History VideoGame / Guacamelee

*** one is a little obscure, but there is a poster with 3 luchadors wearing animal masks that says "Call lucha hotline". It's hard to tell at first, but it's a shout out to ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami'', a game famous for its use of animal masks for the main character.

Sometime later, Juan awakes in the World of the Dead, and after wandering about comes across a statue with a luchador mask on it. There, he meets a spirit named La Tostada who tells him that due to Calaca's meddling, the two worlds are in danger and that the mask appearing before him shows that he might be the one to stop him. Thus, Juan puts the mask on and begins his journey to stop Calaca and rescue El Presidente's daughter.

'''''Guacamelee!''''' is a heavily-stylized {{Metroidvania}} [[MaskedLuchador Lucha Libre]] BeatEmUp for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, PC and UsefulNotes/PlayStationVita developed by Drinkbox Studios. The game draws its inspiration from traditional Mexican culture and folklore. ''Guacamelee!'' builds upon the classic open-world Metroidvania style of games, by adding a strong melee combat component, a [[DualWorldGameplay dimension switching mechanic]], and cooperative same-screen multiplayer for the entire story. The game also blurs the boundaries between combat and platforming by making many of the moves useful and necessary for both of these. The game was released on April 9, 2013 in North American territories, just ''five days'' after the release date was announced. The ''Super Turbo Championship Edition'' version was announced, and has been released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XBox360, UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/WiiU, and UsefulNotes/{{Steam}}.

The story consists of agave farmer Juan Aguacate being invited to the Día de Muertos[[note]]That's "Day of the Dead" in Spanish in case you were wondering.[[/note]] festival to help out with the festivities and gets acquainted with an old childhood friend, El Presidente's daughter. However, disaster strikes in the form of a [[OurLichesAreDifferent lich]] named Carlos Calaca kidnapping her to use her as a virgin sacrifice for merging the World of the Living and the World of the Dead together to rule over them both. Despite his best attempts to stop him, Juan is swiftly slain by Calaca as El Presidente's daughter cries out his name...

* DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist: When you run out of health, you just respawn at the nearest checkpoint with full health. In co-op, you just have to wait a small amount of time before you can respawn on the spot.

* NonLethalBottomlessPits: Falling into hazards simply teleports the luchador to the last stable platform, and doesn't even do damage.

On October 30th 2017, a sequel, titled ''Guacamelee 2'', was announced for a 2018 release. 7 years after his victory against Calaca, Juan must don the mask again to face a threat towards not only the realms of the living and the dead, but also the very fabric of space and time. This sequel offers, between other novelties, a cooperative [[UpToEleven FOUR]] players mode.

[[folder:Guacamelee! 1]]

