The Joystiq Indie Pitch: Guacamelee
It's not that there are too many indie games; it's that there aren't enough hours in a day to play all of them. The Joystiq Indie Pitch curates the best indies to play now and watch out for in the future.
What's your game called and what's it about?
Guacamelee! is all about kicking ass and saving the girl.
Sell Guacamelee in one sentence:
Guacamelee is a Mexican-themed cross-platform cooperative multiplayer metroidvania dimension-swapping brawler. Warning: reading this sentence out loud may cause seizures or loss of bowel control.%Gallery-185263%
Guacamelee turned into a high-profile indie launch – how did that early attention affect development and the team?
We really pushed hard to try and raise awareness of the game early for Guacamelee. The game first showed at PAX East in Boston about a year before the actual release, and we used the positive and negative reactions from the press and public to feed back into the development of the game, helping to make it a better experience.
How have sales of Guacamelee been since launch?
Sales in both SCEA and SCEE have been really good so far. We're extremely happy!
Which is better, Guacamelee on PS3 or on Vita?
It really depends if you prefer to play games on a TV in your living room or on a handheld while commuting. The game is essentially the same experience on both platforms. Luckily, since you get both the PS3 and Vita versions when you purchase either, you don't have to choose!
What inspired you to make Guacamelee?
Guacamelee was really inspired by all of the classic games we grew up playing. We wanted to try and recapture some of this nostalgia and magic as best we could, while at the same time trying to put a more modern spin on some of the older ideas and concepts.
What's the coolest aspect of Guacamelee?
About half-way through the story of the game, the player gains the ability to swap between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead. Enemy weaknesses and level geometry change when the player swaps between worlds, and this mechanic really adds a layer of depth to both the platforming and combat challenges.
Why develop independently, rather than work for an established company?
We're not an established company yet? GUYS! JOYSTIQ SAYS WE HAVE TO WORK HARDER!
You often see indies going out of their way to help out other indies. It's a great environment to be a part of.
Oh, fine – Drinkbox is definitely an established studio. Do you see yourself – and Drinkbox – as part of a larger indie movement?
As can be seen with the rising popularity of the Indie Megabooth at PAX, there does definitely seem to be much more organization happening between indie developers. It almost seems necessary to help us compete against the huge AAA game developers that are out there.
Strangely, indie devs don't really look at each other as competitors. Instead, it's more of a "rising tide floats all boats" attitude, and you often see indies going out of their way to help out other indies. It's a great environment to be a part of.
What's next?
Now that the game is out, we've started working on some DLC, and have also been experimenting with some new game concepts.
Guacamelee is out now on PS3 and Vita as a cross-buy title. For what it's worth, we "heartily recommend" giving it a go on either console.
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