The Baconing

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In "The Baconing," players step into the role of DeathSpank, a hero on a mission to defeat the evil Anti-Spank and his army of Cyborques. The game features a variety of quests, challenging battles, and puzzles, set in a pop-up book style world with unique locations such as The Forbidden Zone and Hell's Half Acre. Players can unleash powerful attacks with the Weapons of Justice and utilize tactical abilities to control the battlefield, with the option to play local co-op with a friend and choose from four sidekicks.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Reviews

78%

Audience ScoreBased on 187 reviews

humor82 positive mentions

grinding6 negative mentions

The humor and dialogue are consistently funny and entertaining, making for a light-hearted experience.
The game features a unique art style and engaging voice acting that adds to its charm.
Despite its flaws, many players find the gameplay enjoyable, especially for fans of the previous DeathSpank titles.

The combat mechanics are clunky and can be frustrating, with a high difficulty curve that may deter players.
The game suffers from stability issues, including frequent crashes and bugs that disrupt gameplay.
Many players feel that the game lacks the polish and depth of its predecessors, making it the weakest entry in the series.

humor
82 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with many players finding it funny and enjoyable, particularly appreciating the voice acting and witty dialogue. However, some feel that the humor has not aged well or is overly simplistic and crude, leading to a hit-or-miss experience. Overall, those who enjoy silly, irreverent humor, especially in the style of Monty Python, are likely to find the game entertaining, while others may find it repetitive or lacking depth.
- “I strongly recommend if you're into pythonesque humor!”
- “The humor and voice acting are all on point and, while the combat gets a little repetitive, the wide variety of settings keeps the game fresh and well-paced.”
- “The humor of this game, with the dialogue all being hilariously fully voiced by talented vocal actors, is a real joy.”
gameplay
49 mentions
27 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
10 % negative mentions
The gameplay is a mix of hack-and-slash mechanics reminiscent of the Diablo series, featuring a focus on combat and loot collection, but it suffers from repetitiveness and unbalanced difficulty, particularly on higher settings. While some players appreciate the humor and charm, many find the controls awkward and the mechanics overly complex for a simple game, leading to frustration during combat. Overall, the gameplay is seen as mediocre, with enjoyable elements overshadowed by design flaws and a lack of evolution throughout the series.
- “The gameplay and story are still quite fun, and the levels are actually the best in the series.”
- “Gameplay was smooth, graphics and story are a lot of fun and the atmosphere is very immersive.”
- “Though it is a little more than a 'hack and slash' Diablo type in gameplay, the downright enjoyable humor alone is worth the price!”
- “The gameplay is really mediocre; the stat system and the way you get good gear is kind of dumb, and the difficulty curve between regular enemies and bosses is way too high.”
- “The gameplay lacks here, since enemies often use ranged attacks out of frame to kill you.”
- “The gameplay is so flat and repetitive I'm not even sure it deserves comment.”
story
44 mentions
32 % positive mentions
59 % neutral mentions
9 % negative mentions
The story of the game is characterized by its absurd humor and wacky narrative, featuring a comedic quest to defeat the "antispank" and destroy the five thongs from the previous installment. While the overall presentation and dialogue are enjoyable, many quests are simple fetch tasks that can feel repetitive, and the ending is considered weak. Despite its flaws, the engaging characters and humorous writing contribute to a fun experience, making it appealing for fans of lighthearted action RPGs.
- “The overall storybook presentation is just as much fun as it was before and each area looks very nice.”
- “The fun in the game mainly comes from the conversations you have with the various characters, the description of items, the silly quests, and the environments.”
- “The storyline to the baconing is funny.”
- “The end of the story is the weakest part.”
- “While the story has its humor and charm, it's also very simple, and the quests I played were basic fetch quests.”
- “Sadly, Hothead moved to mobile games and seems like the Deathspank story was left kind of open; they could have made it end at the second game, and the ending area has cave entrances with a picture of road workers and text 'DLC under construction,' but the only DLC is the co-op character.”
graphics
19 mentions
53 % positive mentions
32 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their unique and appealing art style, reminiscent of comic books and pop-up books, with a cel-shaded aesthetic that enhances the overall tone. Players appreciate the charming and cartoony visuals, which contribute to an immersive atmosphere, despite some criticism regarding repetitive gameplay mechanics. Overall, the graphics are considered a standout feature, complementing the humor and engaging story.
- “It's got an amazing art style and a corny superhero spoof-like humor.”
- “Still looks great due to the cel-shaded & 'billboard' art style.”
- “The style of the graphics is like from a comic book.”
- “Combat is decent, graphics kind of hold up, and the humor is... well, I don't feel like it has aged all that well.”
- “The graphical style of the game is somewhat unique.”
- “Graphics are cartoony, which supports the overall tone of the game.”
music
7 mentions
43 % positive mentions
29 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it tacky and unappealing, while others appreciate its whimsical and quirky melodies that complement the game's atmosphere. Although there is a limited variety of tracks, many agree that the music fits well within the game's context and enhances the overall experience. Overall, while some players desire more diversity, the soundtrack is generally considered enjoyable.
- “The soundtrack is great as well, and really fits the whimsical world it's set in.”
- “Nice music with kind of quirky, weird melodies that fit the moody and almost spooky environments.”
- “The music is awesome; the combat could've been better with the shielding, but otherwise nice.”
- “It's tacky, ugly to look at, and the music is some dreadful country menu jam.”
- “Could've used more variety with the music.”
grinding
6 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game; while some appreciate the reduced need for excessive grinding to progress, others find the new grinding mechanics tedious and unnecessary. The removal of item dropping and stash features has made inventory management more cumbersome, and the rewards for grinding are perceived as insufficient, primarily leading to the purchase of consumables rather than meaningful upgrades. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a step back from previous iterations.
- “Unfortunately this time out they have introduced grinding for some reason.”
- “For some reason, they decided to remove the ability to simply drop items on the ground as well as removing the stash that you had in the previous two games, and oddly, making the amounts you'd get for grinding inventory items down to a mere fraction of what you got before.”
- “I done it on easy to just zoom through because it is kind of tedious.”
stability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
300 % negative mentions
The stability of the game has been criticized, with users reporting numerous issues and troubleshooting efforts within the first hour of gameplay, leading to frustration and a lack of willingness to continue.
- “Overall, I encountered numerous problems and complaints within just the first hour of playing. I spent a lot of time troubleshooting, and while I eventually got things working, it was enough to discourage me from continuing.”
- “The game crashed multiple times during my session, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience.”
- “I experienced frequent lag and instability, which ruined the immersion and made gameplay frustrating.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Users generally find the replayability of DeathSpank to be low, with some noting that while they may revisit the game after several years, the experience feels more like a chore than an enjoyable repeat playthrough.
- “Personally, I find the replay value in Deathspank to be almost zero. Even though I played through them all again, it was with 7-8 years between the playthroughs, so it felt more like a chore.”
atmosphere
1 mentions
300 % positive mentions
-200 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly immersive, enhanced by smooth gameplay, engaging graphics, and an enjoyable story.
- “The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
- “The combination of graphics, story, and sound creates a captivating atmosphere.”
- “Every detail contributes to an atmosphere that feels alive and engaging.”