* YouCantThwartStageOne: No matter what you do, how fast you get there, or [[spoiler:how many Mask pieces you've collected]], you can never stop Carlos' ritual, nor you can prevent [[spoiler:El Presidente's Daughter's death]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:''Guacamelee! 2'']]
* ATasteOfPower: The game starts off with a flashback to the final boss of the first game, with you controlling Juan with maxed-out health and stamina, while Calaca is much weaker than he was originally.
-->'''Achievement Unlocked:''' I Remember That Being Harder
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever:
** You can find the giant Alebrije sleeping beneath the alternate X'Tabay's house.
** Instead of the Alebrije, you now run into a gigantic, Kukulkan-looking snake in a temple maze. Once again, touching it is an instant kill.
** You yourself can become a giant, invincible, unstoppable chicken by touching [[InvincibilityPowerUp a literal magic feather]].
* BackFromTheDead: The game taking place across multiple different timelines allows characters who were killed in the first game to be brought back, such as [[spoiler:your training punching bag Poncho]] and [[spoiler:El Trio de la Muerte]]. Of course, [[spoiler:both of those characters were skeletons to begin with]].
* BagOfSpilling: Seven years after the events of the first game, Juan has lost all of his abilities due to getting fat and out of shape, and starts off struggling to break barrels. Things get better once he regains his mask (and with it, his original muscular physique), but he still has to regain all of his old abilities.
* BrickJoke: When you break the Choozo Statue containing KO Headbutt, no goat hermit shows up to teach you about it, much to Tostada's confusion. Much later, as you are learning Wall Run, a second goat hermit shows up and announces he's here to teach you KO Headbutt (he got lost on the way to the Headbutt statue).
* BrutalBonusLevel: Like before, there is a set of collectibles that must be obtained to get the GoldenEnding, this time pieces of a key which unlocks a door in the Chicken Illuminati's HQ. You get one during the main story for defeating Zope and Cactuardo, but the other four pieces are behind gruelling challenges.
** After learning the Pollo Glide, you can access the lower entrance of the Templo de Jade, where you must get past a much harder version of the "moving dimension" lava rooms found throughout the main temple. An ideal run through it takes only one minute, tops, but it depends so much on instantaneous reaction to obstacles and Eagle Boost grapple points that it will likely take close to an hour to perfect.
** After learning the Wall Fly in Infierno, you can backtrack a short ways to access a series of rooms filled with instant-kill Exploders. A lot of Stamina is required to make it through these rooms quickly enough to kill all of them in time.
** Also requiring the Wall Fly is the area at the very bottom of Los Manglares, an enemy gauntlet much like the Caverna del Pollo from the first game, although this time each of the rooms has its own gimmick, such as all of the enemies having green shields while the floor is entirely made of green blocks above lava. At the end of the gauntlet is [[spoiler:a rematch against Jaguar Javier, who eventually brings in two more of himself from other timelines to help him]].
** In Isla Bonita, there is a house in an out-of-the-way location that contains a timeline gateway, which takes you [[NostalgiaLevel back to the Tule Treetops]]. Except that these are the Treetops from the Git Gud Timeline, and it shows. You will need to be a master of all of your human ''and'' chicken movement skills (not to mention have plenty of stamina) to once again make the climb to the top and claim your prize.
** Finally, after assembling the Special Key and opening the Important Door, you reach The Crucible. Ascending the three floors of this ultimate Chicken Dungeon is no [[{{Pun}} poultry]] task even for a [[{{Pun}} seasoned]] player, as it requires extremely precise control over the chicken when in an updraft, split-second dimension swapping, and more. To put it simply, you need to be really good at [[DoubleEntendre handling your cock]].
* CharacterDevelopment: Lupita was already street-smart in the first game, but seven years later, she's a BrainyBrunette working on her dissertation, and is enough of a genius to [[spoiler:conjure up interdimensional portals with mathematical calculations instead of magic]].
* ChestMonster: You can find one in El Infierno, disguised as a chest full of money, obviously. He isn't hostile, but he does angrily complain that everyone keeps punching him for some reason.
* ContinuityNod:
** Once again, Juan must die in order to retrieve the Mask of the Luchador from the world of the dead. In order to speed things up, Tostada does him the favor.
** El Diablo is still a chicken, and doesn't seem to be in any hurry to change back.
** El Presidente's Mansion is still a ruin seven years after Calaca destroyed it.
** The Goat Hermit from your dimension asks about your mother.
* CreditsGag: Members of the development team are listed with fun and bizarre Mexican nicknames. Also, the staff wish to give a SpecialThanks to the Prosuction Chickens: Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm. This is immediately followed by an InMemoriam to Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm (Just kidding, [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed no chickens were harmed in the production of the game]]).
* CueTheFlyingPigs: One of the side effects of Salvador's meddling with time is El Infierno freezing over.
* CuttingOffTheBranches: The GoldenEnding of the first game, where Juan collects all of the Chac Mool relics and sacrifices his mask to resurrect Lupita, is the canon one.
