South Park has been around for an incredibly long time, as we are now deep into it's twenty-second season at the time of writing. Surprisingly, apart from a few false starts in the Playstation and N64 era, there has never really been a good South Park game, or even an ok one for that matter. Four years ago Ubisoft enlisted Obsidian Entertainment, the developers of Fallout: New Vegas, to create a game with the South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. Parker and Stone have been pretty consistent with quality in their show, and it was very exciting to see them tackle this themselves. South Park: The Stick of Truth hit every mark available, the challenge of bringing it into the video game world as a sequel to an episode of the show had to be flawless. Which it is.
Now available on the Nintendo Switch, after the success of the near flawless port of Fractured But Whole, Stick of Truth feels like a fresh slice of portable heaven. There is no feeling more wonderful than hanging around a bus stop and wrapping your hands around a firm, quality dick joke.
The plot of Stick of Truth involves the boys (and girls) working hard to retain or capture the titular Stick, a weapon that can control all of reality if you buy into the fart obsessed mind of a child. This basic premise is mushed together with alien invasions, Khloe Kardashian's Nazi Zombie Aborted Foetus and more fart jokes than you would think was possible to get away within a single game. The game mechanics are, while simple, also complicated enough to require tactical thought and planning, as well as quick reaction times and a muzzle on your inner political correctness. The correct timing of attack and defence and Buddy use means that every battle is more interesting than any other twenty-something-season-show's tie-in could offer.
I played The Stick of Truth the first time around, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and the switch release has given the game a whole extra lease on life. The music, that sounds like a mixture between the Skyrim and Lord of the Rings soundtracks, is unbelievable. The gameplay is addictive and easy to understand and the ability to live out my dream of taking a shit, putting it in my pocket and throwing it into the face of a Homeless Nazi Zombie on an alien spaceship, has been re-realised.
Its TV episode quality, including graphics and dialogue, mixed with fresh but retro gameplay mechanics make this game an absolute gem. For anyone who is a fan of the show or RPGs in general, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a must own, and I have nothing bad to say about it. But remember. Never fart on another man's balls.
★★★★★
David Roberts
South Park: The Stick of Truth at CeX
