PixlBit

(This is for the original edition of the game, not the recently released Super Turbo Championship Edition.)

I am latino. My mother is from Mexico and my father's rancher family dates back to before the US took over this portion of Texas. I'm proud enough of that heritage. I don't go overboard with it (I don't have a Mexican flag tattoo, or speak Spanish very fluently), but GOTTAM if I don't think bistek tacos are the best thing ever.

Even this low level of identification keeps my ears perked for Latino representation in media. So I was wary when I heard of Canadian developer Drinkbox Studios releasing Guacamelee, a side-scrolling beat-em-up starring a luchador.

I was wrong to have such hesitation. Guacamelee didn't use Mexican culture to take cheap shots and, in fact, had a pretty respectful--if irreverant--take on traditional culture. That irreverance is what made this game. As evidenced by the title (who WOULDN'T smile at the mix of guacamole and melee?), there is humor throughout this game.

You play as Juan Aguacate. For a bit of a language lesson, aguacate is Spanish for avocado, the fruit from which guacamole is made. Poor Juan is killed trying to save El Presidente's Daughter (that's her name) from Carlos Calaca (Spanish for skeleton). However, this isn't the end of Juan, as he awakens in the spirit world and is given the power of a luchador to defeat Carlos.

With these new powers, Juan gains a fighting prowess that enables him to defeat both the minions and henchmen of Carlos Calaca. He can also switch between the worlds of the living and the dead to solve platforming puzzles and defeat certain enemies that are found in one world and not the other.

While the basic mechanics are pretty simple, they are implemented in a way that adds a terrific amount of skill and timing to the gameplay. My reflexes weren't always up for the challenge, but I felt very accomplished when I completed some of the complex platforming sequences that involved precise world switching and jumping.

Combat was also fun, as I was tempted to get the highest combo with my basic attacks and with those that are earned periodically through the game.

The game's look completes the charm. It's a mix of Bruce Timm character designs filtered through the colors of Latino culture. It's these colors that really grabbed me. I've been playing a lot of grim, gritty and realistic games, so jumping into a game whose colors popped both on the PS3 and PS Vita was like taking a deep drink of an agua fresca on a searingly hot day.

If you enjoy side-scrollers, I definitely recommend this game. It's fun and charming, with a deep enough fighting system to grab those obsessed with perfection.