Jul 18, 2010
DeathSpank is the latest creation of Monkey Island designer Ron Gilbert. It is an Action RPG that is filled with over-the-top humor, fun world exploration and enough loot to satisfy even the biggest loot whore. You play the protagonist DeathSpank, a self-titled and self-promoting superhero, on a mission to recover a mysterious artifact called “The Artifact.” The main quest has you traveling through the rather large world, dispensing justice while trying to track down The Artifact. You will run into a large cast of characters along the way who are willing to help you on your mission as long as you are willing to help them with their own problems, like only a superhero can. In addition to the main quest, there are dozens of side missions that really extend the gameplay.
The world and the characters add a lot of life to this game. Each new zone on the map is unique and interesting. The characters you meet are bizarre and are frequently facing quite interesting dilemmas. The missions are often hilarious and fit right in with the light-hearted, locker room humor. It’s impossible not to crack a smile while collecting chicken lips for the sexually frustrated demon witch or helping the incumbent town mayor earn the swing vote by collecting a sack full of missing orphans in time for a photo op.
I really enjoy the battle mechanic of this game, especially due to the customized control scheme. As you collect weapons (which is very frequently,) you select the four you want to equip from your inventory screen and map them to the action buttons (A, B, X, Y). In battle, you press whichever action button corresponds to the weapon you’d like to use. Weapons can be either ranged or melee, and within each category there are several types and damage attributes. You also have leveled armor and accessories. In all, there are hundreds of different weapons and armor for you to collect. In addition to your gear, you can collect or purchase potions, consumables and single use damage delivery systems. Similarly to your weapons, you can map four of these to your d-pad and have them at your immediate disposal.
Like most RPG’s, there are shops and vendors scattered throughout the world that you can purchase goods from with the coins that you collect from enemies and barrels during your adventure. However, unlike most RPG’s, you don’t have to track down a vendor to sell your extra gear. The game does a great job of making inventory management a breeze, by giving you the ever accessible grinder. You can move anything in your inventory to your grinder and will be reimbursed for a value within the items displayed salvage price range.
The Tick-like voice acting can get a little obnoxious at times, but overall I find it a positive. There can be a bit of grinding needed to level up your character high enough to advance past certain enemies at some points, but by doing the side quests, this can be kept to a minimum.
DeathSpank strikes a great balance of tradition RPG elements and a witty, lowbrow narrative. The game is available on XBL for 1200 MS Points. While some may consider the price a bit steep, the game is a lot of fun and with an approximately 8 hour campaign, I feel it is well worth the price. If you’re on the fence, DeathSpank does have a 30 minute free to play demo. I would definitely recommend giving DeathSpank a try and dispense a little justice of your own.
Great job Whiz, I downlaoded this and love it! The action is fast, the loot is plentiful and the voice acting ( while I agree can be a bit tedious ) is so over the top that I found myself laughing out loud more than once. The co-op, that allows a friend to jump in, is a bit weak ( they play a wizard friend who you cannot equip or customize ) but does add a little as far as extended play or if you are like me with kids, gives them a chance to join you.
Good stuff Whizz, looks like I’ll need more Microsoft points.
Thanks for the heads up on this game !
It sounds like a lot of fun .