I’m just going to come out and say that it’s impossible not to love — adore, even — a game that skewers RPG fetch quests by having you gather demon poop.
But, then, that’s Deathspank. It’s the funniest, most enjoyable Xbox Arcade/PlayStation Network title. Period. And we should expect no less from the legendary Ron Gilbert.
You are Deathspank (duh), a purple-thonged ne’er-do-well who isn’t exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, but thinks he is. His job, at first, is the secure an artifact called … The Artifact. And thus your quest begins, getting crazier and crazier and wittier and wittier.
As the story moves along, you’ll find yourself out to destroy the Tolkien-yet-perverse Seven Thongs of Virtue — which have corrupted all wearers but one: DeathSpank himself. And while he’s incorruptible, he’s not terribly bright — plus everyone in the world wants and needs him to do favors.
In terms of gameplay, it’s simple but pleasant, and controls like most isometric titles (movement with the left thumbstick, camera with the right, A,B,X,Y buttons for various attacks). The world itself moves along on a 2D/3D cylinder, keeping with the ‘simple’ mantra. And DeathSpank responds very well to your commands, and leveling him up is a breeze.
The game also boasts hundreds of pieces of armor, weapons and unique items to toy with on your adventures.
Deathspank, if I were to put it in terms of awesomeness, is like playing through your favorite cartoon. It’s a satire of all other RPGs (and is one itself), but it does what it does brilliantly. It’s level system, quest mechanics, and gameplay are perfect. The dialogue will have you laughing out loud. And it has style to spare.
The only bad thing about Deathspank is the inventory system, which can quickly become cluttered, and is sort of a pain to maintain since you have to manually move items one-by-one into a ‘grinder’ that destroys the items and gives you their worth in gold.
All things considered, the inventory system is just an annoyance when compared to the geniune hilarity and wacked-out adventures in the game.
Do not miss DeathSpank.
Final Grade: A
DeathSpank is rated T for Teen and is available on the Xbox Arcade and PlayStation Network for 1200 Microsoft Points or $14.99 respectively.
