Bud Spencer & Terence Hill - Slaps And Beans

As expected, and unlike the Noi Siamo Angeli game from 1997 (a series with Bud Spencer), this time they have opted for the genre that suits them best: the beat ‘em up (me against the neighbourhood). At the start of the game, we can decide whether to play as Terence or as Bud.

The game is specially designed for two players, but if there’s no one else to play with, the machine takes control of the other character, and we can control them whenever we want with a button that allows us to change from one character to the other.

The two are essentially controlled in the same way, although there are certain differences when it comes to executing their movements. We have one button to attack, one to make a special move, one to grab things (or enemies) and another to defend ourselves.  One of the best details of this game is the close attention they have paid to the original material, so the movements that we see in the game are taken from the films of these two legendary actors.

The game has a lot of details which make it especially interesting for fans of the sucker-punching duo and even for fans of action games in general. During the gameplay, we encounter a handful of situations that change the tone of the game through the use of mini-games and this often makes sense because of the track record of these actors' films.

Unfortunately, making a good videogame is more than just taking source material and seeing how scenes can be turned into gameplay elements. You have to measure timings, intensities, and create scenes in the most memorable and least boring way possible. And unfortunately, this is where Slap and Beans fails slightly, especially if we play the game in one go.

On the other hand, if we play as if each scene were a film, this defect is less noticeable. It’s a shame, but we must admit that the beat ‘em up genre is very weak in this aspect, and there are very few games that know how to manage this problem efficiently.

Fortunately, where we can say that it really shines, especially for those who appreciate good pixel art, is in the graphics. We constantly have the feeling of being inside one of this duo’s films, but as if the game were designed for a slightly more powerful device than 16-bit machines or consoles.

But where the game really reaches exceptional levels is in the sound.  From the first moment there is music taken from the films, with some of it sung, and sounds taken directly from films such as They Call Me Trinity and later works, including the classic sound of the hammer falling on enemies when Bud's fist lands on their heads. This is all done with a lot of spaghetti western character, while being relatively faithful to the 16-bit game category, so there are no relatively complex voices in this game, everything is in text and is usually well translated.

It must be said that this game must be taken for what it is, a tribute to a genre of cinema and actors who left their mark in certain parts of the world. In itself it is a fantastic product, but if we stick to the fact that it is an arcade game of a certain genre, it is not the best example, despite its good art and sound.