Our first stop at New York Comic Con 2013 could not have been more fitting. Ubisoft’s massive booth stared convention-goers dead in the face as you hit the show floor. Lines gathered quickly around the two main attractions, including the smaller structure where we had the chance to check out a ten minute gameplay video of Obsidian Entertainment’s upcoming RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth.
For those of us who endured the 1998 N64 game based on the show, this is a welcome relief. Writers and creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker aren’t just looking to make a quick buck this time around. They are fully committed to producing a quality game that not only embraces their off color brand of comedy, but also celebrates (and pokes fun at) the long history of role playing games.
Our preview ran through an early section of the game where the player, as “the new kid,” sets out on a mission with a few of the main characters from the show. The boys wind up face to face with a series of RPG tropes including a bard, the tavern at the inn and a handful of elven archers. This would normally seem all too typical if it weren’t wrapped in the South Park art style and sense of humor.
From what we can tell, you get the feeling like you’re playing out an episode of the show, and we couldn’t as for more.
The gameplay features party style turn based combat. One departure from traditional RPGs is a combat radial which replaces the standard menu that takes up the entire bottom of the screen. This leaves the screen open to show of the hilarious animations.
You still get the character level ups, inventory management, class choices and a variety of spells to use. The devil is in the details, and South Park is shaping up to deliver everything you could ask for.
South Park: The Stick of Truth will hop onto store shelves on December 10th of this year for consoles and PC. We cannot wait.
