One of the first booths you came across while entering New York Comic Con was South Park building (above) that played about 7 minutes of new gameplay and cinematic footage for the upcoming game South Park: The Stick of Truth. I wasn’t able to record any of the footage for you but here comes an in depth review of the 7 minutes I saw with my own two eyeballs.
In the beginning…
The video started as though you were watching an episode of South Park. Cartman leads his Dungeons and Dragons-esque group of misfits into a local pub (Juice Bar… you forget they’re 4th graders sometimes) looking for The Bard – a fantastical (evil) songstress, poet and withholds information on The Stick of Truth (Jimmy for South Park fans). The cutscenes follow Butters and a silent, unnamed protagonist (Cartman refers to him as “Sir Douche Bag”). You traverse someone’s basement (err, the wide open plains of Mordor) and find The Bard. He refuses to give you information and a battle begins.
Gameplay
At this point the cutscenes end and the meat of the game begins. For those unaware, SP: The Stick of Truth is a turn based RPG. You start as Butters who has a series of hammer and lightning attacks. While Sir Douche Bag has a long sword for attacking. The Bard has several elf minions fight for him while he sings and gives the elves attack/defense upgrades.
Let me stop for a second: For those of you concerned this game won’t retain the South Park comedy within the game, let me put your mind at ease. The elves shoot suction cup darts at you. At one point Butters attack was to play Rock, Paper… Roshambo! Where a swift kick in the junk ends the fight. Don’t get me wrong, this is not some campy joke game launched for a cash-in. Some NPC’s took brutal hits and many characters got bloody or were lit on fire. This is South Park.
After the battle, The Bard scurries away and you’re in hot pursuit. From here you can see some battling outside of the traditional RPG style. Sir Douche Bag can throw dodgeballs to break windows or attack upcoming enemies from a distance. Also, you can fart on people. A lot.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get any hands-on playtime with the game (it was just the video) but the game looks polished. It retains its South Park humor and looks like it’ll be a fun experience. Whether you’re a fan of the show or a fan of RPGs, don’t worry. South Park: The Stick of Truth should quench your thirst.
