SPAWN: IN THE DEMON'S HAND (DC)

Publisher: Eidos Interactive.
Developer: Capcom. 
Released: January 2001 (Europe).
Genre: Action.


Posted 9th February 2020.
By Shane Battams © 2020

​Despite multiple attempts, Todd McFarlane’s Spawn never seemed to have much luck outside of the pages of comic books. Whether it was the 1997 film or the long line of critically-mauled video game tie-ins, these outings failed to do justice to the anti-hero. However, In the Demon’s Hand had the potential to break this trend. With SEGA’s NAOMI hardware powering it, the arcade brawler would make its way to Dreamcast in 2000. While it’s rather shallow fare, Capcom’s effort proves a violent, oddball game with some of the strangest unlockable characters out there, even for a comic license. These give it legs, and make for perhaps the best Spawn game available at the time – albeit somewhat by default.

In the Demon’s Hand is a brawler bearing some similarities to Powerstone, though it’s very much its own beast. Taking place in a handful of distinct arenas, ranging from a back alley to Hell itself, players can choose from more than thirty characters and do battle in a variety of modes, the rules of which vary. Boss Attack sees you fight a gauntlet of villains from the comics, either alone or with either other players or CPU, as you deal with spawning minions as well. These are timed, and deaths result in time penalties rather than failure. Team Battle pits two characters against another team, with the most points resulting in victory, and Battle Royal is like a Fatal-4-Way, with the winner earning the most points. Arcade allows multiple players to join in these modes, while Tournament lets you fight against a series of CPU. It’s a fine assortment of modes, with nothing particularly outstanding.
Spawn: In the Demon's Hand SEGA Dreamcast gameplay
Spawn utilises SEGA's NAOMI arcade architecture to make for a shallow but fun experience
Spawn benefits from one of the most diverse, oddball rosters in fighting history. As you complete Arcade with certain characters, a slew of unlockable fighters become available. These include several versions of Spawn as well as popular side characters such as Sam & Twitch, Cogliostro and Clown. These prove strange enough, but on top of that, several of the grunts who aide the bosses can also be unlocked and useable in every mode. Be it a wolf, angelic figures, mafiosos and almost all of the bosses themselves too, which just to make things weirder, featuring a giant metal ape called Cy-Gor. The cool part of this insanity is that every character possesses their own unique attacks, weapons and traits, with the larger bosses proving lumbering but powerful. Fans of the comic should be well satisfied, but with such an assortment of oddities, it also has appeal for those on the outside.
Unfortunately, Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand is too shallow a fighter to present any substantial longevity for solo players. While characters do come with different weaponry, and other items can be found during combat. there’s no combo system in place and fights often boil down to a similar routine: attack the enemy until they are knocked down, they retaliate thanks to a slight invincibility period, and you return the favour. It becomes rote pretty quickly. The inclusion of Powerstone-esque gems, which increase speed, defence and offence but are dropped upon being struck, don’t really factor in enough to make a meaningful improvement. While there’s novelty in exploring all the ludicrous characters you can unlock, the lack of variation or depth in combat renders these qualities somewhat mute. The easy to learn systems do give it some quick-play appeal, and the action is gory and riotous enough to make multiplayer pretty fun, but it doesn’t stack up to the best of the system.
Spawn: In the Demon's Hand SEGA Dreamcast gameplay lock-on
A host of oddball characters and over-the-top action in spades helps Spawn stand out from other comic licenses of the time
In the Demon’s Hand does benefit from technical prowess, proving another fantastic arcade port under the Dreamcast’s belt in terms of power. The action never chugs despite chaotic sequences including dismemberment, blood fountains and explosions. Characters look nicely detailed; environs are varied and multi-layered and destructible elements only add to the action. It also effectively brings Todd McFarlane’s comic to 3D, looking rather good in the process. The sound is a bit less successful, with a small handful of metal-infused tracks lacking distinction, and the occasional voice snippet proving unremarkable, bar maybe the announcer’s demonic cackles. The sound effects are appropriately grungy, with gruesome decapitations and explosive action meshing with sword slices and gunfire. It's chaotic, but not always successful.

While it’s certainly not the best fighting game out there, Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand proves a bit of a guilty pleasure, and one of the few games to do some semblance of justice to its source material. Sure, the fighting is pretty shallow and there’s not much longevity to it. But the outrageous roster, gory action and multiplayer madness give it far more credibility than some of the games to come from Todd MacFarlane’s comic. While solo players may tire of this one quickly, if you’re looking for a decent substitute between multiplayer bouts of Powerstone and Marvel Vs. Capcom, this manic fighting game should be just the ticket.
VERDICT
"Spawn: In the Demon’s Hand proves a bit of a guilty pleasure. It's one of the few games to do some semblance of justice to its source material, even if it’s not the best fighting game out there."



OVERALL: 6/10