park life

Why South Park: The Fractured But Whole is everything fans have ever wanted

Behind all the crass jokes is a very competent game

By Talal Musa

18th October 2017, 2:49 pm

Updated: 18th October 2017, 2:51 pm

South Park likes to push boundaries – and The Fractured But Whole (See what they did there?) is not an exception.

It’s crammed with the crass, risque jokes that have caused Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s creation to become a worldwide phenomenon.

Plot takes aim at the superhero movie industry and sees Cartman and co.. fight against a rival group called the Freedom Pals, led by a masked baddie called Mysterion.

The game is indistinguishable from the TV show – and runs much smoother than the brilliant 2014 hit The Stick of Truth

To make matters worse, a cat goes missing, with the owner offering a sweet $100 reward.

Oh, and the boys have to build up fans on the questionably-named ‘Coonstagram’ social media app. You get the idea…

Here’s what you can expect.

The gameplay

Just like in the last game, the combat has been well thought out – harking back to the old school RPG games.

The turn-based system works wonders again allowing for surprisingly tactical combat.

Enemies attack from the front and back, delivering different levels of damage – but score enough points and you’re able to do massive damage against multiple foes.

Combat is turn-based – much like many RPG games. Throughout the game you can upgrade powers and abilities

Throughout the game you’ll be able to upgrade abilities through a detailed character development and crafting system – standard fare for RPGs these days, but welcome nonetheless.

Character creation is also present, with you able to customise appearance, race, gender identity and even socioeconomic standing – which leads us on to the next point.

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The humour

Obviously the biggest draw with a game like this is the humour – and TFBW pulls no punches.

From the minute you’re treated to a difficulty slider based on skin tone – the darker the skin, the harder the game, you know what you’re in for.

Some of the content in the South Park game will likely offend

There’s ample swearing, and use of the n-word, so proceed with caution if you’re easily offended.

The graphics

Just like 2014’s award-winning Stick of Truth, which comes bundled with the game if you opt for the Gold Edition, Ubisoft has captured the look and feel of the cartoon to a tee.

The graphics are indistinguishable from the show.

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While the last game chugged along nicely on Xbox 360, thanks to more power on current gen, TFBW runs very smoothly indeed.

There are a few bugs, but chances are Ubisoft will patch these in the coming weeks.