I started working on this game four years ago and was turned down by just about everyone that had a business card with “publisher” printed on it. 1 However, this throwaway character had much more potential. This wallpaper was released in 2008.ĭeathSpank first appeared on Ron Gilbert’s blog as one of his comics, Grumpy Gamer Comics #8. It’s what these days called an action-RPG, like all games these days, but I think a better description is that it’s a bit like the various Diablo II followers, Torchlight and Titan Quest - with a bit of Monkey Island in there. This makes the game great to jump into and enjoy when you have a friend over.One of my planned acquisitions from last year’s Steam Christmas sales was DeathSpank. Yes, the combat isn't particularly complex or refined, but that just means that it's easy to pick and play.Īdditionally, the game features a drop-in drop-out couch co-op mode, meaning that you can have someone grab a second controller and join in the game as Deathspank's Wizard sidekick, Sparkles. There are no times where you need to grind out kills just to level up enough to progress through the story. The game has three difficulties settings and isn't particularly challenging, but that allows it to be more fun than frustrating. Although Deathspank's journey is mostly quite linear, the areas that he explores are varied and you don't spend so long in one area that it begins to get tiresome. Having said that, aside from the humour, the game plays very well. Fans of the humour of Monkey Island and The Cave will definitely find their fix here.

On his journey, Deathspank must collect demon dung, rescue orphans, pester monks and get into a spot of bother regarding some thongs.

Many of these weird and wacky people offer Deathspank side-quests, most of which involve going and killing some creatures to collect something the NPC has lost or desires. Some of the humour comes from the animated cutscenes that pepper the story, but the majority comes from the interactions with the game's NPCs. Whilst a serviceable RPG with loot galore, a host of creatures to kill across varied locations and a progression system that works just fine, these elements take a back seat to the game's hilarious dialogue. The main draw of Deathspank isn't necessarily its gameplay or its graphics. These interactions include branching dialogue options and are where the game gets its close link to Adventure titles of old. As well as the action, Deathspank spends a lot of his time interacting with NPCs to further the story and take side-quests.

Death holds little impact in the world as, similar to the BioShock (Xbox 360) Vita-Chambers, ol' Spanky can respawn at nearby Outhouses so he can jump straight back into the action. They can be chained together into combos that fill a Justice Meter that, once filled, can be used to unleash powerful special attacks. Attacks are mapped to the face buttons and include melee and ranged moves. The gameplay mostly follows the Diablo mould of smashing your way through hordes of creatures, most of which drop delicious loot and new equipment, allowing Deathspank to become more powerful and gain new skills and attributes. Deathspank sees the titular hero in his search for a mysterious artifact, known only as The Artifact.

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