Guacamelee! 2

Super-charged in almost every way, the game makes its predecessor look like a backyard wrestling match.

Guacamelee! 2 is easily one of the most fun games I’ve played this year and it’s hard to fault it even at its most infuriatingly challenging moments. The game has incredible presentation, great level design and is just as good whether playing solo or in co-op. If you’re looking for a light hearted Metroidvania or 2D platformer to play on the PS4, then you need Guacamelee! 2 in you life.

Fast, fun, funny, challenging, and chicken-filled, Juan Aguacate shows us he’s still got a few tricks up his mangas (sleeves), especially when he takes on his chicken form.

A colourful, enthralling adventure, Guacamelee! 2 is a superb sequel to a superb game.

Not once during my playthrough of Guacamelee 2 did I feel bored or look at the clock.

Guacamelee 2 is a hilarious, challenging, and rewarding follow-up to Drinkbox’s original. It expands on the first’s ideas in so many great ways, and marries a complex but understandable set of moves to both its combat and platforming.

Guacamelee 2 takes a very solid base of the original and adds enough to prevent this iteration from being stale. The new mechanics blend in seamlessly and adds to the experience. The humor hits, more than it misses and the visuals are vibrant like it’s predecessor. All in all if you had to choose only on metroidvania-style game to play in 2018, make sure Guacamelee 2 is high on your list.

More abilities, more zany humour, and crucially, more chickens make this a winner winner. [Oct 2018, p.78]

Guacamelee! 2 is a fantastic, almost flawlessly designed and well-paced action platformer, complete with charm, humour and heart. It builds upon the first game brilliantly, making Juan's latest adventure just as thrilling and hilarious as I'd have hoped.

Part 2 trumps the original in every way. Production values are high, the multiplayer is fun, gameplay is very intense and we could go on about its qualities. Everything you'd expect from a sequel is here and we heartily recommend you pick this up. Especially if you played and loved part 1.

Thanks to the way in which the history of video games developed, Metroidvania as a genre continues to nourish the romanticism that surrounds the titles that gives it a name. In that sense, Guacamelee!2 is a worthy representative of the genre since it complies with the elements required to be approved by enthusiasts, old and new school players. As promised, DrinkBox Studios has taken the series to the next level and everything has been greatly improved. The merit of the Canadian studio is that the game is capable of expressing itself through its mechanics.

Not one to overstay his welcome, Juan's return adventure in Guacamelee 2 is another short and sweet Metroid-like with new abilities will test both his brains and brawn (plus the adventure can be shared with friends!).

Juan has come back and Guacamelee! 2 is another great metroidvania, full of action and with a fast pace.

Guacamelee 2 is a fantastic combination of jokes, knowing nods to other games and media, and titanium hard gameplay. Not only does it build on everything the first game did so well, it does it with the kind of spice that most sequels can only dream of. Grab your nachos and get involved.

Look at Guacamelee 2 as gaming's equivalent of NXT Takeovers or New Japan Pro Wrestling's annual G1 Climax tournaments. They may not feel overly different from each another, but there's no questioning their high quality and they'll leave you anxiously awaiting the next main event.

Guacamelee! 2 does basically everything else right, and arguably better than a lot of other Metroidvania games on the market. Its core gameplay is tremendous, building off the original and feeling like a true step forward.

It improves on many of the ideas of the original while adding some fun new additions like the more versatile chicken form and better platforming. Its jokes are still a bit hit-or-miss and some combat sections slow down the flow, but Guacamelee 2 shouldn’t be missed.

Full of a hilarious and vibrant cast of characters, it’s hard to fault Guacamelee 2 — especially at $30 AUD.

By drawing inspirations from Mexican culture respectfully, the development team have created a tight platformer that includes some very clever writing and satirical looks at other games in the genre, and it is quite possibly one of the best platformers of 2018.

Guacamelee! 2 is the best sequel that Drinkbox could have made.

A game that's built on the first's game basics, and manages to improve almost everything from that game, making Guacamelee! 2 an excellent metroidvania, but a less surprising game.

Though it sticks rigidly close to the template that made the original such a success it ultimately matters little - Guacamelee 2 is one of the finest platformers of the year.

I haven’t had as thoroughly as joyful of an experience with any other game this year and I expect I’ll be hard pressed to find another like it any time soon.

