Long before the likes of Cheech and Chong, Jay and Silent Bob, or Amy Schumer and a forced laugh track, there was Bud Spencer and TerenceLong before the likes of Cheech and Chong, Jay and Silent Bob, or Amy Schumer and a forced laugh track, there was Bud Spencer and Terence Hill. Never heard of them? They were a duo of actors featured in a number of films between the 1950s and 1980s. Long after their fame has come and gone, the folks at Trinity Team srls have brought us Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps and Beans, a beat ‘em up based on a number of their films.
The game features a story that incorporates a number of characters and plot points from their film career, taking the player across a number of locales such as the Wild West and Miami, all in a style that is a throwback to old school coin op brawlers. The presentation captures the experience of standing in an old school arcade well, with the insert coin text appearing regularly. You'll visit beautifully captured pixel based environments, which will often begin with some mildly laughable dialogue, as tongue in cheek humor is notably present. While I never experienced any gut busting laughter from this, it warrants a few chuckles and is worth reading through your first go round.
The game is primarily a brawler, with accessible combat that is broken down into light and heavy attacks, with a block or parry option. The heavy attacks require a chunk of stamina that is replenished by eating beans or drinking beer. Various pick-ups that work as weapons are peppered in heavily and add some variety to the bland combat, although I would have preferred less pick-ups that last a bit longer, as the majority of the items are single use. Both of the characters control essentially the same, with Bud offering heavier attacks and the ability to pick up and throw enemies. Terrance is much more nimble and is more of a quick defensive character that has a devastating jump kick attack. You can change characters on the fly, with the other character being controlled by the AI or via couch co-op. The combat is fun, but becomes stale early on due to the dated combat systems. Had this game been released in the 90's, it would've been a sure fire hit, probably taking down Streets of Rage as many middle aged gamer's genre favorite.
There are a number of mini games that help break up the monotony of the combat, which are all hit or miss. Early into the game there is a segment where you must chase an enemy on horseback to reach his speeding train, all while evading debris thrown at regular intervals. This wouldn't be overly difficult if you didn't get hung up on the AI or your partner in the event you try to move in the same direction they are currently residing, often resulting in both characters being pushed back a good distance, ending in failure. I rather enjoyed the QTE-ish gun duels that pop up from time to time though.
Honestly, this is a bit long for the genre, clocking in around three hours if you read each and every text box, with about 45 minutes to an hour shaved off if you skip them. The levels change up the environment often enough that none of the levels really outstay their welcome, although the lack of a proper save feature left me having to complete a few of the levels multiple times due to exiting at the wrong time. With a varied and decently sized achievement list, there is a lot to do if you're looking to pad your gamerscore or trophy level, but outside of this there is little reason to revisit the game unless you want to embark on the journey with a friend locally.
The game falls on the easy side outside of some of the mini games that more often than not provide no tutorial on how to proceed. While not overly taxing, I failed most of these on the first attempt, with few deaths resulting from the actual combat, even on the hardest difficulty. This makes the title standout as a great co-op experience for younger players, with the mini games being the only areas I had to take over for my young child.
Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps and Beans offers some great co-op brawling fun, albeit a dated experience. While it doesn't bring any of the new mechanics other recent brawlers like the amazing Raging Justice, it succeeds as being a great throwback to a simpler time in gaming.… Expand
