Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans
0Note: Twitch has muted audio though majority intact
I'm not joking when I say I heard about this game before I'd heard of Bud Spencer and Terence Hill, a double act who made around 20 films throughout the 70's and 80's - Tuna suggested I play it, and the trailer looked funny. It wasn't until mid-way through the game that it was pointed out to me by Grigster that this was the case. I guess it's not just games that I wouldn't have otherwise played that I'll be discovering through the New Year Free For All suggestions! Slaps and Beans was created after the developers of spaghetti western beat em up 'Schiaffi e Fagioli' opened a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter - they used the money to secure licensing to develop a tribute to the actors works, with each level based on a scene from their movies. It is a loveletter in every sense of the word.
Although I had no idea about the history of the game, it carries enough charm and laughs to keep the uninitiated entertained - the plot centres around Bud and Terence on a beat 'em up campaign in the vein of Double Dragon, Streets of Rage and Golden Axe (complete with 16 bit graphics) as they try to get back their money and save the kidnapped girl. Each character has their own set of unique moves both in combat and progression through the levels, and it's easy enough to pick up the controls - though it's fairly limited and can get quite repetitive as a result. Even Streets of Rage had a variety of combos, and that was off the time when arcade beat 'em ups were rife.
Despite it's simplistic nature, there are some genuinely fun minigames such as a top down driving segment reminiscent of Micro Machines, or a rhythm based game where hot dogs and beers are consumed. The soundtrack is gloriously put together too, with most of the tracks finding their way from the films, performed by duo Oliver Onions. It was just about the right length too, and didn't outstay it's welcome - and maybe if I had any sort of connection to Terence and Bud's films, I'd be able to score this one higher.
#ps4 #slapsandbeans #budspencer #terencehill #nukeboxharris #twitch #beatemup #fullplaythrough
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