

All told you can expect to spend in the realm of 8-to-10 hours vanquishing evil.Ĭombat is of the basic hack ‘n slash variety, and if there’s an area of the game that could’ve benefited from more variety this would’ve been it.

The premise is nothing new, but the laughable way it unfolds makes you want to keep pressing forward to hear the next absurd conversation or embark on an equally ridiculous expedition.

You are DeathSpank, hero of the downtrodden, and you’re seeking an object known simply as “The Artifact.” To acquire this item you’ll need to enlist the help of others, who in turn will be asking you to help them by performing various tasks. Some of the side quests can be a bit tedious and repetitive, but I rarely found myself getting bored along the way. As you level up you’ll gain access to more powerful weapons, armour and potions, which in turn allows you to defeat higher level enemies and move the story along. In particular Michael Dobson deserves serious kudos for his hilarious work as DeathSpank - the voice…the timing…it’s just perfect.īeneath the quirky visuals and humorous writing, DeathSpank doesn’t stray from the tried and true RPG formula of grinding for experience through combat and side quests. There’s a surprising amount of dialogue in the game, and the lines are consistently well delivered to really drive home the game’s humuor. Where the audio excels is in the voice acting. While I’d stop short of calling the music a weak link, it can be repetitive despite generally doing a good job of complementing the graphics. Add to the gorgeous environments an entertaining cast of characters, both friend and foe alike, and this becomes a real stand out effort graphically. It’s colourful and lively, and is a perfect counterpart to the tongue-in-cheek story. The blending of fully 3D characters with 2D backgrounds works masterfully, and the diverse locations really make you want to investigate every nook and cranny in the world so that nothing is left unseen. The word that springs to mind when trying to describe the visuals in DeathSpank is charming. It was enough of an issue that I rarely equipped my most valuable potions unless I knew in advance that I was going to be using them. The mapping of your foods and potions to the d-pad is a good idea in theory, but the Xbox 360’s d-pad is so imprecise that you’ll sometimes find yourself using the wrong item. It’s a pretty forgiving game, though, so the frustration level is mild. Even then, there are instances where you’ll simply be overrun by sheer numbers, which had me pining for the option to evade.
Deathspank game review how to#
The biggest challenge is learning how to time your blocks to ward off blows. You’re able to equip and attack with four weapons at a time - each one is assigned to a face button - as well as block with the right trigger. Cue heroic music!Īs DeathSpank you’ll be asked to dispense copious amounts of justice against a cavalcade of unique, and often humorous, enemies. However, due to a steady barrage of new titles I was unable to play through this action RPG…until now. It’s been roughly six weeks since DeathSpank, the brainchild of acclaimed game designer Ron Gilbert, was released on both Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. Filthy Greems are no match for the mighty DeathSpank!
