Guacamelee!, a “metroidvania brawler” from indie development studio Drinkbox Studios, has a release date. The COO – Graham Smith – has taken to the PlayStation blog to announce that the game will launch for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita on April 9. Thankfully, the game will support Cross-Buy, so the $14.99 price tag nets you a copy of the game for each platform.
Guacamelee! has a particularly wacky aesthetic. The scenery is colourful, the music is jolly, and the protagonist is a big topless guy in a wrestling-style mask. The plot is pretty wacky too. Apparently, Juan Aguacate is on a quest to save the world and the girl he loves (who happens to be the daughter of El Presidente). So far so standard, except to do that Aguacate has to travel through alternate dimensions that include “The World of the Dead” and “The World of Nightmares”.
Per the title, the game features melee combat. You'll come up against swarms of enemies, and have to knock them out with a variety of punches and slams. When you're not fighting, you'll be running and jumping from platform to platform. Out of the crazy combat screens, when you've got a chance to stop and take in the scenery, this is actually a visually attractive game, though it gets a little crazy when you move into those alternate dimensions. But the action is the game's biggest selling point. If you like that kind of thing, you've only got a couple of weeks to wait.