you are playing.  They are simple, but they are effective.

But as with any good game, the main focus is the gameplay.  The gameplay branches out without feeling unwieldy.  The game is much like a fighter wrapped within a Metroidvania game.  Juan can jab, uppercut, slam, dodge roll, and pull off special moves after he earns them.  Dodging is a key element of gameplay.  By dodging, Juan is temporarily invincible to most attacks.  Juan can even “dodge” (or put up a shield) in midair.  

New costumes and upgrades further shake up the gameplay.  By completing tasks, or more frequently, by earning and spending money, the player can give Juan new costumes, or even become a different character.  Each character/costume has different strengths, and different weaknesses as well.  It’s fun to experiment around and find the character/costume you like most.

Multiplayer also adds a layer of depth to the game.  Players can drop in/out at any time, much like in Rayman Legends (where the characters “bubblize”).  Characters are brought back by punching their bubble or sphere.  But it’s two-player only, and for good reason.  Things can get pretty hectic, and the more difficult platforming sections can be a burden if the skill levels of the two players are wildly different (for example, a 21-year old playing with his less experienced, 8-yo brother).  But nevertheless, multiplayer is a worthwhile asset to the game.

The game just feels right.  Every moment spent in Guacamelee! is a moment of progress and fun.  But the game is short.  You may spend as little as 5-6 hours beating the game.  But there is a great aftergame, which has to be completed in order to receive the true ending.  These revolve around the 20 challenges to be completed in El Infierno, or Heck.  These challenges are a blast to play, and range from cakey to quite difficult.

Also, the game’s difficulty feels just right.  On normal mode, you should have little problem beating the game, and it can serve to help you learn the mechanics of the game.  You can also play on Hard if you’re up to the challenge.

On Steam, the game has cloud support, trading cards, and the option to play with keyboard or controller.  It also has Steam Workshop support, which is limited to creating and downloading new skins for characters.  I cannot recommend that you get this on Steam enough, if you have a computer to support it and a controller that’s PC-ready.  Although I mostly played with keyboard, it feels much better with a controller.

Pros:

Beautiful graphics
Immersive music
Perfect gameplay
Drop in/out multiplayer
Steam-exclusive features

Cons:

Short

PS : There is a new version of Guacamelee! in the works.  It will be released for Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS4 and Wii U.  No Steam release is currently planned.