* DeadAlternateCounterpart: The Juan from the first game is actually the ''only'' Juan across all of the timelines who ''isn't'' dead. The rest were all apparently killed during the final battle against Calaca. You can even go visit your alternate self in the world of the dead for an achievement.
* DelayedOhCrap: [[spoiler:At the end of the game, Juan heads back into El Otromundo at the last second to find his way back to his own timeline. After the portal closes for good, the goat hermit realizes, "[[YouCantGoHomeAgain Oh, damn! I'm not from this timeline either!]]"]]
* EvilCounterpart: Salvador to Juan. One of the villagers even mentions that he has gone from "Técnico" (a "face" in Mexican Lucha Libre) to a "Rudo" (a "heel"). She prefers him that way.
* FaceHeelTurn: Salvador's turn from "técnico" to "rudo" is a literal translation of this. He used to be a hero and was the one who defeated Calaca in the Darkest Timeline after Juan lost, but is now this game's BigBad.
* ExpressiveMask: El Muñeco wears a drama mask that, usually, bears a pleasant smile, but also weeps, grins evilly, or gets swirly eyes when hit.
* FormerlyFit: Granted, Juan was a bit out of shape ''before'' acquiring the Mask of the Luchador in the first game, but his happy domestic life in the intervening seven years reverted his HeroicBuild right back to making him even ''more'' out of shape than he was originally.
* GameBreakingInjury: The Jaguar Javier from the Darkest Timeline had a nasty skiing accident and is now in a wheelchair. He's very disappointed that he can't fight alongside you. [[spoiler:Except he's actually faking it and working for Salvador]].
* GoshDarnItToHeck: When La Tostada spots [[spoiler:Jaguar Javier revealing his true allegiance to Salvador]], she goes "What. The. [[GratuitousSpanish Infierno]]."
* HeelFaceTurn: The Flame Face from the Darkest Timeline has done this... sort of. He still hates you and will insult you at every opportunity, but he's still willing to train you in his gym, fulfilling the role of Combo Chicken from the first game as well as having his own set of skills that you can purchase.
* ImpactSilhouette: Cactuardo left a Cactuardo-shaped hole when crashing through a wall of El Infierno.
* InterfaceSpoiler: In the skills window, every trainer is shown with a distinct silhouette before they are formally introduced. You can definitely see the last two trainers will be a chicken and an alligator, but Flame Face actually averts this, showing his silhouette as a normal human with spiky hair.
* InvincibilityPowerUp: The Chicken Illuminati's legendary weapon is a shiny blue feather that turns your regular chicken form into an unstoppable, invincible juggernaut of a bird. Too bad you used it up ''just'' before fighting the boss it was intended for...
* LosingYourHead: The Juan from the Darkest Timeline is just a skull.
* LuxuryPrisonSuite: El Corazón is a fairly standard-looking prison in the world of the living, but extremely fancy and luxurious in the world of the dead (while still having things like iron-barred cell doors and electric barriers).
* MaskOfPower: Once again, Juan dons the Mask of the Luchador. But this time around, his EvilCounterpart, Salvador, wears a Mask with a skull-motif. [[spoiler:However, his spirit wasn't strong enough to wear it, and he has grown corrupt with its power, and it is steadily draining his life away. Upon his defeat, his Mask is destroyed and he dies]].
* MultipleEndings: Just like last time, there are two endings, and which one you get depends on whether or not you obtained all the secret items from the {{Brutal Bonus Level}}s (this time, they're keys). [[spoiler:Unlike last time however, instead of determining whether the game has an EarnYourHappyEnding or a BittersweetEnding, the only real difference between the endings is how long it takes Jaune to escape TheVeryDefinitivelyFinalDungeon and return to his family.]]
* TheMultiverse: This game increases the scope of the original game's two dimensions with various other alternate timelines in the "Mexiverse", many of which involve aspects of gaming or gaming culture.
* MythologyGag: The first game's Stamina points were represented by yellow squares; fragments of these found in chests were called "Cuadrito." This time around, Stamina is represented by circles, and the fragments are "Circulitos".
* NewAgeRetroHippie: The X'tabay from the Darkest Timeline has become a flower-crown-wearing hippie who runs an alebrije sanctuary.
* NoManOfWomanBorn: During his boss fight, Salvador boasts that Juan will never be able to so much as scratch him because he has invented a new shield that no man can break. [[VoluntaryShapeshifter But Juan doesn't only have the powers of a]] ''[[VoluntaryShapeshifter man]]''...
-->'''Salvador:''' COME AND FIGHT ME!! DON'T [[LiteralMetaphor BE A CHICKEN]]!!!!
* ParrotExposition: Most chickens are prone to repeating the last words of the last statement, but the Chicken Illuminati do this every single time, to the frustration of the Chicken Pope.
* PreviouslyOn: Previamente en Guacameele...
* PromotedToPlayable: The goat hermit and X'tabay are now playable in addition to Juan and Tostada. Of course, the game still treats you as if you're playing as Juan regardless.
* {{Pun}}:
** The trophy for defeating Salvador, "Nacho Libre", isn't just a ShoutOut (see below). It also comes from ''freeing'' the guac-dipped nacho from Salvador's stomach.
** The Huevo power does nothing. It just lets you lay an egg while in chicken form. But you can lay an infinite number of them (there's even a related trophy), which means that Juan, brave luchador that he is, [[BrassBalls has]] ''[[BilingualBonus muchos huevos]]''. (And of course, you'll need them to gain access to the Git Gud Treetops...)
* PunnyName:
