South Park the Stick of Truth follows the New Kid, who moves to the quiet little mountain town under mysterious pretenses, and quickly falls into a raging battle between elves and the noble warriors of the Kingdom of Kupa Keep (KKK... yes, they call themselves that.) The epic struggle is over the titular Stick of Truth, the owner of which can control the universe. Well... not really. See, the kids of South Park are engaged in a town-wide LARPing session, complete with leveling, custom weapons, armor, classes, and the like. This puts an interesting spin on the show's universe, as everyday locales like the school or Jimbo's Guns become dungeons or supply stores. And instead of going all "Calvin and Hobbes," the writers wisely chose to make it perfectly clear that these are little kids pretending to be in a role-playing game, and decided to build off that concept.
The result is one of the more clever video games in recent memory. Narrative tropes, worn gameplay mechanics and other aspects of role-playing games are put on display and mocked here. When learning the turn-based battle system, a character questions why they have to wait their turns, only for Cartman to bark that it's "like olden times." Naming your custom character is irrelevant because you'll end up going by "D*uchebag" for the majority of the game. Other things of this nature help solidify this is as a tongue-in-cheek parody of the genre, complete with visual and verbal cues to famous series. As a functional, funny parody of an established type of game, it's a rollicking success.
On top of that, it's "South Park" at its absolute finest. Beneath the clever satire, we have Matt Stone and Trey Parker's signature blend of shock humor and gross-out gags. Only this time, it's a lot funnier than many recent episodes of the show itself have been, as it feels less constrained by time and censorship, and more like a creative burst of lovably vile, gut-busting energy. Before playing this game, I would have laughed in disbelief at the concept of beating up meth heads for coffee ingredients, or using different types of farts to solve puzzles, but lo and behold, these are both things that you'll end up doing in game. Admittedly, some jokes wear thin after a while, and as is the nature of licensed games, hearing certain characters repeat lines in different circumstances makes them lose some of their luster. As a whole, though, this is still a very funny and fresh experience.
And yes, despite the copious amounts of "South Park" fan service, clever satire, and rip-roaring gags, this is still a game. Actually, it's quite a good one, and I say this as an avid fan of RPGs. The turn-based combat is only tight and fun (if not a bit easy,) and holds a surprising amount of depth to it. Aside from wailing on opponents with a variety of humorous weapons, you'll also have to learn how to break down enemy armor, counter different stances, and handle the buff/debuff system. Players who are weary of turn-based RPGs might find solace in the fact that you'll be doing a lot more than clicking commands, as using attacks often requires a series of button presses or flicks of the analog sticks. Of course, you won't only be locked in fights for the entire game, which is where the sizable overworld comes into play. As the new kid, you and a "Buddy" of your choice can wander around South Park taking side quests, finding collectibles, and making friends to add to your Facebook-esque list of pals. There's plenty to do, all around, and both the combat and exploration aspects of "Stick" are admirable in their execution.
One's opinion on the graphics and sound in this game will boil down to how much they like South Park. I feel like it captures the visual style and musical elements perfectly, right down to the crude walking animations. The music sounds like a mixture of Western RPG soundtracks and the typical musical motifs one would expect from the series, even blending the two occasionally. It looks like South Park, sounds like South Park, and most importantly feels like South Park.
To put it bluntly, this isn't intended for general audiences. It’s for people who like either like South Park, RPGs, or both, and if you don’t fall into that category, odds are that it isn't for you. Just because it has a limited audience, however, doesn't make it a bad game by any stretch of the imagination.And, to go out on a limb, it’s one of the most devilishly original and fun role-playing games to come along in a few years, albeit a simplistic one.
Trailer
Gameplay
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