Boy am I in for it. This review of Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition was due in a week ago. The ed’s soothing last words are still ringing in my ear when he handed me this assignment: ‘It’s a deadline. Which means if its not dead on time, you’re a *** is on the line!’
Well, I have a get of jail free card and I’m not afraid to play it. The reason this review of Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is so late is because the game is so damned good. Honestly, I’ve tried a number of times to put the game down so that I can start hitting the keyboard. But every time I made the effort, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition would yank me back in (this probably sounds more believable if you can imagine me saying this like the Pacino in Godfather 3). 
Anyway, I’ve finally broken the games hold on me for just a minute so that I can tell you about what is probably the best platforming game ever created. Bar none. For anyone who hasn’t been living under a brick for the past year or so, you can skip this part of the review. For everyone else (yes, that includes you) here’s the skinny: Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is the legendary tale of Juan, a mild-mannered self-effacing agave-farmer whose sweet heart and El Presidente’s daughter is kidnapped by the undead villain Calaca. Juan’s noble yet foolhardy attempt at rescue ends prematurely with Calaca banishing him to the realm of the undead.
Still with me? Good because this is where the fun begins. In the realm of the dead you / Juan meets female luchador Tostada who equips him / you with a powerful wrestling mask that gives you the power to beat the bad guys, rescue the girl and, of course, save the world. Clichéd? Yes. Fun? You bet.
Having already garnered a loyal army of fans after releasing the original Guacamelee on PS3, Vita or Steam, developer Drinkbox Studios has upped the ante with what is almost definitely the ultimate Guacamelee edition. Not only does Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition offer new content (at least 30 percent more by my reckoning), it also seamlessly tweaks the gameplay while integrating all of the original DLC into this itineration of the game. Wait, there’s more. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition also introduces cooperative gameplay into the mix so you can team up with your mates to battle the undead together. Excellent. But even with all the new content on offer, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Editionstill retains everything that made the original game such an instant classic and, arguably, the best game of 2013.
The sharp, bright iconic artwork still makes dazzling use of the Mexican dia de los muertos backdrop and, in doing so, creates a living, unpredictable and memorable vista that urges you to go ahead and explore. With tonnes of hidden levels and collecables to pick up Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition could be a 6 hour romp or, when played the way it’s supposed to be played, the game could last you closer to 30 hours. Every screen of Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Editionpays homage to the 2D Metroidvania sub-genre. The complex side scrolling platforming still blends superbly with the puzzle sections to present a gaming challenge that you simply have to sample at least once in your life. 
Not content to rest on their laurels with what is beyond a doubt a winning formula, Drinkbox Studios, has gone back to some of the original levels and improved them, ironing out previous wrinkles that may have frustrated in the past. There are still tonnes of areas to explore, coins to pick up so that you can buy new weapons and costumes. Yes, this is the staple diet of a puzzle platformer. But its all done with idiosyncratic flair that you have to take your hat off while playing this game. Have we mentioned the memorable and hilarious characters that populate every level of Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition? Seriously, there are few games with such brilliantly conceived characters like Flame Face who wins our award for one of the best game villains ever created.
If you’re an Xbox One Gold member you can get this game for free. But if you’re not, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Editionis definitely worth shelling out your hard earned sheckles for. Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition is a gaming classic that you can’t live without. Go buy.
Score: 9/10 – Excellent
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