Greetings readers! I am Deathspank, Hero of the Heroes, and I am the Center of the Universe. My Center of Gravity IS the Center of Gravity. Call on me and I shall do justice!
OK, that’s just me typing, but this is how the “hero” Deathspank sounds. OK. Not really.
So I’m finally done with Deathspank; it just took me a day. didn’t really take long. It’s a short game for an action RPG.
One thing I noticed through the 8-9 hours (yes, it’s pretty short, even with all the side quests) I put into this game, is that the game doesn’t take itself very seriously. Even the heroic Deathspank doesn’t take himself that seriously. And the secret source of his power is, wait for it, his thong! See what I mean?
So in this game, basically, you’re given quests that mainly involve exploring fire caves, dungeons, ghost towns, forests, dams, orc camps, spider nettings, etc. in order to gain an important item you need to secure the “Artifact.” Then there are the side quests, which are basically collecting certain items by killing creatures for a citizen, who then gifts you with armor, cash, weapons, or potions. The game tries to be fresh at all times, but that just means altering the setting, creatures, and background music. Throughout the game, it’s more of a “Get this item for me” and then you go fight and bring back the item, and kabam, next quest, same scenario!
Gamers looking for serious hardcore action role playing won’t really expect this straight forwardness much, plus, the game is also more on the easy side. I started with Normal difficulty, and as soon as I had done a few extra side quests and was above the average level of the enemies, destroying them was a breeze. even the boss’. Oh, and the final boss is really, really easy.
But hey, sometimes it does call for us to look past these factors and enjoy the game for what it is, right? Well, that’s exactly how Deathspank wants us to treat this game. What I found absolutely AWESOME was the dialogue play between Deathspank and his summoners. It’s incredibly and smartly humorous, and the humor includes taking all the cultural fabs of these days, like, World of Warcraft addiction, Google-based knowledge, Wikipedia fanatics, movie buffs with review blogs who think they’ve seen what no one has, Lady Gaga, etc. One would think, “How do these things fit in in a fantasy medieval world?” Well, that’s the point—don’t take this game seriously, for your own good! I remember this once when my character was having a conversation with this young Orc working in a museum, so I asked him what movies he had been watching recently, and he went on about the movie and how it had “continuity” issues and how it was influenced by the Tarantino school of thought. You gotta appreciate the writers of this game for putting in humor with a certain bent of mind, because they “assumed” (and they were right!) that only gaming geeks would pick up this game.
All throughout this game, I had a fun experience. Having a nice inventory with flashy weapons and armor and potions is really satisfying. Deathspank does justify itself in those ways by saying it’s a game where “Diablo meets Escape From Monkey Island.’ And obnoxious heroes are always funny. It was a little on the shorter side, and the missions could have been better with added variety, but, by heck, what the heck, I still enjoyed it.
So now the sequel to the game, Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue, is out, and I’m going to play that as a side game to my current game, Dragon Age: Origins. The name “Thongs of Virtue” already hints at what the sequel is going to be about, and I’m actually kind of excited.
GAMEPLAY – 7
There is not much to it. Simple interface. simple learning curve. straight-forward “fight and collect’ missions.
PRESENTAION – 8
unique art style. Distinct regions. from pink-colored haunted forests to yellow-blazing caves.
GRAPHICS – 7
3D characters and creatures, 2D sceneries Again, there isn’t really much you could expect. Graphics are good for what the game’s philosophy is.
STORY – 8
Its Fun. Funny. Slap Stick. And Obnoxious. It’s a typical “Oh, I’m the strongest hero and I need to fight and I will win’ story, but the way it’s told is really appreciable.
SOUND – 7
Nice soundtrack. More on the uptempo side, and really “soapy” when it comes to those emotional parts. in a funny way.
OVERALL – 7
Many of us have a fetish for leveling up and collecting loot. This game fulfills that. Plus, obviously, the humor.
