Todd McFarlane's Spawn: The Video Game

Review

by Joshua Hoffman

You've been killed by the government you work for, burned alive by your closest military colleague. During your life, you were a ruthless killer, even if it was for your country's government. Upon your death, your soul is sent to Hell for eternal damnation. But the Devil, Malbolgia, has other plans for you. You strike a deal with the devil, allowing you to see your wife again if you serve as the general in Hell's army against Heaven. Unfortunately, the deal isn't quite the one you were expecting. Malbolgia does return you to Earth...five years after your death. Your wife is remarried to your best friend. They have a child, a child that you were unable to create during your life. If this were not bad enough, your charred flesh make you a freak among the living. You are Spawn, the most tormented of Hell's souls.

Spawn the video game takes place where this leaves off. It is a faithful recreation of the characters appearing in the pages of Todd McFarlane's Spawn comic book. The major premise behind the series is the continuing battle of good versus evil that takes place in the background of everyday life. In the video game, Spawn is out to exact revenge on the creature that created him, the devil himself: Malbolgia.

This side-scrolling action fighter is in the same vein as the Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon series for the NES. Spawn travels through areas, fighting various enemies using an assortment of abilities such as punches, kicks, flying kicks, jumps and magic (indicated by a Necroplasm meter on screen). At the end of each scene, Spawn meets a Boss which must be defeated before he is able to move onto the next stage.

Spawn is a very well done game. Although in terms of originality Spawn is very unspectacular, fans of Ninja Gaiden and Double Dragon will enjoy the simplicity of play and the quality of the graphics. Aside from straight fighting, Spawn must perform special moves to complete certain areas, and the end Bosses are no easy task to defeat. Fans of the comic series will recognize the majority of the game's enemies and Bosses, which adds to the enjoyment value of the game. In some respects the game is sordid in its cartoonish graphics and repetitiveness of action sequences and storylines, the game is simply a great deal of fun to play. It takes a good deal of practice to complete, and the variety of moves Spawn can perform will keep players interested.

Spawn the video game will find its biggest fans in the readers of the comics. But the game has much to offer to non-readers with excellent gameplay and faithfully depicted graphics.