I think my parents got more excited about the fact I was reviewing a game about Bud Spencer and Terence Hill than me. It’s not that I wasn’t looking forward to it (I had heard good things about the PC version of Slaps and Beans and I had watched a few of their movies back in the past), but they had a lot more contact with their movies throughout their life than I had, especially my Italian-born mother. I’m glad to say that Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps And Beans isn’t just a cheap licensed title aimed at fans of the Italian duo. Despite some flaws, it’s a nice arcade title that feels right at home on Nintendo’s handheld.

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps And Beans is a straightforward beat’em-up reminiscent of the likes of Streets of Rage and Final Fight, albeit simplified. You take control of either Bud Spencer (Carlo Pedersoli), the big bulky brawler, or Terence Hill (Mario Girotti), the fast and nimble archetype. Each level is based off one of the duo’s famous movies, including references to They Call Me Trinity and Miami Supercops. The developers have even managed to secure the rights to some of those movies’ famous tunes and they are played throughout the game. Since my Bud-Terence nostalgia isn’t exactly large, that didn’t impress me as much as it would have were I a massive fan, but thankfully those songs are already great in their own right.

The game also features excellent 16-bit graphics, featuring tons of detail and great animations. The developers have managed to properly recreate the duo’s movies in this graphical style with an immense level of fidelity, with great props to the Western-based level (the first one).

Not everything is hunky dory, though. Slaps And Beans features a significant flaw, and that lies in its gameplay. Simply put, while the controls are easy to grasp and the character movement is fast and responsive, the combat system is somewhat subpar. There are very few combos for each character and the overall mechanics are a bit stiff. The lack of variety is what bugs me the most. With the excellent exception of the fact you can pick up downed enemies and use them as “ranged weapons”, as well as a nice (but overpowered) parrying system, there’s not much else in this game’s combat system. You’ll constantly mindlessly push the Y button until everyone around you is on the floor. It’s still fun, but not as much as it should have been.

Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps And Beans has its fair share of flaws but it’s still a great and funny addition to the Switch’s library, especially if you’re a beat-em-up enthusiast. It’s a must-have for fans of the Italian duo. I’m glad to announce this is yet another Kickstarter project that actually managed to live up to its expectations, even if the combat system could have been polished a bit more.

 

Graphics: 8.5 Excellent 16-bit visuals with an impressive level of detail and sharp animations.	Gameplay: 6.5 While easy to play, the gameplay isn’t exactly exciting due to subpar fighting mechanics and very few combos.
Sound: 8.5 The game features some classic licensed tunes from the duo’s older movies, as well as some comical sound effects.	Fun Factor: 7.5 While a very entertaining brawler with a great sense of humor, as well as a godsend to fans of the two actors, the game is really short and features a flawed fighting system.
Final Verdict: 7.5

Reviewed on Switch.
Also available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC.
A copy of Bud Spencer & Terence Hill: Slaps And Beans was provided by the publisher.