‘South Park’ Video Game First Impression

Being a big South Park fan, taking on the absurd world of South Park: The Stick of Truth was such a blast. It was without a doubt the funniest video game I have ever played. When I heard they were releasing a sequel cleverly titled The Fractured but Whole, I knew I had to get my hands on it at some point. It has taken me a long while to finally get around to it, but thanks to Redbox, I am finally back in the cartoon world of South Park, Colorado again. And boy is it sweet.

This game picks up right where The Stick of Truth leaves off. The neighborhood kids are all busy playing as fantasy, Lord of the Rings style characters until they decide that’s lame and they decide that superheroes are the way to go instead. It is up to you to help out Cartman’s alter ego, The Coon, and his friends, who are dealing with a superhero civil war. You get to design your character and their costume and can make changes to it as you progress through the game. There are items to loot throughout the world with puzzles and skills that are unlocked as you progress throughout the story.

I am not far at all, but the main story primarily consists of different tasks and people you must defeat to achieve a high following on your social media account. The goal is to complete certain challenges for people to respect you so that they follow you on your knock-off Instagram account in-game called “Coonstagram.” Much like the real world, South Park knows that social media following means everything. This is such a great concept similar to Stick of Truth and is something that I personally think is hilarious. To “befriend” someone, you take a selfie with them and upload it to your “Coonstagram” account. You can make different faces, and it is such a funny concept that shows us just how absurd and superficial our society is in general.

As with the previous game, your character has magical farting abilities. These powers can be used in combat as well and used to interact with objects in the real world. One of the funniest things I have encountered is taking a fat steamer on a toilet, like the first game. Pretty much every building has a toilet, and a great thing this game did was add difficulty levels to each toilet you find. You can sit on one and start taking a dump that requires you to follow on-screen controls, and you build up gas and pressure until you let that turd plop into the toilet. What other game can you do that in?

Towards the beginning of the game, you get to choose between three types of superheroes. You can either be a speedster, hand-to-hand fighter, or a ranged fighter. These types can be changed throughout the game from what I understand, and there are others that get unlocked over time. The fighting is turn-based, and you have your hero allies by your side. Each partner has their unique moves and abilities and can be swapped out for others depending on what your needs are. I have found the combat to be sort of tough to understand and tedious at first, but that just might be the learning curve.

There are so many great references to the show that I have seen so far, and I can’t wait to see what else there is to come. I cracked up when I ran into my first collectible member berry, and I know that won’t be the last time I do. If you are even a slight fan of South Park, I suggest you check out this game. You will not be disappointed.