Ron Gilbert comes back with Deathspank!

I had heard the name Deathspank thrown around a bit before, but I had never really delved into any details about the game. So it's no surprise that I had no idea Ron Gilbert was working on this project until just a couple days ago when he and hothead Games talked about it at PAX 2009. Just the mention of his name has now got me interested in this project, and I've started watching tons of videos and interviews about it.

For anybody who doesn't know who Ron Gilbert is, he's the guy who created the Secret of Monkey Island, among a few of the sequels... as well as creating the SCUMM game engine which powered pretty much all of the old Lucasarts adventure games.

Deathspank will not be an adventure game, however it will have elements from that genre. It's being penned as Diablo meets Monkey Island, pretty much meaning it will be an Action RPG, but there will also be dialogue trees, puzzle solving, and item combination. The combat should be enough to keep you from being too bored when you get stuck on a puzzle, and it should keep the game lively.

The whole thing seems like a nice change of pace, and since Ron Gilbert is the genius behind the comedy in a lot of the old Lucasarts adventures, the comedy should be top notch. Actually, from what I've seen of the game so far, the comedy IS top notch.

The graphical style, while not technically superior, has such a nice charm to it. everything looks very cartoony and 2D, while not relying on cel-shading. The characters all have a very distinct style to them, and the backgrounds go into a nice horizon line, almost like you're traveling around on a tiny planet.

The game is looking pretty good so far, and I'm definitely excited that Ron Gilbert is finally doing some more stuff. No release date has been given yet, but be sure to look for more info on the game in the coming months. You can also check out the game's official website here.