First 30 Minutes of 'South Park: The Stick of Truth' Gameplay

Game Rant

By GR Staff

Published Mar 4, 2014

Game Rant showcases the first 30 minutes of 'South Park: The Stick of Truth,' outlining the turn-based combat and arrival of 'the New Kid.'

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The odds may have been stacked against South Park: The Stick of Truth when it was first announced, following the impressions set by what felt like an endless march of underwhelming adaptations of the animated Comedy Central series. But with the game first announced by series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone as "not terrible," and the first looks at the story and style actually promising, fans had reason to hope.

Those looking to hear just how well the vision of the South Park team and the developers at Obsidian Entertainment came together can read our full review of The Stick of Truth. In addition to that written review, we've provided a look at the first thirty minutes of the game, highlighting the mission design, turn-based combat tutorial, and the cut-scenes sure to leave fans satisfied.

Despite the 'Buddy' system utilized for the game's combat encounter, The Stick of Truth is solely a singleplayer experience. Casting players as "the new kid" to the mountain town's cast of characters, the epic imaginary battle between humans and elves kicks off immediately, with Cartman (a.k.a. the Grand Wizard) recruiting players to his cause. That's merely the starting point for the story, but the game soon takes things in several directions.

As the video shows, fans' concerns will be put to ease within the first moments of the game, let alone the first minutes. Even if the minds behind traditional RPGs were handpicked by Parker and Stone, it's obvious the soul of the source material hasn't been sacrificed; in fact, it's shocking just how well the imagination of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Butters translates to a fantasy RPG experience.

"Turn-based combat" may not be the most obvious choice of gameplay mechanics to be used for a South Park video game, but skeptics should have their fears calmed by the above video, as the develoeprs have infused each element of the fighting system with a unique personality, and the small details that remind players that the series has been adapted with care extend far beyond the gameplay shown.

Whether you're here for the fighting and the math of mauling, or simply looking to hop from story beat to scripted scene and back again, The Stick of Truth proves itself as the best game adaptation of the series so far - not a particularly tough task, but achieved all the same. Interested in seeing more for yourself?

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