The game starts out right where the previous game left off and continues the spirit of the duo’s movies, by having Bud and Terrence try to get home from Africa only to end up in a number of situations that call back to their movies. This is a game where you can play in a two-player co-op or in a single-player mode where both characters can be instantly switched between with AI taking control of the other character. Like the first game, there are a number of sections where the gameplay is broken up into smaller puzzle sections or sections where a specific character is needed and a number of minigames that provide a great alternative. The latter can also be played from the title screen like something out of an old-school arcade, but this is also where I need to mention an issue.
While the side sections are fun, this is a beat ’em up and beat ’em ups live and die by their combat, and Slaps & Beans 2 is just not that great combat-wise. It feels completely uninspired, and even some of the improvements over the original, such as team-up attacks, counter-blocking and more, all just feel dull and unsatisfying. There is no real challenge in the game either and you can just hit a single button over and over again without any strategy, and worst of all is that the game lacks OOMPH, that feeling of weight in a beat ’em up that can make or break a game. Swapping characters can also be abused far too much to cheese through tough sections because the AI-controlled character will immediately seek out health items if they are hurt, meaning the game goes out of its way to reduce the difficulty and there is just not a lot of fun to be had.
Slaps & Beans 2 may have been the follow-up to a somewhat successful game, but it still has an uphill battle due to how obscure for most people Bud Spencer & Terrence Hill are. The game is gorgeous, and the art style really calls to mind a classic movie set, but it just isn’t enough to make the game stand out on its own. Part of the problem is that when the game was first released, the beat ’em up revival was just getting underway and a title like the first Slaps & Beans was a great novelty, but with so many more great beat ’em ups available now, both indie games and revivals of classic IP, Slaps & Beans 2 just does not have enough to stand up with the competition.
As improved as it is over its predecessor, Slaps & Beans 2 just feels way behind others in the genre that are available now, and the novelty is not enough to make up for lacklustre combat and gameplay that feels too repetitive even for a beat ’em up. It may look nice, but it does not play nice and as such, we cannot recommend Slaps & Beans 2. There are two many other great games out there that deserve the attention instead,
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
