Where DeathSpank excels is in its presentation, polish and writing. The dialogue snaps, DeathSpank himself shamelessly graduating top of his class from the Bruce Campbell School Of Quip Delivery. The world is inhabited with delightful and offbeat characters all too ready to converse with and dish out tasks for our fearless do-gooder. It’s a testament to the game’s stellar writing that hours can be lost teleporting between the game’s aforementioned outhouses, ticking off seemingly mundane chores for all and sundry, not because finding wallets and gathering ingredients for potions is the embodiment of fun, but because the accompanying exposition that comes with accepting and completing such challenges is so well done. In what other game can players engage in quasi-meaningful conversations with a “wise cow”? How often are gamers charged with amassing unholy shit for a farmer to use as fertiliser in order to grow his world-renowned cherries so red? It’s charming and flagrantly puerile. It’s a game that appeals to our baser of sensibilities, regularly invoking a wry smile or juvenile chuckle as characters request increasingly outlandish feats, DeathSpank the perfect instigator of such idiocy.
And considering the interactive nature of the piece, it’s all the more impressive how the dialogue trees have been constructed, the flow of one-liners and smart-alec retorts rarely grating. Instead, we’re often treated to funny and pleasurable exchanges. In fact, few other games can claim such quality in comedic-timing. Ratchet & Clank comes to mind, its funny-bone tickling reserved mostly to cut-scenes, however. Alternatively, Brütal Legend could be regarded as a fitting stable-mate to DeathSpank, both games firmly inserting their crass tongues inside their respective cheeks. Fans of platforming classic Earthworm Jim’s oddball bizarreness would also find much to adore in DeathSpank.
Visually, the world in which DeathSpank inhabits is an exquisitely rendered Burton-esque landscape replete with fairy-tale eschewed architecture and bold, twisted depictions of curvilinear trees and cartoonish characters. The action rolls into view as DeathSpank plods across what becomes apparent to be a spherical world; tress and structures growing in the distance as they’re eventually rotated into full reckoning. The zones scattered across the map are varied and many, each infused with fitting tones and motifs that lend to a sense of individuality to the appropriate area. The swamp is deliciously gooey, dank and ominous, while the Demon Mines, populated by numerous infernal fiends, glows with an array of smouldering reds befitting of such a hellish location.
For a download-only title, DeathSpank is polished to an inch of its digital life, a resounding endorsement of what is becoming a strong and vibrant new source of great games. It’s not without its issues: a combat system that could have been tighter and a control layout that could be construed as less than conducive to the task at hand at times. They’re forgivable gripes, however, the game’s quality shining through in more than one area. With up to twenty hours of gaming on offer, it’s also a downloadable title that possesses more scope than what some retail-titles are currently proffering.
Pros:
- Wonderfully crafted; the writing especially a highlight
- Deep and enjoyable; exceptional value for money
- Numerous crap references throughout
Cons:
- Combat can sometimes descend into inane button-bashing
- Gameplay can be repetitive at times
- A little too easy
Conclusion:
Fifteen years ago DeathSpank would not only have been regarded as an accomplished and polished retail game, it would likely have been viewed as a leader in its field. It’s an indication of just how comprehensive and refined DeathSpank is as a title. It’s an extensive and rousing experience, the crisscrossing of quest undertaking and completion ostensibly viewed as a sly tactic to extend its longevity. Using the portals to zip around the game-world, however, and it’s more accurate to assess DeathSpank as what it truly is: a masterclass in frivolous fun by a studio and writer who have dared to go where few fear to tread – across a land strewn with equal amounts of poo and puns.
Porcupine_I
i was rather disappointed that there was no side-quest about the glowing dog that had fallen from the sky :-D
Nauraph
Oh, damn! I was still hoping for a quest about the glowing dog that fell from the sky..
Fresh191
Me and the wife have been hammering the demo of this on Xbox live and its a real hoot. Good fun and I think thats something that gets a little lost in translation these days, ‘fun’.
For a tenner I reckon its a great deal.
Awesome review as well, really does the game justice.
Kovacs
Yes, there’s a hell of a lot of game here for the price quoted.
Appreciate the kind words about the review, too.
3shirts
As soon as I saw the name of Ron Gilbert, professor of monkeyology, I was already close to sold, and a solid review resulting in an 8/10 is enough to convince me
3shirts
How much is this game by the way?
3shirts
£9.99
bunimomike
If you reply to yourself twice you know you earn yourself a trip to the TSA Crazy Tower, yes?
3shirts
No, that’s not fair
3shirts
Yes it is
bunimomike
Kovacs… what a great review. For me, your finest yet. Wonderfully explained and with a great outcome. Colour me interested, fella.
I’ll go snag the demo from XBLA this evening as those visuals look such a treat. Couple this with a health smattering of tongue-in-cheek humour and I think we’re onto a winner. Hope it sells really well.
Kovacs
Nothing beats my Nier review. Nothing!
:)
Joking aside, I appreciate the kind words. Always nice to have someone compliment your work. *doffs virtual hat*
TSBonyman
I really enjoyed the demo although i did find it a bit ‘button-bashy’at times. Must top up my wallet.
Kovacs
Yep – as highlighted in the review, things can get a bit samey at times. It’s not a massive negative. Sure, it would have been nice to mix things up a little more, but the writing made up for it for me.
gernboes
Just a little addition, there actually IS a chain-attack system. you have to attack without using the same weapon twice in succession, that way a multiplier goes up which i think increases damage… there is even a tutorial message about this
Kovacs
Thanks. Yes, though I was referring more to somewhat complex comboing achieved through multi-shoulder/button combinations. You make a valid point though. Technically there is a combo system. It’s just a little light for my liking and, in my opinion, could have been expanded upon.
gernboes
nothing to add to that, i completely agree.
twas more a technical addition than criticism on my side :)
(i like using “twas”)
DelBoySmiffy
Is it from EA?
Kovacs
It is.
DelBoySmiffy
Oh well.
dejinator
Is it me or does Deathspank sounds remarkably like Captain Qwark of the Ratchet and Clank series
Kovacs
They both take off Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead series so there’s a good deal of cross-over going on.
“Greetings nondescript citizen!” etc.
dejinator
I see your point but I was also referring to the voice actor as well.
Nauraph
I have to say that I place the tsa reviews above all other reviews I can find anywhere else (mostly). Thanks again. Although I already have this game, I really love the reviews over here.
badgersnapper68
Played the demo…was bored within 10 minutes. Really wanted to like it as it reminded me of the Baldurs Gate games for the PS2 but with a skewed sense of humour (the gameplay mechanics more than anything)….I dunno, the search goes on.