Written by: Ian

 

 

 

The third Deathspank game, "The Baconing" in under a year- can Hothead keep the franchise fresh and alive, or is it flogging a dead pig (so to speak!). With no Ron Gilbert, and help from other studios too, can my interest be re-kindled, or is it too soon for another 10 hours of flat comedy and action RPG?

 

 

The Baconing does serve as a sequel to the other Deathspank games, although playing them is not a pre-requisite, but you may miss out on some of the ‘humour’, which is definitely even more hit-and-miss than it has been in previous games. I found the story to be pretty tiresome for the most part in fact, as the main plot is revealed right from the start.

 

 

 

Like with the graphics and sound, HotHead has done little to play with the gameplay of Deathspank. You still use the face buttons for your attacks, and whilst some of the weapons are now more elaborate and space-themed, they weren’t different or exciting enough to make me care. You can now shield block, and parry with correct timing, which can be useful, as the game is now much more combat focused.

 

Almost all of the adventure game style quests have been dropped in favour of more combat- perhaps trying to make the game a little bit more like Torchlight; which is a shame because Torchlight does the Diablo clone much better.

 

 

The Baconing is now so tough that co-op is recommended, and I got pretty fed up of constant death from the legions of troops that swarm you at every corner. I would say that whilst the quantity of content is still as good as the previous two games, the quality has really taken a nose-dive, making this the least fun of the three to play.