** Salvador, Spanish for "savior", ended up defeating Calaca after the Juan of most timelines failed. His name turned into an IronicName when he turned to evil.
** Coscorrona, the first living trainer you meet and who teaches you wrestling moves, is named after the Spanish word ''coscorrón'', a type of noogie.
** Villachula, where "chula" is slang for "pretty", is indeed the nicest-looking town in the current duology, in both Living and Dead World versions.
* ShoutOut: Grab a seat, these will take a while...
** The Goat Hermit gets lost taking Juan to the Darkest Timeline, first they end up in [[VideoGame/{{Limbo}} Pueblimbo]], a gloomy world of mist and silhouettes (complete with a GiantSpider hanging off the wall above the exit, trying to spear you with one of its legs just as you escape), and then to [[VideoGame/RiverCityRansom Riviera City]], a BeatEmUp kind of town with advertisements for [[VideoGame/DoubleDragon Triple Dragon]], and a man asking if you're a [[VideoGame/BadDudes bad enough hombre to rescue El Presidente]].
** Before the boss fight Salvador says [[VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy if you want to be the Luchador]] [[Wrestling/RicFlair you have to beat the Luchador]].
** The Three Relics, each of them looking like pixelated triangles, combine into an object that looks ''extraordinarily close'' to the 8-bit [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Triforce]]. The negative space between the triangles forms the golden nacho that serves as the key to El Otromundo.
** The [[Franchise/StreetFighter Fight Streeter]] "bonus timelines", wherein you [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII fight and demolish a car at the dockyard]] (specifically, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle_in_Mexico Volkswagen Beetle]]). Completing both stages nets you a "Perfect!" trophy.
*** The second Fight Streeter stage pits you against a lime-green "volchito" with a white roof. These are the colors of the infamous "eco-taxis" seen everywhere in Mexico City during the 80s and 90s, and memetic in their own right.
** When the deadly time rifts start appearing, a villager acknowledges their unique shape and wonders [[VideoGame/{{Tetris}} if they would disappear if they could get a whole row of them lined up]]. Meanwhile, another villager laments not getting the chance to complete her [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Luchadex]], especially since they add 150 new luchadores to the roster every time.
** In the town of Isla Bonita, you meet "Inatawi Urot", who gives you free access to his coin collection if you can retrieve them all from [[VideoGame/PacMan his maze]] in under two minutes.
** [[VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink I Am Error]] returns, but this time he bars your way if you try to advance to an area you're not supposed to go to yet.
** [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot]] show up as a piñata in a piñata afficionado's house, and as golden idol in the Chicken Illuminati temple, respectively. The former also has a piñata of [[WesternAnimation/TheLEGOMovie Unikitty]].
** The [[ChestMonster Mimic]] in El Infierno [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsI asks if someone has rang the Bell of Awakening and refers to you as a Chosen Undead]].
** A chicken named after [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Chris Houlihan]] shows up in a hidden underground room.
** The Temple of the Snake has not only a giant, one-hit kill snake, but also large and spike-filled open sections that you must traverse by [[VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} climbing onto smaller, but still huge, snakes that twist and turn around obstacles]]. It also has a lava-filled room that must be crossed by riding on [[VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld a platform made of blocks that twists and turns like a snake as it moves]].
** The room where you collect the Eagle Boost technique (which allows you to latch on to "grapple points" to sling yourself through the air) has statues of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Link wielding the Hookshot]], the titular character of VideoGame/{{Flinthook}}, and [[VideoGame/BionicCommando Rad Spencer]].
** Upon completing your first Pollo Challenge dungeon, the chicken form being equivalent to [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} the Morph Ball required to slip into narrow tunnels]], you earn the "[[Website/{{Miiverse}} y cant guacamelee crawl]]" trophy.
** The "Luchonarrative Resonance" trophy, named after a certain critique of ''VideoGame/BioShock'', is awarded to you by "[[VideoGame/{{Uncharted}} Killing 1000 mean, nasty skeletons without families.]]"
** The "[[Webcomic/OnePunchMan Juan Punch Man]]" trophy comes from defeating an enemy in one hit using a special move.
** The "[[Franchise/TombRaider Temple Raider]]" trophy is earned by obtaining 100% of chests in a temple.
** The trophy obtained for defeating the final boss, "Nacho Libre", should be [[Film/NachoLibre self-explanatory]].
** One of the Goat Hermits has, among others, [[Disney/TheLionKing Rafiki's staff]] and [[Manga/{{Dragonball}} Master Roshi's cane]] hanging from his wall.
** The Goat Hermit that teaches you Double Jump greets you by orating the first couple of paragraphs of [[https://www.poesi.as/op01041b.htm Octavio Paz's poem, "Viento".]]
** The Pico de Gallo bonus timeline, wherein you fight your enemies [[spoiler:[[UnexpectedGameplayChange in JRPG battles]]]], is called "[[LevelGrinding The Grindiest Timeline]]".
** A chicken captive in the "El Corazón" prison has a poster of [[Creator/RitaHayworth Rita Henworth]] in its cell.
** A girl named Daniela is constantly calling out "[[Podcast/MyBrotherMyBrotherAndMe Camarón! Cielo! AHORA!]]" ("Shrimp! Heaven! NOW!") to the frustration of her father.
** The house in Isla Bonita that leads you to the Git Gud Treetops has two paintings in the World of the Dead: "[[Creator/VincentVanGogh Starry Night]]", and the self-portrait of Frida Kahlo (the latter, being a closeup, crops out the hummingbird seen in the original painting; the World of the Living version is a painting of a hummingbird).
