![]() Instead, the orphan turns out to be a spoiled brat who commands DeathSpank perform a series of quests before she joins him. In a normal game, rescuing a person from demons would result in their gratitude. When DeathSpank tries to rescue the orphan, the humor is working on several levels, most of which are having fun at my expense. Not only are we laughing at the linguistic silliness, we also are laughing at these the predicament in which these two jokers find themselves.īecause the player is both the creator and consumer of the game’s comedy, DeathSpank often forces me to execute jokes in which I am the object of ridicule. ![]() For example, part of the joke of Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on first routine?” is that they are playing characters who grow increasingly annoyed with one another as the sketch progresses. As is the case in many comedies, big laughs often stem from the foolishness or misfortune of others. Much of the humor comes at the expense of the character DeathSpank, and by extension, the player. Rather than simply anticipating jokes, the player enacts them, which makes any laughs the game can provide even more impressive.ĭeathSpank routinely tests the player’s ability to split themselves between being an actor and an audience member. Thus, some of the humor that would normally be derived from spontaneity is lost on the audience. In DeathSpank, the player is tasked with tickling themselves by constructing jokes that are ultimately for their own amusement. While it is clear that Martin and Lewis often had a good time joking around and ad-libbing, their routines were for the benefit of an audience. The difficulty with using this comedy dynamic in a game is that the humor is both produced and consumed by the player. In DeathSpank players channel Dean Martin while the story, surroundings, and NPCs act like Jerry Lewis: The player acts in a way that is considered “normal” in the context of the genre, while the world and its wacky inhabitants cause humorous mayhem through silliness and satire. ![]() In terms of game dynamics, DeathSpank is little more than a purple-thong-wearing Link. Without the player filling the role as the earnest adventurer, there would be no comedic foil for the game’s jokes. In response, the game subverts these traditions by lampooning them or presenting us with outlandish tasks. It’s our job to play the game like we know a hack and slash RPG ought to be played: We dutifully equip armor, grind for abilities, and complete quests. Such a focus places the player in a strange position: the interactive nature of the medium means that the player assumes a dual role as a performer and audience member.īecause DeathSpank functions like a traditional hack and slash RPG on a mechanical level, the player assumes the role of the “ straight man” in a comedy duo. Whether or not one appreciates the humor (ironic comments about quest logs and unicorn poop jokes aren’t for everyone), it is still rare to see a game concentrate so heavily on comedy. He was crowned God of Orphans (yes all Orphans, even the ugly ones).Now that my PSN problems have subsided, I’ve been chuckling my way through DeathSpank. After defeating the last Thonglord he put on all of the Thongs of Virtue thereby creating the Antispank and is forced to destroy all but the Thong of Justice. The head wear discription of the "Junglekiller Headwear" says: "Some people believe this is not my hair. The only penalty for this is you will drop a lot of your money, which can be picked up later if the player is quick enough.įun Fact: Though DeathSpank looks bald due to his skin-tight mask, he does have hair, as shown in the battle with "Ze Commandorque" in "DeathSpank: Thongs of virtue". When DeathSpank dies he will respawn at the nearest Outhouse. Choosing your own weapons instead of investing in skills allows for an easier flow of strategy in battles if you get bored of one weapon you can try something different. This also means that the player can decide how they want to play. ![]() In his travels DeathSpank has brought justice to the downtrodden, faced the riddle of bacon and defeated evils so horrible they would put hair on the hairs on your chest.ĭeathSpank doesnt have class skills (see Hero Cards) in the traditional sense this means if you want to do more damage all you need to do is get a stronger sword, or if you want to do more ranged damage just get a better ranged weapon. Throughout his adventures DeathSpank has searched for a powerful artifact called… The Artifact. He is likely to shoot before he even knows there’s a question to ask.įor uncounted years the wanderer DeathSpank has been a Dispenser of Justice, a Vanquisher of Evil, and a Hero to the Downtrodden. DeathSpank is the main protagonist of the DeathSpank series.Ĭharming, intelligent, enigmatic: These are just a few words that nobody ever uses when describing DeathSpank.
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