Guacamelee! 2

So, this is a game made by folks who obviously love the old super punishing games mechanics of the past. personally, I think this is a mistake, but if something is well executed, I can find something to like in striving for goals like this. however, the controls are really not up to the challenges set by the developers. so many areas require split second timing, however, the controls just simply don't respond correctly. I've tried with two different controllers, bluetooth and wired, and so many times the game just leaves you hanging where it doesn't recognize a button press and then punishes you for it. it seems specifically that if you roll the controls from one direction to another, rather than lifting your finger off the d-pad before pressing the next direction, it'll utterly refuse to execute the special move you need to progress, it'll just sit there doing nothing until you die. I can consistently demonstrate this with the wall run / wall dash combo that's used a ton in the later game, where rolling from up to horizontal just simple does not work unless you fully clear the d-pad first. so yeah. unless you enjoy just being frustrated and angry at a game all day long, miss this one. it's a shame, since the rest of it is made with such care, but I just can't recommend something this difficult and also this broken.

Guacamelee! was one of my favorite Metroidvanias, and the sequel is more of that. The level design flows amazingly well, and the combat is immensely satisfying. If you like metroidvanias, this is a must. If you like the first game, it's more of that. Some might argue it's just "more of the same". I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but why is more of the same a bad thing when we're talking about a great game anyway?

Maybe if I was into wrestling, I would have liked it a bit.