Despite several exceptions, ultimately there has been a growing conception over the last many years that television / film to video game adaptations end up being on average at best if not very lacklustre. From E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on the Atari 2600 which was a contributing factor to the video game industry crash of 1983 to more recent attempts that botch the fantastic concepts from the source material… I personally treat any adaptation regardless of the franchise with scepticism and hesitation.
But with years of development put into it and in turn several publishing delays partly initiated by the transition of publishers from THQ to Ubisoft, one would think that with the creative minds of Trey Parker and Matt Stone on board that Obsidian Entertainment’s South Park: The Stick of Truth would be a highlight rather than another statistic for this trend. Fortunately, while there are a couple of minor hiccups along the way, The Stick of Truth ended up being a surprisingly enjoyable experience that works well with everything one would expect from the South Park franchise.
Storyline
Taking place in the not-so-quiet town of “South Park”, you play as the “New Kid” (Aka. *Insert Name Here*, Douchebag) whose parents have relocated to the down for reasons hidden from the player. Encouraged by them to go out and make friends, (s)he runs into the latest live action RPG being run by the TV series regulars and not-so-regulars alike. They are divided into two factions, battling over the “legendary” Stick of Truth which purportedly gives whomever holds it great power. While events are initially depicted as being mere creativity from the minds of grade-school children… they are often elaborate enough that the boundaries between reality and imagination are often tested infront of the viewer, for comical effect.
From this initial premise Obsidian Entertainment and the South Park team manage to successfully build off a tonne of video game tropes, fourth wall breaking, in-jokes for the series and plenty of other things that I highly doubt many other games would be able to pull off quite so well. Ever thought you would see a game that stars both Nazi Zombies and Al Gore? Well, now you have!
The Stick of Truth is in essence a broad-approached South Park episode that rather than being a half-hour episode is delivered in a significantly longer video game format. For those who have enjoyed the now seventeen seasons of South Park you should already know and enjoy what you are getting into… while those who haven’t been won over by its distinct and at times crude approach to satire would be probably be better off looking someplace else.
While Saints Row IV was able to be published in the Australian market last year by omitting content that supposedly might damage the pure ears / eyes of innocent Australian adults, the development team decided to not go down without taking a jab at attempts to classify and essentially censor the game in selected markets. In markets such as Australia where South Park: The Stick of Truth risked by refused classification and banned from being sold, censored content is met with a message like below to acknowledge the removed content while still textually depicting the events taking place. Honestly, sometimes these messages can be funnier than I can imagine the real content would be…. at least I hope so.
Design / Music / Voice Acting
South Park has always featured a distinct style of animation, which in past games has been incorporated with varying degrees of success, from decent to attempts at bringing the characters into a 3D world. Rather than potentially screwing with what has been a landmark for the series since the beginning, Obsidian Entertainment have based their designs and gameplay around keeping full authenticity of the animation style. Playing South Park: The Stick of Truth is essentially playing in a highly authentic looking recreation of the TV series, and aside from the odd hiccup is nearly flawless. Similar to the storyline, the developers toy with different visual tropes for comical and at times outlandish effect.
Playing with music styles similar in tone to what you would expect to see in games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, South Park: The Stick of Truth features a number of creative tunes that build off the “fantasy” rather than the “reality” of the game world.
You are in control of a silent protagonist throughout the whole game (and unlike other games it is not implied that he interacts without audible dialogue), however the remainder of the character cast are reprised by their standard voice actress / actresses where applicable. Nothing worse than seeing a TV / Film series port where the original cast don’t even bother voicing their respective characters.
Gameplay
While building off RPG tropes in the visual and storyline criteria, South Park: The Stick of Truth also features a lightweight but still fully functional RPG battle system. The battle system makes use of a turn-based battle system where you and a single party member (switchable during battle) go up against a swarm of enemies. Some of the battle system mechanics you will be familiar with from other RPG’s such as attacking, stat boosts or using skills, while others such as the “Farting” mechanics are more exclusive to this game.
It is a “no frills” sort of system with easily identifiable approaches to defeating general enemies, however leaves room for more tactical insight during the boss fight. Some of the battle abilities also transition outside of the battle system, requiring you to shoot targets or destroy areas of the environment using little more than your Dragon “Fart” Shout and an ill placed candle. The battles can become tedious at points, and a bit more challenge in general fights would not have gone astray.
There is little setting apart the different character classes in the game aside from a few spells / skills, with no limitations on the equipment you can equip the “New Kid” with. Therefore if you get half-way through the game and decide you want to play as a Thief over a Mage, you won’t necessarily have to restart the entire game (However can miss out on some achievements / skills). Other than this, character customization is relatively rudimentary and comes down to aesthetics, with additional attire / appearance options being unlocked throughout the game.
Aside from the main quests, in true RPG style there are many optional side-quests that will take you all around South Park. Most of these are simple quests such as tracking down a missing iPod or aiding Al Gore in placing ManBearPig trackers across town. But at the same time these generally have some form of storyline benefit, if not just adding to the quirkiness of the South Park universe.
There is also the option of making new friends on Facebook…. but I will let you find out what benefits are associated with this for yourself (Trophy Hunters note: There are trophies / achievements associated with them).
Final Words on South Park: The Stick of Truth
While South Park: The Stick of Truth seems to have been in production for a lot longer than necessary, the end product successfully merged the unique style of comedy produced each and every year by the South Park production team and the game development skills of Obsidian Entertainment. Playing through this game feels just like you are playing through a season of the television series – or two given the approximate time to finish the game. A truly entertaining experience from start to finish, and a gold standard should anyone decide to make another South Park game.