Everything about Guacamelee 2 comes off as smarter and more thoughtful than the first game, even while indulging in its self-aware shenanigans and Rick & Morty-esque dimensional hijinks. The game never stops finding new ways to hook you in, to the point that even the most painstaking and intensive playthroughs feel like they just fly by.

Guacamelee 2! is everything one could ask for in a sequel. It packs in what everyone loved about the original, while building on it enough to make it well worth tagging into the ring for once again. Killer tunes, well-designed combat, and challenging bosses are all high points for a game that had a tough act to follow. It's also legitimately funny, with its references paying homage to all kinds of pop culture, from Sonic The Hedgehog and River City Ransom, even to the Star Wars themed Luchador called Boba Fight. Guacamelee 2! is a perfect second helping to the hearty offering that was the first title, and fans of the series will be pleased through and through.

If you enjoyed the original Guacamelee!, this sequel is an absolute must. It’s not going to particularly surprise you in any way, but it’s certainly going to have you grinning from ear to ear as you play. Also, if you liked the original Guacamelee! but found its platforming and bosses a little too hard in the latter stages, you’ll find Guacamelee! 2 to be much more enjoyable.

Guacamelee 2 is one of the best executions of the Metroid formula.

Juan's first adventure was a vital part of the Metroidvania revival. And Guacamelee 2 is an almost pitch perfect continuation. A great action platformer with high difficulty, a brilliant art design and co-op play for up to four Luchadors.

Guacamelee! 2 is bigger, more ingenious and a great deal crazier than its already great predecessor.

Guacamelee! 2 is a game full of colorful, fun and tributes to world pop culture. Located in Mexico, it is also a tribute to the country and its traditions and ways of living. It is a challenging experience from start to finish, which becomes addictive and leads the player to take their skills to the fullest to meet the challenges that can become a true madness in certain points. Definitely a game that you have to play.

Guacamelee! 2 keeps the essence of the first entry and takes it a little further thanks to new powers, enemies, levels, humor and winks. Although there are some sections more difficult and small screen failures playing cooperatively, it's one of the best action and 2D platforms proposals of the year.

Guacamelee! 2 is a worthy sequel. DrinkBox has retained and refined everything from the predecessor, while adding a number of number new features that improve on the formula. An overabundance of platforming segments can be frustrating, but the combat is as fun and as hectic as ever!

Guacamelee 2 is a gorgeous, fun game with a sense of humor that makes me want to cry.

Guacamelee 2 is a beautiful and delightful game that can proudly wear a Metroidvania medal. With its fantastic humour it will be a delight for multiple people, but the game can feel a little bit too long when you are near the end.

Drinkbox Studios’ Guacamelee! 2 brings back the colorful lands of the living and the dead, but this time around, there’s more of a focus on challenging platforming. It’s all about Juan’s new Pollo powers, which provide new ways to obliterate enemies or traverse around them. It doesn’t revolutionize the series or knock other recent platformers out of the water, but Gucamelee!’s sequel is a tight, well-constructed adventure that knows how to crack a joke.

This is a fantastic sequel, although its main focus seems to be improving the weakest parts of the original rather than expanding the posibilities, which is perfectly fine. It isn't a particularly risky sequel, but it still is a great metroidvania, full of charisma and humor.

Guacamelee! 2, yet again, provides an exquisite metroidvania adventure in which action, platforming and hilarous humor remain its primary assets. However, it lacks the new elements that would really make a difference.

Guacamelee 2 is a perfect sequel, but I still can't help wish there was a bit more ingenuity too.

Guacamelee 2 is as good as the first episode: if you loved the original one, five years ago, you'll like this too. Wonderful art direction, great music, very good gameplay, just a little bit frustrating sometimes.

Guacamelee! 2 sticks closely to the core formula that made the original a massive success. While it isn't quite as memorable or groundbreaking as its predecessor, it still makes for an excellent and visually stunning adventure.

Fixing what wasn’t broken appears to have been the studio’s number one goal, and they accomplished it. It would have been nice for some more new gameplay elements to have been introduced and for the controls to have received a little bit of precision. It also would have been nice if the Juan had been more fleshed out, as was promisingly teased in the game’s prologue. These issues aren’t deal breakers, though, which means that gamers looking for a good time of cracking skulls and terrorizing enemies as a chicken should find the experience that they seek.

