Ron Gilbert created DeathSpank, an action role-playing game. DeathSpank, which Gilbert describes as “Monkey Island meets Diablo,” blends Gilbert’s earlier games’ funny characters and setting with hack-and-slash, loot-heavy action gameplay.
DeathSpank can gain Weapons of Justice in addition to the usual action RPG elements of fighting monsters and acquiring weapons and armor. A “justice meter” fills up by striking adversaries with various weapon combinations. When a Weapon of Justice’s capacity is reached, powerful strikes exclusive to that weapon can be unleashed. A gigantic boot-hammer stuns all adjacent enemies, the Cleaver of Cleaving attacks all enemies within a certain radius, and so on. Weapons and other things (healing and buff potions, food) can be assigned to any face or D-pad button on the controller.
Over 100 tasks are available in DeathSpank, the most optional sidequests. Conversations with NPCs follow a conversation tree similar to those in many classic adventure games. Exchanges frequently allow players to go off on amusing tangents but are mainly irrelevant to gaming challenges. Some tasks require you to solve adventure game-style puzzles in which non-combat things in the world can be found, combined, and used in specific areas or with particular characters.
The plot opens with the titular hero hunting for a magical artifact called “The Artifact.” The Artifact is stolen away at the last minute by the minions of an evil tyrant, Lord Von Prong, just as he is about to complete his quest. But it soon becomes clear that a Von Prong is after DeathSpank’s purple Thong Of Justice. He has kidnapped the local orphans, and DeathSpank, as a Hero to the Downtrodden, must rescue them.
DeathSpank’s art style employs a cylindrical “rolling world” with a lot of pseudo-2D artwork to generate the sensation of a pop-up storybook. The world is teeming with horrifying monsters, ranging from the stealthy greens and chimeric bears alone to the ruthless torques (no relation to orcs) and the terrible biceps. The game also supports local co-op, with a second player joining at any moment. They take on the role of Sparkles the Wizard, DeathSpank’s sidekick with a set of powers.
