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I love DeathSpank. I think it's a fantastic game. And I'm a guy that hates Diablo and generally dislikes all things Blizzard. But DeathSpank isn't diablo, right? Or is it?
DeathSpank does a lot right. Great graphics, solid controls, excellent story, generally excellent dialogue, fun and interesting quests, and a wonderful sense of humor. And it of course has lots of loot. It also has a streamlined user interface, with inventory management that isn't overly onerous.
Last but not least, it's an action RPG, so its combat is action based. So while an attack or block is backed by statistics, you as the player have to have good reflexes and solid combat strategies to succeed. And this is where the game falls apart for me.
Now it didn't fall apart at the start. It actually didn't even begin to fall apart until I got well into the game, several hours in fact, and I faced a dungeon boss I just couldn't beat. And since out houses, the game's save and teleport stations, all appear to be out of order while in dungeons, I couldn't easily get out, grind a few levels, and return later.
The game doesn't make that sort of solution easy, so I repeatedly fought the boss, using every healing item in my inventory and trying over and over again to figure it out. I checked online, looked at strategies from other players, and that's when it became clear to me that I don't have what it takes to beat this boss.
So I hightailed it out of the dungeon, dying repeatedly as I made my way through the lesser enemies. And finally, after spending at least two or three hours, first trying to beat the boss then trying to get out, I was out, able to wander the world and complete other quests. Whew!
But I wonder how long it will be before I face another unbeatable boss? How long will it be before my lack of gamepad skills will keep me from making progress? And while I can beat most shooters and other action games, and can beat RPGs on the harder difficulty levels, this particular action RPG is just kicking my ass.
Which begs the question: Does combat ultimately ruin DeathSpank? And if so, why did HotHead create a game with such awesome adventure elements and then force players to be great at twitch gaming?
