But not exactly like the first, because then it would just feel like a rehash. But not too different no, it needs to still be like the first experience. People want more of the same, but also something different. There’s also the old adage how following any successful property, be it a film, a book or a game, is fraught with unfair public demands. ![]() Of course, there are no defined or consecrated rules for creating a sequel. It feels like you’ve eaten this particular great meal already, and recently, that it would have been nicer to maybe indulge in something a tad different, though from the same accomplished chef. This is less a follow-up than a second-serving of the same, admittedly enjoyable, elements found before. But how could it? The game literally uses the same engine, the same animations, even the same music in parts that featured the first time out. So, it’s arguably better than the series’ debut, but, and this is unfortunate, due to how similar it is to the first game, and despite the improvements mentioned above, DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue doesn’t live up to its own potential. ![]() ![]() In addition, how many games let you fight a super-fat, malevolent Santa Claus? Any game that has a secondary character called Steve who was raised by ninjas and rides around on a unicorn should be applauded. In terms of the series’ characteristic humour, Ron Gilbert’s direction and Sean Howard’s dialogue shines throughout the quests, with zings and anachronistic references making every conversation between our hero and the myriad of offbeat inhabitants of his world an enjoyable exchange. Merging items feature once again, while coming up with ingenious ways to surmount challenges and adversaries is more in tune with the Monkey Island method than what was found in the previous game. Thongs of Virtue also maximises the tools at its disposal to a larger extent than DeathSpank 1, infusing as much variety as possible when it comes to completing quests. It adds to the game’s dynamic and, as a whole, the overall experience is better balanced than its inaugural offering. Thankfully, and despite having an extended incubation period of only a few months over its precursor, the game’s designers have managed to correct one of the first game’s minor failings – the dependency on fetch quests to add longevity – with tasks more puzzle-based and less “go, find, and bring back” than before. This break from DeathSpank’s solitary fantasy setting offered in the first outing is a diverse welcome, and while the game suffers from a lack of ingenuity in the game-play department since the first DeathSpank, the eclectic locales – including a robot factory replete with lasers, the Old West and a World War II setting – are colourful, detailed and brimming with personality. Such a simple plot device sets up the structure of the game, with logical and punctuated boss battles dividing the action into varied and fitting scenarios. It’s a fairly robust collection, with a ragtag bunch of despots each having one in their possession. In Thongs of Virture, DeathSpank, reeling from the first game’s closing epiphany (we won’t give it away here) must continue on his quest to find the eponymous Thongs of Virtue, talismans of power much akin to Sauron’s similar collection of trinkets scattered across Middle Earth. No matter, we liked him, and his quest for the Artefact was something we wholeheartedly invested in, questionable wardrobe and cheesy one-liners to boot. Of course, it could be argued that, as a character, DeathSpank borrows much from the likes of The Tick and other asinine misguided heroes and that Hothead have merely tweaked a well-used mould. The game’s titular character also possessed the remarkable ability of coming across like an old friend an affable dolt we’d gladly buy a pint for before sitting back and listening, cautiously, to his tales of likely apocryphal bravado. The fact that another helping of poop jokes, frivolous lampooning and grandstanding histrionics has come so soon, however, and the biggest question is not whether our hero can find these fabled lost Thongs of Virtue, but if the lumbering champion didn’t deserve even the briefest of tea breaks after his last adventure.ĭeathSpank was a solid RPG-lite gambol, infused with sublime writing and well-crafted, if admittedly linear, game-play. That Hothead Studios would revisit the well and create a sequel to this year’s humourous and enjoyable DeathSpank is hardly a surprising revelation.
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