Much of the game struggles to generate laughs. And, like The Stick of Truth, trying to keep up with The Fractured But Whole without being a longtime fan of South Park is probably a wasted effort, although the barrier of entry is lower than before. That said, all the gags and back story from South Park’s skewering of superhero movie franchises are pretty much required viewing to understand some of the subtler story points. Like its predecessor, The Fractured But Whole is an extended riff on a conceit established on the show, but features a narrative written by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone specifically for the game. Early on, the kids transition from playing that game’s Lord of the Rings-like fantasy to a superhero one.
The Fractured But Whole picks up basically immediately after The Stick of Truth, with players reprising the role of the silent New Kid who played hero in the first game. More than anything, much of the game struggles to generate laughs. While The Fractured But Whole improves on video game aspects of its predecessor - combat is deeper and more fun, there’s more strategy to gameplay and more to find and explore in South Park - it struggles with the parts that define South Park. For a show and a video game about shocking audiences and saying what others might shy away from, it’s kind of tougher to find another plateau.
It even managed to shock longtime fans with over-the-top moments - like fighting a giant fetus in an abortion clinic. While The Stick of Truth had its own issues, it set a pretty high bar in terms of being both a fan service-drenched love letter and a funny, standalone story. Maybe the tank is running on empty.įractured but Whole, the sequel to South Park: The Stick of Truth just doesn’t quite reach the humorous heights of the best moments of the show or the previous game, which drummed out of the novelty of turning out an extended South Park episode in video game form. Maybe audiences have been shocked so many times before, shocking them again is too tough. For a game that’s based on a show that has fought controversy and worked to be both sharp and crass for its entire two-decade run, maybe it’s just hard to ring more humor out of the old concepts. There’s something that feels off about South Park: The Fractured But Whole. Some of the show’s best characters go underused You won’t be convinced if you’re not already a fan
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