Review
Review | South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS4)
The PS4 re-release is still Trey Parker and Matt Stone love letter to video games.
Back in 2014; Trey Parker and Matt Stone brought us South Park: The Stick of Truth, a title that could only be described as a love letter to the gaming community. The HD version is not so much an improvement but more of an opportunity to experience this homage if you missed it the first time.
South Park: The Stick of Truth was a flawless at the time of release and it still holds up today. It’s hard to improve a flawless masterpiece but the HD version fixes many of the minor issues of the original while also giving fans the luxury of playing it on an Eighth Gen console.
Oh My God, They Killed Kenny!
This mythical tale follows the journey of a new kid whose arrival has been foretold in the prophecy. The Stick of Truth has been stolen and war between the Kingdom of Kupa Keep (lead by Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick) and the Elves (lead by Kyle Broflovski and Stan Marsh) is about to escalate. The player must pick a side and recover the Stick of Truth before it could be used for evil.
Long time fans of the series will be quick to catch iconic references and classic jokes like an encounter with the Visitors (“Cartman Gets an Anal Probe“), helping Al Gore defeat ManBearPig, fight the Mongolians (“Child Abduction is Not Funny”) at the Peace Tower (“City Sushi“), listening to Gerald Broflovski’s fantasy of being a dolphin (“Mr. Garrison’s Fancy New Vagina”), or have an encounter with the Underpants Gnomes.
Screw You Guys, I’m Going Home!
As a game; The Stick of Truth has taken every trope associated with the RPG-genre and incorporated into the themes and context of the South Park universe. With a 2-D open world environment, gamers will have the opportunity to explore the town while visiting many iconic locations from the series. When in battle; the game switch to a combat system that uses a turn-based setup similar to many classic RPG’s. However the combat system may feel awkward for those unfamiliar with games like Final Fantasy or any JRPG title.
The game should already impress players and the most modest of fans, but what really sets The Stick of Truth apart from other licensed games is that it actually feels like your watching an episode. Almost everything from the visual details to the transition between levels is almost flawless. Not since 007 GoldenEye for the N64 has a game really taken advantage of the creative license of a pop-culture icon.
The HD re-release of South Park: The Stick of Truth is a masterpiece that both gamers and fans could enjoy. This is a must play experience if you missed out on the original or you’re a fan of JRPG titles.
Disclaimer: The game used for this review was purchased at GameStop.
South Park: The Stick of Truth (PS4)
10
Pros
- Feels like watching the show.
- A tribute to classic JRPG's
- Plenty of references to the show.
- Controls function much better.
Cons
- None
Stan Rezaee
Stan Rezaee is the founder and Editor of 8Bit/Digi. He is a journalist and gamer from the Bay Area who has been writing about the medium for over five years.