** Speaking of paintings another house in Villachula has World of the Living paintings of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Crossing_the_Alps Napoleon riding a giant chicken]] and, once again, the chicken version of the Three Wolves Howling At The Moon t-shirt.
** Another house has a World of the Dead painting of a [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Marowak]].
** Yet another house has a painting of one of the "giant mushroom" stages of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros''.
** ''Another'' house in Villachula, the one that leads to the "service-based" timeline, has both Living and Dead versions of a portrait of [[Film/{{Audition}} a long-haired woman wearing rubber gloves and holding scissors]].
** Wrapping up Villachula, the bottom level of the World of the Dead has a building named "[[Series/StrangerThings Strange Things Odditorium]]" with the appropriate neon red billboard.
** A building in Isla Bonita has a billboard for [[Videogame/PlayerunknownsBattlegrounds Mystery Luchador's Wrestleground]]. Its World of the Dead counterpart is for [[VideoGame/{{Fortnite}} Fightnight]] [[MorePopularSpinoff Lucha Royale]] instead.
** The Mariachi Club in Villachula has a billboard of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pusheen Pusheen the Cat]] sitting in a teacup. Just beneath it, the "Generic Store" becomes "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnes_%26_Noble Bones & Noble]]" in the World of the Dead.
** And speaking of cats, the El Corazón prison has grafitti of everyone's favorite glutton, [[VideoGame/NekoAtsume Tubbs]], eating a huge bowl of guacamole.
** While we're on the subject of El Corazón and grafitti, the Olmec Head at the gates rests beside a wall painting of skeletal versions of the characters of ''VideoGame/LoversInADangerousSpacetime'', and nearby is a painting of a winged strawberry straight out of ''VideoGame/{{Celeste}}''.
** When wearing the El Portero costume, the body of your chicken form turns into a soccer ball. When it rolls ahead, [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1 it becomes a tilted, spinning oval with a blue trail]].
** The music for the Temple of the Chicken Illuminati starts with a few bars from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast''; Pollo Challenge dungeons have off-key versions of the [[VideoGame/Metroid1 Deep Norfair theme]].
** Like in the first game, towns display a plethora of background posters for upcoming lucha matches and product advertisements:
*** [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983 "El Hombre" vs "Esqueleto"]] ("El Hombre" being a deliberately jokey BlindIdiotTranslation of "He" and "Man" that was a memetic joke in Mexico for a brief while in the 80s.)
*** [[ComicBook/BlackPanther Evento especial, "El Pantera"!]]
*** [[VideoGame/{{Severed}} The mysterious Sasha]]. ''Severed'' is also referenced by the trophies awarded upon each of Uay Pek's defeats.
*** [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY El Halcón Luchador]].
*** A poster with "Papá" and "Chico" ([[VideoGame/GodOfWarPS4 Dad and Boy]]), tag-team duo.
*** "Mito v Mito: [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid Serpiente contra Ocelot]]".
*** [[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries El Capitán]] (masked, natch) vs [[Recap/StarTrekS1E18Arena Reptil]].
*** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis El Némesis]] vs [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 Pirámide Roja]].
*** In the World of the Dead, the above poster is replaced by one advertising a fight between [[VideoGame/ShovelKnight a skeleton with big horns coming out of his head wielding a shovel]] and [[VideoGame/HollowKnight a skeleton with an insect-like appearance wielding a cone-shaped sword]].
*** [[Franchise/StarWars Boba Fight]], masked luchador.
*** A "missing" poster for Schrodinger's Cat, [[ComicStrip/{{Garfield}} a black-striped orange cat]] that appears "alive" in the World of the Living poster, and as a skeleton in the World of the Dead version.
*** Another tag-team, the Esqueleto Hermanos ([[VideoGame/{{Undertale}} Skeleton Brothers]]).
*** A luchador in a blue, spiny outfit advertised with the tagline "[[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Gotta go fist!]]"
*** "Triple Amenaza: Las Gemas" ([[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse Triple Threat: The Gems]].)"
** And ''finally'', the prison has another instance of ''VideoGame/{{Fez}}'' script; once again, [[spoiler:[[Film/AChristmasStory your translating efforts are rewarded with a useless Ovaltine reference]]]], only, this time, it must have been written by [[spoiler:[[Series/{{Seinfeld}} Kenny Bania: "Why do they call it Ovaltine the mug is round the jar is round they should call it roundtine"]]]].
* SequelEscalation: The first game's dual world mechanic was restricted to the two dimensions in the game, but the sequel gives a large ''multiverse'' of worlds, each with their own gimmicks, alongside the dual world mechanic.
** In addition, the ''regular'' progression, nevermind bonus chests and health[=/=]stamina fragments, requires mastery of ''lucha'' and platforming that are on par with or even beyond the {{Brutal Bonus Level}}s of the first game. The Special Key stages themselves also require much more thought and puzzle-solving skills than the relatively straightforward Chac Mool counterparts of the original.
* TakeThat:
