South Park: The Stick of Truth. The best RPGs available in PS Plus
Table of Contents
- Year: 2014
- Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, X360, XOne
- In a nutshell: a turn-based game based on a popular cartoon, full of its iconic sense of humor
What is South Park: The Stick of Truth about?
As the title suggests, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a game that's closely related to the hugely popular animated series for adults. The creators of the series participated in the entire development process to make sure that the end result would be in line with their vision. In the game we play the role of a boy who, together with his parents, moves to the town of South Park and faces many serious challenges typical of his age, such as adjusting to a new environment.
Just as part of an attempt to find himself in a group of new friends, the hero takes part in a LARP, which turns out to be the beginning of crazy adventures. The game is kept in a fantasy convention, it's full of absurdity typical for the South Park series and virulent, sarcastic humor. We fight in a turn-based system, but this doesn't mean that the gameplay is calm and slow, because the Stick of Truth is full of crazy twists.
Why is it worth playing?
It cannot be denied that games based on movies or series do not enjoy a good reputation. Actually, they didn't until recently, as it has started to change, and now such productions are often praised not only for being very compatible with the source material, but also for being good games on their own terms. And that's exactly what happens with the Stick of Truth – whether we perceive it through the lens of a fan of the series or not, it's just a great RPG.
The cartoon atmosphere and themes may not be what most games in this genre are used to, but they have a huge charm. The creators are so consistent in using them that we can even improve weapons with stickers (which is just one of countless examples). The Stick of Truth primarily boasts an engaging gameplay, since it is a solid turn-based production that plays with form and instead of pushing into patterns, it meets them – just like the show.
SOUTH PARK: THE FRACTURED BUT WHOLE
The PS Plus Premium offer also includes South Park: The Fractured But Whole. It's the successor to the Stick of Truth and is also worth recommending. In terms of mechanics, we will not see great progress here, because the game resembles the previous one, although it's hard to complain about it – after all, these are solutions that are proven and enjoyed by players, so leaving them as they were is an understandable procedure. The biggest difference is that The Fracture But Whole doesn't have a fantasy setting like The Stick of Truth. Here, the creators focused on superheroes, with a mandatory huge dose of humor.
