I am a huge fan of hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler RPGs, so when Deathspank came out and I saw that it fit the genre nicely, I just had to check it out. Deathspank is a solid game for the PSN…that being said, it would not have held up well if it was a PS3 disc-based game. While the game succeeds in many ways, there are a few factors holding it back from being an extremely epic RPG experience.
You take on control of Deathspank, a hero for hire (who wears a magical purple thong) who sets out to claim a magical artifact, which he believes will make him the strongest hero in the world. Deathspank will explore a somewhat small world that does have a few unique environments, but at the same time is limited in the amount of space given to play in. Like any good hack-and-slash dungeon crawler, Deathspank will dispatch countless hordes of enemies with a wide variety of weapons, armors and magical potions. Up to four weapons can be equipped at a time and are hotkeyed to the controller, and potions and other items can be hotkeyed to the directional pad. As enemies are slain and quests are completed, you will gain xp. When Deathspank levels, he is given a choice of three stats and can raise one of them up a level. For example, at level 2 he may choose to raise his melee damage, ranged damage, or speed at which he moves by 5% (this is just an example, I don’t recall what the exact three choices were at level 2.) Other stats to be raised include amount of money dropped by enemies and the ability to equip weapons and armors that are up to two levels higher than your character.
One of the greatest draws to the game isn’t just the fun of smashing a bunch of baddies, but the general storyline. As if the title of the game didn’t clue you in, the game is purely ridiculous. The dialogue is hilarious and will actually make you laugh out loud, the enemies are also pretty humorous, ranging from the common (ogres, skeletons, demons, zombies) to the bizarre (swamp donkeys, eyeballs, a bi-clops, and lots and lots of chickens.) There are also a few boss battles, but aside from only one about mid-way through the game (the Demon Nanny), they weren’t too challenging.
The game in general isn’t challenging in the least. If you do manage to die, you lose a few gold coins and port back to the nearest savepoint (which is an outhouse). You can then venture over to where you died and pick up the coins that were lost. You lose no xp, no items you gained in between, nothing. It makes the game a somewhat casual adventure. And speaking of casual, that’s where the limited co-op of the game comes in. If you have a friend hanging out at your house who wants to help you plug through your quest, they most certainly can (sadly the co-op is local only…no online.) At any point in the game, a second player need only push the start button and they will assume the role of Sparkes, a wizard. The sad thing about Sparkles is that while he can fight enemies and aid Deathspank with a small arsenal of spells, he cannot gain xp, money, or new items and equipment. So while Deathspank can run around and pick up badass weapons, Sparkles is stuck just sitting around with his little wand, waiting for an enemy to come upon them so he can actually do something. Granted, it’s better than no co-op at all, but it could become a tad boring.
Deathspank is a decent hack-and-slash RPG. There are plenty of weapons and items to try out, quite a few side quests to complete, and a very, VERY humorous storyline. However, the game does fall short in a few areas. Most noticeably is the length. It is a pretty short RPG, as far as RPGs go. The world that is available to explore is pretty small, which was a disappointment to me after being spoiled by the vast maps of Sacred 2. Also, there is little customization, which is usually a large feature in an RPG. There are a lot of different weapons and potions to use, but there are no magical abilities or special powers that Deathspank can use. Thus, leveling is not really that big a deal, since you only raise one small stat by a small percentage. The side quests that are there, while funny, can be downright boring. One particular side quest had me helping a magical talking tree. First he wanted a sock, which was about twenty seconds away from him. So I got the sock and returned it. Then he wanted a book so he could read at night. The book was located in the same area, so I had to go back over there again and search the ground for it. Then he wanted a CD…same place. Then a black light…same place. I think there were even two more items he wanted, and they were all in the same place. Many of the quests are similar, in that someone tells you to go somewhere and bring something back. While that happens in a lot of RPGs, given the limited map of Deathspank, it becomes more lame that it normally would.
Despite these few setbacks, Deathspank is still a very fun game. The key thing to remember is this…it is a PSN game, not a disc-based game. The content that Deathspank delivers for it’s PSN price of $9.99 actually makes sense, and I had no problem enjoying the game. Judging by the work put into the game, I would bet that if it was a disc-based game, a lot of these issues would be non-existent, as the developers would have been able to craft a larger world. If you are looking for a new hack-and-slash RPG, this will tide you over for a bit, and you will laugh throughout the story. There is little replay value to the game, unless you want to go back through it a second time at some point down the road (which I could see myself doing again). The trophies for the game can easily be acquired through one playthrough, and the vast majority of them will be acquired as long as you do all the side quests. Just remember that it is limited due to the fact that it is a PSN title, and do not be upset when it ends a little sooner than you would have liked.
PS- Here’s a bit of a spoiler: the game ends on a cliffhanger of sorts, which leads me to believe that it will end up being episodic. If that is the case, then I look forward to checking out the future adventures of Deathspank.