** One of the alternate timelines is "service-based platform" based, where Juan has to rescue a family inside of a house. He has to spend in-game currency to unlock the door (ten gold), with which he's awarded the family's riches... After he pays 100 gold to get past a silver door, and then after he does that, Juan is awarded a large box of treasure that requires 250 gold to unlock, revealing a "Legendary Chest" which needs to be unlocked with 800 gold, only to be rewarded [[spoiler:with a ''single'' gold coin]], in an unsubtle mockery of lootboxes. This timeline also mocks {{Allegedly Free Game}}s since you don't actually ''have'' to spend any money to unlock these doors/chests, you could instead wait for increasingly long periods of time, starting at 2 minutes for the house door and ending at ''24 hours'' for the Legendary Chest.
--->'''Achievement Unlocked:''' One Born Every Minute
** The ''Dankest'' Timeline, said to be a horrifying place that nobody should ever enter lest they be driven insane, is a cave decorated with all of the signs and posters from the first game that reference internet memes, accompanied by a gaggle of townsfolk quoting ''actual forum posts'' (complete with usernames!) complaining about memes, how putting memes into your work is lazy writing and not funny, and how ''Guacamelee!'' is filled with memes, including one person who [[FelonyMisdemeanor says he's sure the gameplay is excellent but he still refuses to play it purely because of the memes]]. Your reward at the end of the cave is an achievement called "You Survived" with the Trollface as its icon.
** Each of the fast travel Olmec Heads will tell you about their own personal secret ingredient they like to put in guacamole to make it taste better. One of them goes on a long spiel extolling the wonders of kale, and how [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely no one has gotten sick of people constantly talking about it and putting it in everything]].
* TamerAndChaster: The Tostada from the Darkest Timeline wears a wrestling singlet and cape, showing a lot less skin than the first game's Tostada.
* ThemeNaming: The Temple of ''Jade'', and the Temple of ''Obsidian''.
* TimeSkip: After Juan defeats Calaca, 7 years pass and now Juan has two kids and a paunch, while Lupita is working on her dissertation. [[spoiler:In the normal ending, Juan is lost in the Mexiverse trying to find his way home. We see his kids grow up, happy, but missing their father. By the time Juan finally comes back his children have become teenagers and Lupita is sporting a few wrinkles.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: ''The chicken form''. It starts off being able to attack and use grapple moves just like a human, and can unlock its own set of special moves by breaking Pollo Statues.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: In one of the bonus timelines, Juan must defeat the skeletons rousing a nearby volcano by [[spoiler:fighting them in JRPG battles with menus, victory fanfares, and item drops]].
* VersusCharacterSplash: The MirroredConfrontationShot announcing each boss fight is even flashier and more animated than those in the first game, adding lightning, speed lines, and dynamic poses.
* VideogameCrueltyPotential:
** In order to obtain a missing powerup, you must retrieve it from the last remaining Choozo Statue in the entire Mexiverse that contains it, and you must find the statue in The Timeline With All The Statues. The Goat Hermit from that timeline is ''very'' proud of his collection, and although you only have to break one of them to get to your goal, there are ''so many'' Choozo Statues in his house and they're all ''so breakable''...
** The ''Fight Streeter'' bonus stages present you with a Volchito (Mexican for "Volkswagen Beetle"). It's just sitting there, not doing anything to anyone. Its owner is very happy with it. And it's right there. Look at it. Not a dent on it.
*** If for whatever reason you're enough of a monster to destroy his car, the next time you see him he reveals your actions inspired him to pull himself up by the bootstraps and get a job, making enough money to buy a new car. He's so proud of his accomplishment. Just. So. Proud.
** At first, it looks like the piñata-filled house of the Piñata Lover would be this, but as it turns out, he loves seeing piñatas smashed just as much as he loves collecting them and will reward you for it.
* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway:
** Aside from the one you actually need, all of the Choozo Statues in the goat hermit's collection from the Timeline With All The Statues grant these. Among his collection are statues for fresh breath, immunity to paper cuts, and the ability to blink faster.
** The final chicken ability you unlock (outside of [[BrutalBonusLevel the Crucible]]) is... the ability to lay eggs. No, of course they don't explode or do anything like that, [[SelfDeprecation that would be ridiculous]]. They're just eggs. Their sole use in the game is to access the Git Gud Timeline, since the chicken guarding the portal won't let you in until you demonstrate the ability to lay eggs.
* WolfpackBoss: [[spoiler:The fight against Jaguar Javier at the end of the Golden Key bonus area in Los Manglares turns into a ''jaguar''-pack boss when he summons two more Javiers from other timelines to assist him]].
* WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque: One of the Goat Hermits arrives at the wrong Choozo Statue because he took a wrong turn on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avenida_de_los_Insurgentes Insurgentes]] and got lost in the Mexiverse.
* YouCantGoHomeAgain: Defeating Salvador fixes the instability of the timelines, which means portals between timelines can no longer be created since they relied on manipulating that instability. [[spoiler:Knowing that El Otromundo contains portals to every timeline, Juan jumps back in right before the portal closes for good, and finds his way back to his own timeline. The goat hermit from his timeline, however, actually does remain stuck in the Darkest Timeline, due to [[DelayedOhCrap a delayed realization that he isn't from that timeline either]]]].
[[/folder]]

