Fractured But Whole (28/60$)
I think next one is just going to be a lot of focus on letters
I love Southpark more then I like to play Southpark the Fractured but whole, all in all it offers enough funny content and acceptable gameplay that it will make your time with the game memorable, especially if you are an avid fan of Southpark. The amount of detail that has gone into the world really adds to the show in a meaningful way. Just as watching the show and knowing the references adds parts to this game that might be missed by someone unfamiliar with the franchise. It is funny without the references, but it is a far better experience if you already know the world and are looking to dive in deeper.
The game wastes no time throwing the player into the town of Southpark, offering a quick recap of the previous game, Stick of Truth, including letting the player make character decisions in the past story, which is always appreciated in a role playing game. Even if it doesn’t change much in the Fracture but Whole. Jokes can be found in every piece of game-play including fart powers and choosing pronouns, but it is impressive how much these jokes effect and intertwine themselves within game-play. A good example of this is how you can pause combat to check microaggressions said by enemies. Or who certain players special abilities change to be stronger and funnier as you complete their background quests. Said quests are always incredibly well written and varied, sometimes its a fight or sometimes its simply talking things out between two people. Almost always the player is rewarded with something that positively effects game-play in a way that isn’t simply a new item. Save for the notable exception of Kyle’s cousin Kyle who shows up and then does absolutely nothing because he is bad at playing heroes. It’s a small addition that adds a level of care and detail that you really don’t see in modern games anymore. It’s also hilarious. I really think that playing this game is worth it for the story and writing if you are Southpark fan. If you aren’t it will be a shallow RPG.
The combat is taxing after a while. The fights do vary and the boss fights are fun, but something about the way the game plays just does not feel smooth. I think this is due to the snow drop engine that it is running on, and perhaps an better system would give a better experience than the Nintendo Switch, but this just isn’t a great combat system and the game relies on it a bit to much. If this team made combat a backup feature, and simply made a point and click adventure game. It might be the best one ever made. The combat is an improvement over the Stick of Truth, but not by much. I don’t know what I would do to make it better but the story will push you through the fighting, if you find Southpark funny.
That is how you should judge this game, if you are a Southpark fan, then it is a must have and you will enjoy all the content including the DLC. Yet, for the amount of content, 20hrs for me, (not including DLC), the lackluster combat really keeps this game from being a AAA experience and it does not warrant a AAA price. Yet, it didn’t charge a AAA price being set at 50$ on launch and offered the first game as an early bird bonus that easily gives another 20 hours of great story. Fractured but whole can now be bought for 30$ on some sales, with the DLC. Which in my opinion is a close to perfect price to provide you with enough content to keep you entertained in between seasons, establish despite it’s dragging combat. (28/50$)
