You'll spend much of your time rushing through ambiguously connected corridors, and while the game makes no bones about its unimaginative level design, it can feel like a bit of a slog at times. The Baconing sits somewhere in-between, and as such lacks the cohesion of its predecessors. While the original DeathSpank opted for a highly fantastical setting, Thongs Of Virtue attempted something a little more modern. ![]() Money can then be spent at various market stalls and retail outlets in order to buy rare weapons and potions. You'll still pick up various bits of equipment and weapons, sending useless gubbins to the Grinder in order to make a bit of cash. Outside of these tweaks, the moment-to-moment action itself is very familiar. You can no longer lie back on the couch with the DualShock 3, because the game is much less forgiving now. The increased complexity of the combat - while a welcome attempt at trying to improve on the series weakest elements - actually detract from the carefree nature of the franchise. Admittedly combat was never DeathSpank's strong-suit, but it added context to the game's best elements: humour and dialogue. The tweaks in difficulty mean The Baconing is a much more technical game. You'll start the game with conventional cross-bows, but end with war-machines capable of clearing the screen with one clean shot. These now come with unlimited ammo, and can be charged into more devastating attacks. The other major change to The Baconing's gameplay is projectile weapons. 'Spank will respawn at the nearest out-house whenever downed, zipping his trousers as he emerges from the water closet just to add a little wink to proceedings. Though The Baconing is a much more challenging game than its predecessors, the penalty attached to death is still little more than a clip around the ear. This is enhanced by a new blocking system, allowing DeathSpank to shield bash (in order to temporarily stun foes) or reflect projectile attacks back to their parent. First of all the game's been made significantly more difficult - presumably in the hope of teaching players to be more tactical with their relentless sword swinging. While the game feels mechanically identical to previous titles in the series, there are a few subtle tweaks here and there. You'll wander the game's impressively sized world smashing up foes and tackling quests. The game definitely made us laugh from time-to-time, but such laughs weren't as frequent as we'd like.īeneath the pop-up book visuals and sharp attempts at humour, you'll uncover a Diablo-inspired dungeon crawler. DeathSpank's schtick ranges from irritating to hilarious, and the game's success as a work of comedy is going to depend directly on your personality. It's just a shame there are so many groans along the way. It's all pants, bottoms and silly puns, but when its on form it's genuinely laugh-out-loud. If you've ventured this far into the review you've probably already got a good feel for the kind of comedy in DeathSpank. To succeed - and defeat his evil adversary - 'Spank must burn the Thongs Of Virtue in the mythical Bacon Fires, and thus save his home-land of Thongtopia. Turns out DeathSpank's been wearing all of the Thongs Of Virtue at once, creating a powerful doppelganger in the form of the AntiSpank, a menacing mirror of our hero. That'll do," cries the protagonist as he hops into action. In timely comedic fashion, an army of robitcally enhanced Cyborques start destroying 'Spank's hometown of Thongtopia just as his monologue concludes. The world is saved, there are no more damsels in distress, and the hero has nothing to do. The game opens with a grumpy DeathSpank relating his malaise. (Though long-term DeathSpank fans will get that little bit more out of The Baconing.) Don't worry if you're totally new to DeathSpank though, the game does away with complicated narratives and intertwined storylines, settling for a plot that's enjoyable all on its own. With the formula getting old by the end of the first game, it's surprising to see HotHead jump in so soon with a third title.īut it has, and thus players can expect the same mix of quasi-dungeon crawling and slapstick humour as in the franchise's previous two outings. See, HotHead's latest might have dropped the name of its titular hero, but it is still very much a DeathSpank game. ![]() ![]() If HotHead Games avoided the name DeathSpank: The Baconing because gamers are getting tired of the developer's obnoxious protagonist, that's a devious marketing trick. But fans of the previous DeathSpank games will at least enjoy the game's writing and dialogue which, while not for everyone, is top-notch as usual. The tweaks to the combat make it a much more challenging affair, detracting from the franchise's strengths.
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