Slay and Flay- DeathSpank Review

In an era of ubiquitous gaming news, some might find my avoidance of game trailers, gossip and podcasts particularly puzzling. While it would be easy to place the blame on pretentious ambitions of journalistic integrality, that’s not always the case. Quite often, my evasion of game media is to prevent the buildup of lofty expectations- and more importantly, not to spoil any of the events fastidiously crafted by developers.

Yet trying to avoid the publicity surrounding DeathSpank has been especially challenging. Between lead designer Ron Gilbert’s reputation forged by his work on Maniac Mansion and Tales of Monkey Island and the frequent comparisons to Diablo, Hothead Game’s latest title was been riding a tidal wave of promotion. Players which have been following this upsurge of anticipation, will be happy to know to know that DeathSpank mostly delivers.

Amusingly, the title pokes fun at role-playing clichés, sending the title’s eponymous, brash,  hero after an relic known only as “the artifact”. DeathSpank‘s ten hour journey is sufficiently arduous, sending him trekking through a richly hued landscape full of ferocious foes and needy NPCs. Cleverly, conversations with each of the game’s characters are consistently witty; dialog trees are populated with responses which can branch in unforeseen directions, adding to the game’s absurdist tone.

Although similar action/RPG hybrids have succumbed to monotony with a simplistic combat mechanic, DeathSpark admirably tries to keep the fighting fresh. Gamers may effortlessly assign any weapon to the controller’s face buttons, allowing up to four death-dealing armaments at the player’s immediate disposal. Mixing up your arsenal does more than offset tedium; by mixing up your strikes, players can discover devastating combo chains similar to a fighting game. Those expecting a torrential succession of loot may be slightly disappointed; while DeathSpank‘s weapons and armor are practical and often amusingly named, they are distributed rather modestly. Like Diablo, players may bring up an intuitive outfitting screen to manage their plunder; the title even offers a convenient best-equip option for gamers who take no pleasure in scrutinizing their plunder.

Monkey Island aficionados may be slightly disappointed by some of DeathSpank‘s side missions, which are appropriately named, “Unimportant Things I Need to Do.”  Forgoing much of the brain-teasing challenges Gilbert is known for, these tasks often recall the fetch quests and kill missions of the main storyline. An assignment to collect ‘demon dung’ was made painfully intuitive with the implementation of a ‘demon poop hammer’. A more comical and thought-provoking puzzle might have used a device such as ‘Lucifer’s Laxatives’ or a ‘flaming suppository’.  While at least one lake-draining conundrum left me scratching my head for a few minutes, I’m sure the Monkey Island constancy will yearn for more.

Although DeathSpank is a solid solo experience, the game’s incorporation of a lifeless co-op game experience is slightly perplexing. A second player can grab a controller and take the helm of Sparkles the Magician. With the inability to grab and equip loot and a limited load-out, directing the conjurer feels a lot like being the orb-grabbing assistant in the Super Mario Galaxy series, with the added perk of being able to heal the protagonist. Likely, only casual gamers and younger siblings will find gratification in this support role. Perhaps Hothead wanted to limit the intensity of the on-screen action- while the title’s framerate is typically solid in the single player game, some noticeable slowdown occurs when two characters are engaged in heated battles.

Despite a handful of small quirks, DeathSpank satisfies that primal instinct to beat an enemy senseless and then ransack their overburdened corpse. Typically, I pay $50-$60 for that fine privilege; investing 1200 Microsoft points seems like a no-brainer, especially given the lack on console competition.