DeathSpank: The Baconing Reviews

Hothead Games’ The Baconing, the latest chapter in DeathSpank’s humorous franchise, has received the review treatment from another small batch of publications, and this time they seem to be all favorable towards the hack’n’slash title.

PS3 Attitude, scoreless.

If the interest doesn’t come from the actual puzzles themselves, it at least comes from the various characters you meet and the wonderful locations you visit. Meeting an old-aged Zeus and Thor, who bicker at the luxury Valhalla Heights golf resort is very amusing, as is sailing around Barnacle Lake speaking to the barnacle-possessed natives and dancing to the maniacal tune of the eccentric AI, Z.I.M.O.N.

The locations are also very easy on the eye, but DeathSpank fans, of course, already know this. They have sunk in over 20 hours exploring wonderfully designed locations and speaking to quirky characters while listening to the random humour. Only you can say if you’re up for more of the same.

Square-Go, 4/5.

So should you invest in The Baconing? Well, yes. While the steep difficulty curve threatens to discourage all but the most hardened players, there is welcome depth to the action. Hothead Games does a great job of varying the hack-and-slash gameplay with genuinely entertaining acting. True, the plot seems to have been dreamed up after a night on the sauce, but the witty dialogue and varied gameplay is absolutely stock full of ideas.

That Gamer Hub, 3.5/5.

Even with the flaws that The Baconing has, I can’t deny that I had a lot of fun and a lot of laughs while playing. Aside from the humor and visual style, it ends up being a very mediocre title. What makes this game worth playing is the entertainment tied into the dialogue. The button mashing play style can become stale at times, but I always felt compelled to continue if for no other reason than to see what zany thing was about to happen next. Also, it deserves mentioning that there is no shortage of content. Setting aside the time I spent backtracking, I would say this game kept me playing for somewhere in the vicinity of 8-10 hours. If you’re looking for something deep and original, this isn’t it. However, if you find humor in a superhero that wears thong underwear and has the word (spank) in his name, you will probably find some enjoyment hidden behind the imperfections.