* CreditsGag: Members of the development team are listed with fun and bizarre Mexican nicknames. Also, the staff wish to thank the [[SpecialThanks Production Chickens]], Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm. And the staff also wish to dedicate an In Memoriam to Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm. (Just kidding, [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed no chickens were harmed in the production of ''Guacamelee! 2'']].)

*** [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY El Halcón Luchador]], a wrestler dressed as a Hawlucha.

*** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis El Némesis]] vs [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 Pirámide Roja]]. The World of the Dead version turns into an untitled poster of two skeletons battling, [[VideoGame/ShovelKnight one of them wielding a shovel]], [[VideoGame/HollowKnight the other a nail]].

** While we're on the subject of El Corazón and grafitti, the Olmec Head at the gates rests beside a wall painting of skeletal versions of the characters of ''VideoGame/LoversInADangerousSpacetime''.

*** [[VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis El Némesis]] vs [[VideoGame/SilentHill2 Pirámide Roja]]. The World of the Dead version turns into an untitled poster of two skeletons battling, [[VideoGame/ShovelKnight one of them wielding a shovel]].

** Each of the fast travel Olmec Heads will tell you about their own personal secret ingredient they like to put in guacamole to make it taste better. One of them goes on a long spiel extolling the wonders of kale, and how [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely no one has gotten sick of people constantly talking about it and putting it in everything]]. He also makes this spiel ''every single time you talk to him'', while all of the others will skip straight to the "Want to travel? Yes/No" prompt after you have already talked to them once.

** The final chicken ability you unlock (outside of [[BrutalBonusLevel the Crubible]]) is... the ability to lay eggs. No, of course they don't explode or do anything like that, [[SelfDeprecation that would be ridiculous]]. They're just eggs. Their sole use in the game is to access the Git Gud Timeline, since the chicken guarding the portal won't let you in until you demonstrate the ability to lay eggs.

** The "Luchonarrative Dissonance" trophy, named after a certain critique of ''VideoGame/BioShock'', is awarded to you by "[[VideoGame/{{Uncharted}} Killing 1000 mean, nasty skeletons without families.]]"

** The room where you collect the Eagle Boost technique (which allows you to latch on to "grapple points" to sling yourself through the air, has statues of [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast Link wielding the Hookshot]], the titular character of VideoGame/{{Flinthook}}, and [[VideoGame/BionicCommando Rad Spencer]].

** One of the Goat Hermits has, among others, [[Disney/TheLionKing Rafiki's staff]] and [[Manga/Dragonball Master Roshi's cane]] hanging from his wall.

* CreditsGag: Members of the development team are listed with fun and bizarre Mexican nicknames. Also, the staff wish to thank the [[SpecialThanks Production Chickens]], Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm. And the staff also wish to dedicate an In Memoriam to Lazlo, Dominguez, and Chicky Parm-Parm. (Just kidding, [[NoAnimalsWereHarmed no chickens were harmed in the production of ''Guacamelee! 2'']].

** One of the Goat Hermits has, among others, [[Disney/TheLionKing Rafiki's staff]] hanging from his wall.

** ''Another'' house in Villachula, the one that leads to the "service-based" timeline, has both Living and Dead versions of a portrait of [[Film/Audition a long-haired woman wearing rubber gloves and holding scissors]].

