Platforming is one of my favorite types of gaming and when small teams of developers come along and make a great "classic" platformer that focuses more on gameplay and less on having real-to-life graphics, I think really good things can happen.
Gameplay > Graphics
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I picked this game up for a few bucks after seeing it on a "best of" list for platformers. I had heard of it before but had never played the original either. I gotta say, unless you have something against platformers, that this game is just a load of fun and it is fairly simple as well.
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The game picks up where the last one left off only you have left your heroic ways and now have a domesticated life, a couple of kids, and a "dad gut" from years of inactivity. It is only through evil returning to the "Mexiverse" that your old heroic ways return.
The game's controls are easy to grasp and I actually walked away from this game for about a week because of "life stuff" and when I returned it only took me a few minutes to refamiliarize myself with how it works. You gradually increase the amount of moves and power that you have as time goes by by purchasing upgrades. One of my favorite skills that you acquire later is called "Pollo Power" and you transform into a chicken in order to gain new attacks and also fit into smaller spaces.
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I wouldn't say that the game is EVER difficult, but that doesn't mean it is boring. Some of the puzzles can be a bit difficult to complete but most of them are optional. Even towards the end of the game most of what you need to do can be accomplished on your first or second try.
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Nevermind, I take that back after seeing this image again. Some of these levels are downright devious as far as the difficulty and button memory is concerned. However, when you do die, you respawn really close to where you started the puzzle and in many of the longer ones there are checkpoints that you might not be aware of that exist as well.
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The bosses are all quite humorous and none of them, including the final boss, are very difficult. Basically if you aren't doing damage that means you are missing something very important because most of them have a secret to that that you will feel silly for not noticing in the first place once you figure it out.
The music is fantastic, the dialogue is all done is a funny way and I dunno man, there was just something about being able to transform into a very fast chicken that defeats demons that really appealed to me.
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I really think that most people who enjoy platformers and a bit of good ol' silly humor will appreciate this gem of a game and my only complain is that it isn't longer. You can probably finish this game in 10 hours or less. Since you can pick it up these days for damn near nothing, I think that it is still a good value even though the game is quite short.
Have you played Guacamelee 2? What did you think of it?