Bud Spencer and Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans 2 – Review

The original Bud Spencer and Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans was a bit of an oddity in terms of concept: a beat ‘em up game starring two deceased Italian movie stars, best known for dubbed action-comedies of the ‘60s and ‘70s. The title proved to be successful enough to warrant a sequel, however, partially thanks to a Kickstarter campaign. While the original Slaps and Beans flew under our radar, we do have fond memories of seeing the titular gentlemen in titles like Watch Out, We’re Mad! or Miami Supercops. As such, when we got the chance to take a look at Bud Spencer and Terence Hill: Slaps and Beans 2, we were more than happy to oblige. How does developer Trinity Team’s homage to these movie icons hold up?

Story

Picking up where the first Slaps and Beans left off, our heroes find themselves shipwrecked and looking for a way home. They wash up on the shores of an African country, where they run into a band of banana smugglers threatening the livelihood of an orphanage run by nuns. Yes, you read that sentence correctly, and yes, this is the kind of ride we’re getting into here. After dealing with a corrupt US ambassador, who happens to be the leader of the smuggling ring, Bud and Terence are then rescued by a secret service agency and taken back to the US. Because of the clothes they are wearing, they are mistaken for a pair of secret agents. Our heroes decide to play along and they are drafted into accepting new missions, which is where Slaps and Beans 2 begins in earnest. Given that Slaps and Beans 2 is literally billed as a film in the opening credits, we’d be doing the game a disservice by giving any more spoilers. Rest assured though, that Slaps and Beans 2 delivers a faithful homage to the slapstick adventures that the real-life Bud Spencer and Terence Hill were known for in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Graphics

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that a game that aims to emulate a 1970s action comedy is a visual treat, and Slaps and Beans 2 certainly delivers. Just like its predecessor, Slaps and Beans 2 makes use of gorgeous pixel art, filled with details. The various locations that the famous duo visits provide plenty of visual variety too. One very minor gripe we had with the visuals is that cutscenes are mostly presented from a side-scrolling perspective as well. While this is understandable from a gameplay perspective, some of the scenes are so cinematic in nature that they practically scream for different camera angles and a decent montage. It’s a testament to how well the game captures the feeling of this being a real film of the duo otherwise.

Sound

In addition to the fantastic visuals, Slaps and Beans 2 also delivers on the audio front. The soundtrack is particularly catchy, from the song that plays over the opening credits as our heroes drive a bus to the orphanage to the cheerful music that accompanies the many brawls. The game features full voice acting as well, and the cast does an admirable job, although it’s occasionally noticeable that the actors weren’t in the recording booth together, resulting in an awkward pause here and there. The sound mixing could have used some more work, although this is only a minor blip on what is an otherwise excellent soundscape.

Gameplay

The bulk of Slaps and Beans 2’s gameplay consists of beat ‘em up segments, which can be taken on either solo, or together with a friend in co-op. If you take on Slaps and Beans 2 by yourself, both characters will still appear on screen with AI controlling the character you’re not, and you’re able to swap between Bud and Terence at the push of a button. True to their depiction in the movies, each hero has a distinct fighting style, with Bud acting as a slower heavy hitter and Terence as an acrobatic and faster fighter who dishes out less damage. Of note is that their moves accurately mimic those of their on-screen counterparts, which results in light-hearted slapstick action, like Bud picking up enemies and throwing them, or the pair teaming up to push an enemy back and forth between them. For as simple as the button setup is, with B and Y acting as basic attack buttons and X allowing you to interact with specific objects, there is a surprising amount of visual variety when it comes to Bud and Terence’s moves. That’s without even getting into the special attacks, which are activated by pressing B and Y simultaneously. These powerful attacks consume stamina from a meter, which is appropriately refilled by eating beans.

It’s not just the sheer variety of moves that Bud and Terence possess that keeps things fresh. The stages are well thought out, with scenes that add clever twists to the core mechanics and add to the overall cinematic feeling of Slaps and Beans 2. The ability to throw objects is in essence a simple action that you can utilize pretty much anywhere, but it takes on a whole different dimension when it is used in an arcade-style bar brawl where you can only throw things instead of using your fists. Likewise, boss battles are a highlight, where you’ll need to actually figure out how to defeat a boss by making use of things in the vicinity rather than simply punch your way through. Simple environmental puzzles where swapping between both characters to use their abilities to create a pathway further break up any sense of monotony. And that’s without even getting into the mini-games! For as simple of a game Slaps and Beans 2 is from a mechanical perspective, the execution is fantastic. This is truly a game where the sum is greater than the individual parts.

As for those mini-games, these should be seen as set pieces when it comes to the cinematic story approach. Each chapter of Slaps and Beans 2 introduces a separate mini-game, and you’ll need to win this to progress through the story. Whether it’s a rhythm game where the aim is to eat as much food as possible or a QTE-based military obstacle course, each of these will put a smile on your face, as they perfectly capture the trademark humor of the films that Slaps and Beans is based on. You can even replay the mini-games at your leisure in an arcade mode that is accessible from the main menu.

We should note that if there is one area where Slaps and Beans 2 is lacking in terms of gameplay, it’s in replay value. Don’t get us wrong, the game gives you plenty of bang for your buck in terms of the amount of content you get, but the way things are structured doesn’t exactly invite you to return to the game any time soon after completing it. Slaps and Beans 2 is divided into chapters that each take roughly 15 minutes on average to complete, although a significant part of those 15 minutes includes dialogue and story scenes. Upon completing a chapter, you are scored according to how fast it took you to complete it, how much damage you took versus how much you dished out, etc. Combined with several difficulty levels, this would, in theory, mean that there is plenty of incentive to return to previous levels. However, the strength of Slaps and Beans 2 lies in the feeling of surprise and figuring out how our heroes should complete specific tasks. If you skip the story content on a replay and already know how to deal with enemies, you might get things done faster or more efficiently, but without the sense of wonder and feeling of surprise, Slaps and Beans 2 loses a lot of its luster. As such, while we absolutely love what Trinity Team has cooked up here, we won’t be returning to Slaps and Beans 2 any time soon… but we’d eagerly take on Slaps and Beans 3!

Conclusion

The real-life Bud Spencer and Terence Hill may no longer be among us, but their digital counterparts certainly know how to entertain. While Slaps and Beans 2 may not offer the deepest mechanics, there is enough variety here to keep things fresh throughout the entire runtime of the adventure -provided you only play through it once. Slaps and Beans 2’s biggest weakness is its lack of replay value, but fortunately, a single playthrough provides plenty of laughs, action, and genuine fun. If you have fond memories of the classic films of the duo, this is a must-have title.

SebastiaanRaats

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