Toronto-based independent video game studio, DrinkBox Studios, released their new PlayStation Network game today.
Guacamelee! is the third title from DrinkBox to be released on Sony’s download service. Previous games in their portfolio include About a Blob for the PlayStation 3 and Mutant Blobs Attack!!! for the PlayStation 3 and Vita.
“Guacamelee! is a Mexican-themed Metroidvania-style co-operative platforming brawler,” says Graham Smith, co-founder of DrinkBox Studios. “That’s a mouthful, but I’m pretty sure that’s the shortest way to describe it.”
Image provided by DrinkBox Studios
Guacamelee! features a distinct art style inspired by Mexican culture, featuring playable characters dressed in flamboyant Luchador wrestling garb fighting monsters inspired by Mexican folklore. “For example, the player encounters an Alebrije early in the game,” says Smith. “In Mexico, these creatures were created by an artist named Pedro Linres in the 1930’s, and are still commonly sold as sculptures.”
Guacamelee! has been DrinkBox’s largest production to date, with a 2-year development cycle, including 7-months of pre-production.
“With this long pre-production time, we were really able to flush out the game’s mechanics with a small team of people before moving into full production with the whole team,” says Smith.
Smith added that the team’s ambition with the project meant that the DrinkBox engine, used for Mutant Blobs Attack!!! was expanded in a number of areas, including combat systems, scripting systems, conversation systems, an in-game mini-map, and PlayStation 3-to-Vita features such as remote-play, which allows players to stream the game from their PlayStation 3 to their Vita, and cross-save that allows saved files to be transferred from the PlayStation 3 to the Vita.
“We were more ambitious with the characters and story in the game, including a lot of dialog, in-game and animated cut scenes with musical scores, and boss fights.”
Guacamelee! will be the third game from DrinkBox to launch on a Sony platform first.
“For Gucamelee! We are working with Sony as part of their Pub Fund program, which gives us an advance on royalties when the game ships in exchange for an exclusivity period,” says Smith.
When asked about releasing titles on platforms other than Sony, Smith adds, “We don’t have any objections to releasing on other platforms at all. Mutant Blobs Attack!!! was actually released on Steam a few months after the Vita version shipped and our engine runs on Xbox 360 as well.”
Guacamelee! is available on the PlayStaion 3 and Vita as a downloadable title through the PlayStation Network today.
