Last June, Ubisoft San Francisco and South Park Digital Studios revealed that they were working on a sequel to South Park: The Stick of Truth. Cleverly titled South Park: The Fractured But Whole, this comedic RPG is already expected to be bigger, better, and more badass than the first one.
During E3 2016, I was fortunate enough to get an extended look at the game behind closed doors and walked away thoroughly impressed by what I saw. So without further ado, here are my in-depth thoughts on this highly anticipated sequel and why it was without a doubt the best Ubisoft title at this year’s show.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole takes place after Stick of Truth and revolves around Cartman’s attempt at starting a successful superhero franchise with his friends under the moniker Coon & Friends. While their overall goal is to stop crime in Colorado, the group has a falling out over who should be in these films and we’re treated to Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s hilarious spoofs of superhero flicks like Captain America: Civil War and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Players take on the role of the New Kid (boy or girl) and can choose one of 12 different superhero classes in their quest for fame and justice. While Stick of Truth was already a fantastic game in it’s own right, The Fractured But Whole certainly ups the ante in every way imaginable thanks largely in part to the developers focusing on interactive humor, exploration, and refined tactical combat this time around.
Fans of the popular adult animated sitcom will notice right away just how polished and expansive every aspect of the city is. This particular feat was made possible due to the entire game being developed from the ground up with Ubisoft Massive’s Snowdrop engine. The proprietary engine was used most recently in Tom Clancy’s The Division and is one of the main reasons why that addictive third-person shooter looks so good. With a stronger emphasis on style and presentation, the developers have succeeded in creating a playground ripe with new places to explore and more familiar and different characters to interact with.
In an effort to keep tactical combat fresh and rewarding, Ubisoft San Francisco and South Park Digital Studios have implemented a new combat system that allows players to master space and time when pulling off calculated attacks against adversaries. With space, you’ll be able to freely move into offensive positions and knock your opponents into props and/or other characters for maximum damage. Time allows you to alter the turn order and improve your chances of emerging victorious in every encounter. Additionally, the crafting and looting system have been revamped to help players create their own unique equipment for battles. It’s worth noting that the AI controlled enemies are also able to take advantage of every feature I mentioned, providing the ultimate challenge for hardcore strategists.
On the surface, The Fractured But Whole is already shaping up to be a noteworthy sequel and an absolute must play title for both South Park and superhero movie fans. The painstaking attention to detail, off the wall humor, and rebuilt combat system definitely makes this a fun RPG for the right person.
Of all the Ubisoft titles I saw at E3 2016, this definitely stood out the most because of the development teams faithful commitment to the source material. If you aren’t a South Park fan then you may not be interested in this, but the clever comic book culture angle may be enough to draw you in. Feel free to check out some more screenshots taken directly from the game below.
South Park: The Fractured But Whole launches worldwide on December 6th for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Are any of you looking forward to this game? Please feel free to let me know in the comments section below.
