Love the sequel just as much as the first Guacamelee! In the first game, I immediately started playing on hard immediately after finishing my playthrough on normal; the same thing happened for Guac 2. Usually I'm glad when I beat a game and it's finally over, but this is one of the few series where the gameplay is that good you just want to keep going. The closest other series it reminds me of would be Rayman Origins, both in terms of gameplay and its fun, colourful atmosphere. In comparison to the first game, Guac 2 has upped the ante of its gameplay: it feels more refined and extensive, and its platforming challenges are more creative and inventive in finding new ways to exploit the game's mechanics. Likewise, its graphics have an extra level of polish (really like the lighting effect that was added) and exude the same kind of personality and charm as the first game. Same thing for the music; really amazing! My one gripe is the story. It feels like there are lots of good ingredients to work with, in terms of the characters that were introduced in the game, but they're haphazadly cobbled together to form a story. The story involves convoluted nonsense around "jumping between timelines", but it ultimately doesn't affect the game much and is mainly used for inserting fairly cheap timetravel jokes. I would've liked it better if the timelines stuff was removed, to focus on a simpler and more cohesive story. All in all, you don't really play Guacamelee for the story though, so it's just a minor gripe. In short, if you're in for platformer with loads of action and personality, you'll love both Guacamelee 1 and 2! Some of the platforming challenges can be frustrating, but it's the good kind of frustration where it feels immensely satisfying once you get into the rythm of the game's mechanics.
