The Deathspank sequel takes the nitwit knight on a world tour.
Ron Gilbert’s brand of silly innuendo-filled humor is back as Deathspank gets ready for another adventure. While the original lampooned medieval RPG clichés, the sequel moves the action to a wider range of locations.
According to the PR rep, the team working on the original game was buzzing with great ideas. Like… “What if Deathspank went to the Wild West?” To cope with this overflow of creative juices, a new team was set up to work on the sequel while the first was still in production. The finished product will not only see Deathspank visit the Wild West, but also the jungle, north pole, high seas, and anywhere else laughs might be had.
The premise is based loosely (very loosely) on Lord of the Rings. Long ago, six mystical thongs were created and distributed to various responsible individuals. Unfortunately they were all corrupted by the power of the thongs, except for Deathspank who possesses ‘the thong of justice’. It thus falls to our hero to defeat the other five, remove their underwear and restore harmony to the universe. If only Tolkien were alive to see this.
The game promises to focus more on boss battles than the original, and the level we played saw us battle through the lair of an evil TV chef called Worten. Long-range weaponry will also play a greater role than before. Still, expect more Diablo-style dungeon hacking with the same steady flow of Gilbertian double entendres and pop culture references (the boss battle we played riffed on Iron Chef).
Multiplayer co-op was confirmed in the primary-plus-assistant style of Fable II. Meet Deathspank’s new sidekick: Steve, the ‘little person ninja’. While Steve will lack access to an inventory, he can still fight alongside Deathspank and use magic rainbows to heal him.
The whole game rests heavily on how much you like Ron Gilbert’s sense of humor. If you enjoyed the first, or find the very idea of a game called Deathspank amusing, then this may be one to watch out for.
TGS 2010 reporting is done jointly by Fintan Monaghan and Lisa Gay.