* TimeSkip: After Juan defeats Calaca, 7 years pass and now Juan has two kids and a paunch, while Lupita is working
on her dissertation. [[spoiler:In the normal ending, Juan is lost in the Mexiverse trying to find his way home. We see his kids grow up, happy, but missing their father. By the time Juan finally comes back his children have become teenagers and Lupita is sporting a few wrinkles.]]

* TimeSkip: After Juan defeats Calaca, 7 years pass and now Juan has two kids and a paunch, while Lupita is working on her dissertation. [[spoiler:In the normal ending, Juan is lost in the Mexiverse trying to find his way home. We see his kids grow up, happy, but missing their father. By the time Juan finally comes back his children have become teenagers and Lupita is sporting a few wrinkles.]]

** After learning the Pollo Glide, you can access the lower entrance of the Templo de Jade, where you must get past a much harder version of the "moving dimension" lava rooms found throughout the main temple.

* ShoutOut
** The Goat Hermit gets lost taking Juan to the Darkest Timeline, first they end up in Pueblimbo which is modelled after ''VideoGame/{{Limbo}}'' and then to Riviera City which references old [[BeatEmUp Beat 'em Ups]] like ''VideoGame/RiverCityRansom'', ''VideoGame/DoubleDragon'', and ''VideoGame/BadDudes''.

** The Three Relics, each of them looking like pixelated triangles, combine into an object that looks ''extraordinarily close'' to the 8-bit [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Triforce]]. The negative space between the triangles is the actual key to El Otromundo.
** The [[VideoGame/StreetFighter Fight Streeter]] "bonus timelines", wherein you [[VideoGame/StreetFighterII fight and demolish a car at the dockyard]] (specifically, a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle_in_Mexico Volkswagen Beetle]]).
** When the deadly time rifts start appearing, a villager acknowledges their unique shape and wonders [[VideoGame/{{Tetris}} if they would disappear if they could get a whole row of them lined up]].

** The Temple of the Snake has not only a giant, one-hit kill snake, but also large and spike-filled open sections that you must traverse by [[VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} climbing onto smaller, but still huge, snakes that twist and turn around obstacles]]. It also has a lava-filled room that must be crossed by riding on [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros a platform made of blocks that twists and turns like a snake as it moves]].

* TimeSkip: After Juan defeats Calaca, 7 years pass and now Juan has two kids and a paunch, while Lupita is working on her dissertation.

** Before the boss fight Salvador says [[VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy if you want to be the Luchador you have to beat the Luchador]].

* FormerlyFit: Granted, Juan was a bit out of shape ''before'' acquiring the Mask of the Luchador in the first game, but his happy domestic life in the intervening seven years reverted his HeroicBuild right back to his regular shape.

** The Temple of the Snake has not only a giant, one-hit kill snake, but also large and spike-filled open sections that you must traverse by [[VideoGame/{{Battletoads}} climbing onto smaller, but still huge, snakes that twist and turn around obstacles]].

** The ''Dankest'' Timeline, said to be a place of insanity which no one should enter at any cost, is a cavern decorated with signs and posters taken from the previous game, accompanied by a gaggle of "gamer commentators", complete with usernames, that bemoan Internet memes, meme-based humor, and ''Guacamelee'' being filled with it, including people who [[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch acknowledge the gameplay may be great but refuse to buy it because of the references and memes]].

** One of the alternate timelines is "service-based platform" based, where Juan has to rescue a family inside of a house. He has to spend in-game currency to unlock the door (ten gold), with which he's awarded the family's riches... After he pays 100 gold to get past a silver door, and then after he does that, Juan is awarded a large box of treasure that requires 250 gold to unlock, revealing a "Legendary Chest" which needs to be unlocked with 800 gold, only to be rewarded [[spoiler:with a ''single'' gold coin]], in an unsubtle mockery of lootboxes.

* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Aside from the one you actually need, all of the Choozo Statues in the goat hermit's collection from the Timeline With All The Statues grant these. Among his collection are statues for fresh breath, immunity to paper cuts, and the ability to blink faster.

* DemonicSpiders: Exploders. At first glance, they don't look dangerous. They're just OneHitPointWonder, bloated devils with tiny wings that hover in a fixed position and don't have any attacks. But they have a CatastrophicCountdown over their heads. Upon reaching zero, these bomb-shaped fiends explode with a one-hit kill blast that will instantly annihilate you wherever you are, regardless of health, defense, or dimension. They always come in packs, they always accompany either large groups of tough enemies or high-difficulty platforming sections (or both), and, more often than not, are shielded, so you need to hit them with ''the'' one special move that gets past the shield to defeat them. Simply getting into position to deliver this attack is half of the challenge, the other half is doing it before they explode.