The boys are back, and
ready to jump on the hottest bandwagon of the last ten years;
superheroes! Of course, with this
being South Park, it's
sure to be a very tongue-in-cheek look at the genre, that revels in
the ridiculous.
So,
can Ubisoft follow up the success of The Stick of Truth
with another good licensed adaptation? Let's find out!
As
usual, there might be minor spoilers beyond here.
I'm going to admit up
front that South Park is not
really my type of show, as such a lot of the humour in this game fell
somewhat flat to me; so it's probably a good job that I don't assign
scores at the end of this review. That said, I didn't completely
dislike the story in this game, there were some entertaining bits,
along with some boring bits, and bits that were somewhat off putting;
but hey, that's the nature of South Park,
I guess.
However,
this did impact my enjoyment of the game, as it's not just part of
the story, it even creeps into the mechanics. Which is a point in
its favour, as it shows a level of creativity, and a fondness for the
source material; but it does colour the game, so watch out for that.
With
that out of the way, let's talk about the story. The
Fractured but Whole follows on
directly from the end of The Stick of Truth,
with the kids actually continuing their fantasy LARPing. However,
Cartman grows bored with this, and changes the game to be about
superheroes instead. What follows is a satire on the nature of
Superheroes, and comic-book style storylines, and character dynamics,
through a South Park filter.
Although,
despite all of the unsavoury aspects of the storyline, there is still
a sense of morality running throughout; an oddity that is fairly
typical of South Park.
In
particular, the show has a greater focus on the Marvel
Cinematic Universe, with the
boys being embroiled in a “civil war”.
Naturally,
the game starts with you redesigning your character, although the act
of filling out the character sheet is spread-out across multiple
missions in the prologue. Which is a novel approach, when compared
to most other games, where the player must make choices about the
characters nature at the very beginning, before they know what those
choices mean.
The
game gives you three classes to pick from to start with, although
these are basically reskins of the warrior, wizard, and rogue from
the beginning of the first games. Still, it's a pretty standard way
of letting the player establish how they want to play, and you do
gain access to extra classes of the course of the game.
The
battle system is fairly similar to last time, using a turn-based
system, and having the players pick their attacks from a selection.
Although, it has added an extra layer in the form of a grid-based
moving system, allowing the characters to move around the
battlefield. This influences attacks, as all abilities now have an
area of effect, where they only hit on certain squares. This creates
an extra layer of strategy, as players need to position their
characters for maximum effect. Especially when combined with the
fact that some move impart status effects on enemies. Status effects
influence battle far more than they do in some RPGs, and can easily
turn the tide of battle for or against you.
There
is also a gauge that the player can fill over the course of battle,
usually by pressing the appropriate button after being hit. Once
this is filled the player can unleash a character's special actor,
which usually deals significantly more damage than your regular
attacks.
Outside
of battle, the gameplay is almost identical. The characters wander
around the town, getting caught up in all of the odd happenings going
on in the neighbourhood; some of which manage to be funny through the
sheer absurdity of them.
Some
routes through the streets of South Park are blocked, and can only be
accessed once the character gains special abilities. There are also
companion abilities, which you only have access to when accompanying
certain NPCs on specific missions. This turns the town itself into
something of a small puzzle, adding an extra layer of depth to the
gameplay, in addition to the modified battle system.
There
are also plenty of mini-games, and side quests scattered throughout
the town, ensuring that there will be plenty of content to keep
entertained for some time. Although, much like the main game, the
amount of enjoyment you get from them will depend on how much you
enjoy South Park's style of humour; even if they are really
well put together on a technical level.
Graphically,
the game faithfully replicates the look of the show, right down to
the very basic way the characters' move. The fairly simple design of
the show probably eases this greatly, but this isn't a mark against
it, in fact it may be a point in its favour. The simplistic style
allows them to place a lot on the screen without it seeming
cluttered, allowing the designers to pack in quite a few secrets, and
hide them well, without the search becoming frustrating.
This
style also allows the action to remain perfectly clear. Even when
the screen is being filled-up with ridiculously over the top special
moves, you never struggle to see what is going on.
In
these terms it is mostly the same as the first game, which is fine,
because the first game perfectly captured the tone of the show, at
least visually.
In
terms if sound, all of the actual voice actors have been brought on
board, ensuring a level of continuity with the show. The music is
good but not astounding, although it does lend itself well to the
direction of the story, emulating the feel of a superhero film.
There are no particular stand-out tracks, but it does what its
supposed to, and enhances the feel of what is happening on screen;
which is what's important.
Overall,
The Fractured but Whole is a well put together game, with
excellent gameplay, and an engrossing world. So, I can definitely
recommend it based purely on its mechanics, and how it plays.
However, the amount of entertainment you get out of it is going to
depend in how much you like the style of humour that South Park
indulges in, as it effects every area of the game. A good game,
but probably not for everyone.
Until next time,
PhoenixAct.
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