When Ubisoft announced it was publishing a licensed game with Obsidian set in theSouth Parkuniverse in 2012 there was some skepticism. Previous titles under theSouth Parkname had been released by that point, and all with mixed-to-negative reviews. However, something was different withSouth Park: The Stick of Truth. The creators of the show, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, were reported to be directly involved in the scriptwriting and premise, as well as voice-acting. This was done with the goal of creating a classic fantasy RPG set in theSouth Parkuniverse; it wanted to be a game that felt like a playable episode of the TV show.
With anewSouth Parktitlein the works,The Stick of Truthshould be a model for this upcoming game.South Park: The Stick of Truthused the show’sGame of Thronesparody and characters as a basis for its story. It released to near-unanimous praise from critics, who complimented the combat system, immersion, and writing. With all this success a sequel was inevitable, andSouth Park: The Fractured But Wholewould release in 2017 and ditch the high-fantasy tropes to instead lampoon the MCU and DC Universe superheroes. However, the sequel no longer seemed like an interesting novelty, and instead just felt like an ordinary sequel.
RELATED:A Comprehensive List of All the South Park Video Games So Far
The Problem With Sequels
South Park: The Stick of Truthretained and expanded upon the best of the edgy humor that the show has become known for. For example, its class selection has standard fantasy classes like Mage and Fighter, but the player can also choose to be a Jew, which is similar to the holy-wielding cleric in more typical games. Design choices like this are what set apartSouth Park: The Stick of Truthfrom its RPG contemporaries, and especially its sequel - which can’t help but feel tamer by comparison. Most of the brilliance ofThe Stick of Truthcomes from bold design choices.
Just like the TV show, theSouth Parkgames are at their best when heavily satirizing a chosen source.The Stick of Truthmade fun of fantasy RPG gaming tropes while filling the plot with plenty of references toSouth Park’s well-known moments. WhileSouth Park: The Fractured But Wholeimproves on some aspects of its predecessor like with a new grid-based combat field, it can’t help but feel overshadowed because it wasn’t as groundbreaking asThe Stick of Truth. The newSouth Parkgame must be bold in the same way asThe Stick of Truth,rather than playing it safer likeThe Fractured But Whole.
RELATED:Every South Park Video Game, Ranked
The Next South Park Game
It was recently confirmed that there will be a newSouth Parkvideo game, this time as an in-house project. It will also be 3D, which means it likely won’t be a direct follow-up to the 2.5D RPGs. The next game in theSouth Parkfranchisecould do the same thing asThe Stick of Truthbut with a different genre. It would be great to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s take on the overly serious first-person shooter genre, for example, or even put together aSouth Parkracing game. Though the franchise is seemingly now tied to RPGs,South Parkshould still consider taking a risk and branching out as it did withThe Stick of Truth.
If this new title wants to see the same kind of success asThe Stick of Truth, it should model itself and its ambitions after the first game instead ofThe Fractured But Whole. Bold design decisions that challenge pre-existing genre conventions, as well as fearless writing, are what setThe Stick of Truthapart from its sequel. What exactly Trey Parker and Matt Stone have in store remains under wraps for now, but with the related news of theSouth ParkViacom deal, it’s never been a better time to be aSouth Parkfan.
ASouth Parkgame is in development.
MORE:How the New South Park Game Can be Made With ‘Tegridy’
