South Park, unlike other famous animated sitcoms like the Simpsons, had never truly received a video game that matched the same sort of irreverent slapstick that the series was famous for. That all changed however when Ubisoft took the mantle as South Park’s primary video game developer. The Fractured But Whole was released as the direct sequel to Ubisoft’s first South Park game in 2014 and saw an equal uproar of positivity from fans.
Crazy Cartoons
The Fractured But Whole is a continuation of the genuinely impressive recreation of South Park that South Park The Stick of Truth provided. Seemingly ripped right out of an episode on Comedy Central, The Fractured But Whole genuinely feels like an interactive adventure with the show’s most iconic characters and locations.
South Park The Stick Of Truth
And while this authenticity to the original show is commendable, there are certain issues when translating to gameplay opportunities. The Stick of Truth had the benefit of novelty when offering players the chance to move around the town of South Park, but the limitations of the 2D format begin to affect the variety of gameplay on offer throughout the game’s campaign.
Fart Jokes Galore
South Park The Fractured But Whole Gold Edition
The Fractured But Whole is a continuation of the genuinely impressive recreation of South Park that South Park The Stick of Truth provided. Seemingly ripped right out of an episode on Comedy Central, The Fractured But Whole genuinely feels like an interactive adventure with the show’s most iconic characters and locations. In South Park: The Fractured but Whole, players will delve into the crime-ridden underbelly of South Park with Coon and Friends. This dedicated group of crime fighters was formed by Eric Cartman whose superhero alter-ego, The Coon, is half man, half raccoon. As the New Kid, players will join Mysterion, Toolshed, Human Kite and a host of others. South Park: The Fractured but Whole is a 2017 role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft San Francisco and published by Ubisoft in collaboration with South Park Digital Studios. Based on the American adult animated television series South Park, it is the sequel to the 2014 video game South Park: The Stick of Truth.
Criticisms of the South Park TV show have often focused on the cartoon’s excessive profanity, violence, gore, nudity and pretty much any other taboo you can imagine. Fans of the show will be pleased to hear that none of this has been taken out of The Fractured But Whole. Yet even ardent defenders of the show’s oftentimes careless approach to sensitive topics might find the humour tiresome.
It’s hard to go even a couple of minutes in The Fractured But Whole without encountering some sort of shocking piece of toilet humour. And while low-brow humour can be an effective form of entertainment, the show has done a much better job at presenting its ideas beyond the low hanging fruit found here.
Issues Of A Sequel
Really the biggest negative that can be thrown at The Fractured But Whole is the fact that it is a sequel. It still retains some inherent issues with the Ubisoft South Park format, but it does its best to iron out any of the kinks it can that were present in the first game.
This is seen in the improvements to boss battles, which introduce fun mechanics like out-of-turn attacks, environmental hazards and even time restrictions.But when all is said and done, this second entry into a potentially expanding franchise won’t convince anyone who wasn’t drawn to the first game.
If you’re a fan of the original Ubisoft South Park game, then playing The Fractured But Whole is a total no-brainer. It’s very much more of the same, but it provides enough new features that it keeps things interesting. The humour definitely won’t convince those who dislike South Park’s edgelord, contrarian tendencies.
PROS:
- Visuals mimic the South Park TV show flawlessly
- Improves negatives that were pointed out in The Stick of Truth
- Better combat system and greater accessibility to new RPG players
CONS:
- Too much content in crafting system and world map
- Humour is childish and some of the worst examples from the TV show
- Not great for those not overly familiar with the show