The Baconing

Deathspank isn’t the typical hero breed, but seeing as he inhabits Spanktopia it doesn’t sound like the standard type of place either. The Baconing sees the dim-witted grunt return his mighty might of mightiness to the land in peril; especially since the peril seems to be his own doing. By vainly endorsing all Thongs of Virtue, the man has unleashed a giant evil copy of himself, called Antispank, which is now destroying the land. Nothing more needs to be said for him to embark on another adventure of squashing things, but there’s also Bacon Fire involved.

Though the muscles might be heavily donned in this game, it doesn’t necessarily appeal to the macho in us, even if Deathspank is a hunk. A bright, cel-shaded outlook colors the land with hand-drawn flat panels and switches them with polygon landmarks, creatures and shiny effects. While it does bring a cheery, almost cartoon-like spirit to the game, it isn’t always polished. Yet, locales themselves can be quite ingenious, such as a super-computer universe with mandatory Tron reference. What can be said is that this game wants to be ‘zany,’ though in reality it’s a bit more tragic than that.

The Baconing, as the title might suggest, is invested in coming off as so funny and it is, with its humorous dialogue throughout the game. Did I say humorous? I meant obnoxiously annoying! True, the witty drivel spewed from our dim-witted friends are funny at first, then whimsical, then predictable, but it gets tiresome after a while. Unfortunately, this while is set way before completing the game with its many quests and side quests. There’s just so much of the same pun you can take. But if something like that doesn’t bother you, then please enjoy mediocre comedy.

There is no lack of color in The Baconing, despite that whole armageddon thing.

Naturally, Deathspank can’t just go up to AntiSpank and start beating heads in; no no, that would be much too simple and obvious. Before long an epic journey unfolds, which gets sown together as a fluent whole of locales and towns. As a simple hack and slash, there isn’t much more to do than killing foes and taking loot. It’s possible to equip 2 sets of 4 items and weapons to an assigned display, effectively making it possible to switch to melee, ranged or projectiles at any turn. In addition, special Justice weapons can be collected, which unleash powerful amounts of justice when a bar is filled.  This bar in turn is completed by killing stuff, but also by using the block mechanic, which grants bonuses when Deathspank thwarts an attack perfectly. The man can also use the shield to bash dudes away, but he can also throw back projectiles, if timed just right. It gives the simple action a bit more depth and rewards players for being dexterous, so there’s nothing wrong with that.

While venturing into the great outdoors isn’t anything special, it can be quite tricky for numerous reasons, besides the mild puzzles switching things up now and again. The Baconing isn’t the hardest game, but enemies don’t go down without a fight. Luckily, there’s 4 difficulties for all sorts of players, but the regular one is challenging enough already. But there are also more technical issues. For instance, the target lock doesn’t really choose the best option at all times, nor does it allow you to pinpoint enemies, rather it just picks the next thing in line. Especially if that thing is a barrel or other inanimate object, it can get frustrating to get a hold of the demon that needs spanking. Secondly, all the colors combined with the mayhem across the screen sometimes make it a bit hard to make out what’s really going on. It all adds to a difficulty needlessly.

Oh yes, Deathspank gets his Tron on, while he fights.

But more so than other issues, the game just seems to have a sense of emptiness to it. While there are elements to deepen gameplay, it never seems like The Baconing picks up beyond its shallow first impression. Especially when the option is added to automatically equip the best armor, it’s almost never needed to alter anything. While this does add to the immersion factor by losing track of time, it also seems to get tedious after a while. Leveling is kept simple, which is fun, but how much simple stuff does a game really need? Grinding objects for money seems to be an unnecessary mechanic, as is the fortune cookies that offer hints to quests. Quests, like the game, aren’t that clever that they become unbearable without help, though it is appreciated. Luckily, some tedium can be crushed by inviting a friend to play along.

Is The Baconing a bad game? No, certainly not. All qualms need to be taken with a huge grain of salt anyway, since this game isn’t meant to be clever. With its cartoon-like presence and execution, grinding towards another saved universe and collecting loot still looks and feels fun. Every downside seems to have a slight redeeming factor, which makes up for a lot. It’s just very unfortunate that the game never seems to pick up and therefore leaves a craving for more.

Gallery

Daav Valentaten, NoobFeed. (@Daavpuke)