GAMES REVIEW: South Park: The Stick of Truth

Reviewing TV Show licensed video games can be a very self destructive past time, as in recent years most have been nothing but quick cash grabs, with ugly visuals, tired or non-existent stories, and boring gameplay. I, on the other hand, have had better luck with licensed games, from all the social games I’ve played I rarely have played one that was so mind-numbingly awful it made me want to vomit liquid hatred (Check my Review of Gravity Falls: ). South Park: The Stick of Truth has been a game I’ve been looking forward to, but kind of worried for as it was pushed back multiple times but now its here for us all to see. But to see its raunchy brilliance or its fan service cash grabbing?

You star as the fabled new kid who has just moved to South Park, and as soon as you move in you become embroiled in the larding escapades between the grand wizard Cartman’s band of humans and the elven army lead by the leader of the elves Kyle. The two factions fight over The Stick of Truth and your job as the newly christened Sir Douchebag must protect it but as usual, not everything is as straightforward in South Park as you progress you’ll uncover a diabolical plot bent on destroying the town and fight homeless people, butt probing aliens, and fetuses. So, a true family-friendly classic.

Now I knew going into the game that Stick of Truth was an RPG but what I didn’t suspect was that South Park: The Stick of Truth has a surprisingly deep and intuitive fight. It’s classic turn-based combat where you select your attack, then your target and with some correctly timed clicks or button presses, you perform your devastating move. Many reviewers have compared the system to the Paper Mario series, as not only are you able to attack but your characters can defend and counteract enemies which definitely puts more of a flow into the combat. There is also the traditional buffs and debuffs added to the combat but it also affects the enemies too for better or for worst. This system is complex enough that it isn’t just a one button mash fest but intuitive enough that it allows you to quickly and efficiently change strategies for each conflict. All this makes for a truly ingenious fighting system that never gets dull.

There are four classes you may choose from, fighter, mage, thief, and Jew (Only in a South Park game) and each require a very different strategy during combat to utilize each of these classes signature moves and perks. This is definitely what will boost the replayability of this game, along with the plethora of collectible Chipokomon. The other leveling system has to do with the other collection mechanic, that being who many Facebook friends can you get. As you go through the game you will meet and talk with all the members of South Park and after obtaining a set number of friends you gain a perk which can be from adding extra damage to your range weapons to boosting your health. This system I found to be the most fun to level up in because not only do you get sweet perks, but the later received Facebook messages are hilarious to read. Except for Al Gore. Finish his mission ASAP because seriously like actual Facebook messaging he’ll get on your nerves.

The only other attributes to mention about the fighting system is the shielding system, magic, and summons. In the Top corner of your and your opponents’ health bars, there are shields with a number inside, this number dictates how much damage one can sustain before you get injured. For example, if I’m facing a Nazi Fetus with a shield level of 245 and my attack only does 150 the attack is practically negated and you only do 1 damage. I had some trouble understanding this system at first because theoretically, you are able to use attacks to smash down the shield level, to the point where it won’t negate your attacks, but these are from specific attacks. Attacks that based on the description feel few and far between, a much more thorough explanation of the shielding system would have been nice but for what we got it works just fine. It’ll just take a lot of experimentation to beat that shielding system, which if you think about adds another layer of complexity to the combat. For better or for worst, is based more on personal taste.

Magic in this game is farting. There’s no more sensible way to put it. Throughout the game, you as deemed douchebag most hone and utilize four great magical farts to use in combat and make it through in-game obstacles. Actually, the game’s non-combat sections are filled with many very well placed environment puzzles where you must use your farts and your partners’ special abilities to overcome them. These environmental puzzles and the combat really cement a thinking process in gameplay, always keeping you on your toes and always trying to think two steps ahead. A type of gameplay style that I found very addicting.

Finally we have the summons. The game’s biggest spectacle set pieces. You use one of four items to summon either Mr. Hankey, Jesus, Mr. Kim, or Mr. Slave and in a gloriously animated set piece, they will kill all enemies on screen and then fly away, winning the battle for you. These 4 are your “Get Out of Tough Fights” free card, used when you feel like you’re about to die or tired of slogging through a difficult fight. It’s a ton of fun watching each cutscene and it just never gets hilariously old to see Mr. Slave shove an enemy up his ass. But saying this you can only use each summon once per day, not against boss fights, and must be unlocked by completing each of these characters’ side quest.

But with all this said about the fantastic combat and environmental puzzles, South Park: The Stick of Truth’s ultimate achievement is how flawlessly it immerses you into the world of South Park. The Stick of Truth feels exactly like playing through a whole seasons worth of episodes and your character is the main star. Without even having you say a single word, the characters make you feel like you are interacting with them, and their world and that just makes the raunchy as hell humour at your silent protagonist’s expense all the more hilarious, as well as paint your character a bit of an emotionally dead psycho.

Those multiple delays that the game went through were not in vain as Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s brand of introspective and yet raunchy humour remains top notch. Adding in the avalanche of easter eggs and references to the original show and you get a game that is complete shameless fan service but none of it feels insulting as the writing, the environment, and the design all is used to strengthen your immersion into the world of South Park. This is one of the best-licensed games I have ever played and one of the few games that I had to replay as soon as I beat it. Stick of Truth is just non stop fun for 12-15 hours if you’re speed running but if you are like me and love exploring you can spend countless hours in the genius world of South Park. If you are at all a South Park fan this game is definitely for you.