Bigger rarely means better, but Guacamelee 2 entertainingly proves the exception to the rule. [Nov 2018, p.108]

Juan Aguacate is back with more lucha-libre stylish moves, skeletons, calaveras and spicy brawler-platform action.

Guacamelee 2 is another champion-grade Metroidvania, provided you can handle some corny humor and retreading of old mechanics.

Guacamelee 2 recaptures everything that made the original great and adds a few new tricks for good measure. It’s a joy to look at and it feels great to play, especially when it focuses on challenging platforming. The game feels a little padded out with lots of backtracking and locked-room combat sequences, but it’s still an absolute blast to play.

Exactly the kind of game a sequel should be in terms of its gameplay. Everything that worked in the first is back, but there’s more added to the foundation.

Guacamelee! 2 has a great sense of humour and offers a Metroidvania with precision combat and platforming that'll leave you wanting more.

The adventure is full of silly jokes and unique characters, it’s a much longer experience, and the combat is deep and engaging enough that it’s possible to look past the fact that you’ve seen most of it before.

Guacamelee 2 is a brilliantly made game on the presentation front and its few flaws don't limit its enjoyment.

Only a small improvement on the first game but this is still one of the most original Metroidvanias around, in terms of both its setting and its gameplay.

Guacamelee! 2 is a worthy sequel to one of the finest modern Metroidvania games. Its blend of challenging platforming, satisfying combat, and new abilities makes for a thoroughly entertaining experience. Occasionally it can feel like you're spinning too many plates, especially in multiplayer, but by and large, Juan's new adventure is a compelling treat that you'd be loco to miss.

Guacamelee 2 isn't a Metroidvania, it is a very strong platformer with its own unique style and an amazing amount of video game references.

Guacamelee 2 is not the most surprising follow-up, but it does offer challenging fights and platform action with a lot of new moves. We had hoped for more of a surprise though.

There’s nothing surprising in Guacamelee! 2. It's got all of what we loved in the first game, and still is a very solid platformer, loaded with content. We’d enjoyed some more novelty though.

Guacamelee! 2 is more of the same. That's not a bad thing necessarily, and with a funny new story, those who have enjoyed Juan's previous adventure will likely be left smiling. But if you’re new to the franchise, I'd still recommend starting with the original game before deciding if the sequel is worth picking up.

The fact is that the final impression is still pleasant, but absolutely not up to the bombastic 2013 debut.

Still brings the action and the funny. [Issue#204, p.82]

Guacamelee! 2 offers a fun experience which will leave you satisfied, but it fails to offer anything that hasn’t been seen countless times before.

A well-put together action platformer with lots of charms, spiced up with colourful graphics, but one that fails to outgrow its influences in any meaningful way. Fun but predictable. [Issue#153, p.92]

Ingenuity is the key differentiating factor and that’s what drags down Guacamelee 2 from achieving the same level of greatness. It sacrifices originality for comfort. And that mask is still quite comfortable but, like dressing up as a luchador in back-to-back Halloweens, it’s not as impressive the second time around.

If Guacamelee was a celebration riot through metroidvania, its sequel feels closer to an orderly parade across the same space. Guacamelee! 2 is a warm, expertly designed, devilishly preposterous, and, ultimately, safe return to its Mexiverse.

While its impact isn't as great as the original, Guacamelee 2 is a reminder of how good combat and traversal can feel when married together as they are in this 2D platformer-cum-brawler.

Guacamelee! 2 is another solid, platforming gem from DrinkBox Studios. The world is bigger and badder, and improvements to the shop and Pollo power make Juan's latest quest a success. However, the sequel's extreme similarity to the original may be off-putting for those wanting more.

Very similar to its predecessor but now playable up to four friends, Guacamelee! 2 always offers a mastered Metroidvania adventure, fun and colorful.

Guacamelee 2 is an excellent sequel, bringing new mechanics but retaining enough of what made the first game so charming. There are times when repetition kicks in or the concepts become too numerous, but the dialogue, design and core movement will keep things fun.

Guacamelee 2 takes but never quite gives; it amps up the difficulty without making the necessary changes to keep the game interesting. The result is a test of patience rather than a test of skill.