For years, there were whispers of another South Park game. This year, those whispers became a reality. On March 4, South Park: Stick of Truth was released, and what an adventure it has been for both fans of South Park and role playing games (RPGs).
South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker teamed up with developer Obsidian Entertainment to create the ultimate role playing game for fans of the show. Obsidian had previously developed RPG hits such as Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Fallout: New Vegas, so it had the experience necessary to make the game a hit. Parker and Stone’s influence on the game was heavy, as they also voiced most of the characters (like in the show), and the storyline is definitely one that sprouted from their fantastical minds.
You start off as the New Kid, a player that you get to design and modify as the game goes on. After being kicked out of the house and told to go make new friends, you head out into the streets of South Park. It’s not long until you run into Butters, who invites you to partake in a fantasy game involving a war between the humans (led by Cartman, who is a wizard, and Princess Kenny) and the elves (led by Kyle and Stan).
This eventually leads you into a saga in which your character gets a new moniker from Cartman (Sir or Miss D*******g) while you go on to fight ginger hall monitors at South Park Elementary, get abducted by aliens and lead the charge against an army of Nazi zombies. The unbelievably out-there storyline written by Parker and Stone goes along perfectly with the general idiocy and dirty comedy that is seen in every episode of the long-running series. Cartman sprouts out profanity-laced and hilarious quotes almost every time he talks, and Kyle whines a lot about Cartman’s shenanigans. No surprises here.
At first, the controls are a little difficult to get used to, but once the player gets in to the action, they pose no problem. The player gets to choose what class they want to be a part of: warrior, magician, thief or Jew. Your skills and mana (magic) are dependent on which class the player selects. For example, I chose the warrior class, so I had basic, ranged and special attacks according to that class, in addition to the ability to use my mana to unleash deadly fart-based attacks on my enemies.
Overall, South Park: Stick of Truth is easily one of the best games I have played in a while. As an avid South Park fan as well as a hardcore gamer, it was definitely an experience that I enjoyed. The combination of gameplay, story, setting and characters made me feel as if I was participating in my very own South Park movie. The game is surely going to be one of the bestsellers and best overall game of the year, and it’s definitely deserving of that moniker.
Critic’s Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com