South Park: The Stick of Truth is an RPG based on the South Park TV show, known for its tasteless, offensive (but entertaining) humor.
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Story & Themes
South Park: The Stick of Truth is very much based off the South Park TV show. Those familiar with the show should know that anything might see in the show can and will appear in the game; in fact, the game may be even more raunchy than prime time television allows.
Those unfamiliar with the show: South Park is a comedy cartoon that addresses social issues through the eyes of a group of 3rd graders using incredibly raunchy humor. In other words, this is not a game for kids, and many adults may also find it too obscene to enjoy.
The game's premise is that a new kid, nicknamed "Douchebag," has arrived in South Park, Colorado, the setting of the show. The New Kid teams up with some of the other kids and becomes involved in a imaginary game they're playing, wherein one side—the humans—fights the other side—the Drow—for the mystical Stick of Truth.
The game switches between the imaginary world and the real one as the boys fight over the Stick, and various plot elements get involved as the game progresses, including Nazi Zombies, the 3rd grade girls, aliens, and the kids' parents.
South Park: The Stick of Truth is, at its heart, social commentary as comedy, and it doesn't pull its punches. Settings include an abortion clinic (where the player will have to pretend to perform an abortion), an alien spaceship where anal probes resembling genitalia are used, and Facebook, which the government has deemed dangerous to itself. The kids use their own (literally) explosive farts as weapons against their enemies. The humor is very smart, but not exactly high brow—which is, of course, the point.
Difficulty
The game is very easy, but does have difficulty settings.
Heads Up!
Violence Despite being basically an interactive cartoon, South Park: The Stick of Truth is extremely violent, both graphically and emotionally. The kids not only beat up on each other, but adults also attack them, and they sometimes also fight homeless people, domestic animals, and others unprovoked. There is a fair amount of blood and gore, including a scene where one kid (Kenny, whose gimmick is that he dies constantly only to be mysteriously reborn) is torn apart and carried away by rats.
Scary Imagery The game isn't scary so much as profoundly unsettling—it is not meant to be a horror game, but it might give players nightmares all the same, especially younger kids.
Sex & Nudity Nudity and sexual content abound in South Park: The Stick of Truth. Anal probes, bestiality, masturbation, sex toys, and circumcision are all graphically depicted (in South Park's signature cartoon style). Players can collect "pubes" (pubic hair) as a sort of prize. Basically anything goes here.
Strong Language If you can think it, it's probably in the game. This includes homophobic, gendered, racial etc. slurs.
Substance Use While I'd hesitate to say the game encourages illicit substance use, it certainly doesn't shy away from it. At one point the kids get into a meth lab, where used syringes and other paraphernalia can be found. Many characters appear drunk, and the kids can use alcohol bottles as weapons.
Consumerism Since the game is based off of the TV show, there are quite a lot of product tie-ins.
Discrimination Because of the nature of satire, it's up to the individual to decide if South Park: The Stick of Truth is inclusive or discriminatory. Negative stereotypes of different groups are par for the course, but knowingly so. Regardless of preference or outlook, it's essential to discuss these (very) negative stereotypes with kids who might not be familiar with them or recognize them for what they are, and discuss why they might be a) harmful and b) funny.
Conversation Starters
If a kid or teenager is playing the game, it's pretty essential that parents are familiar with its content and both okay with the messages it sends and willing to discuss those messages and imagery.
- Are negative, stereotypical depictions of certain groups of people acceptable when done in the name of humor? Are there reasons why those people might find the depictions less funny than someone not the butt of the joke?
- Is there a way to do humor that doesn't hurt already-marginalized people?
- Is this type of humor okay if the creators (in this case, white, heterosexual, middle-class men Matt Stone and Trey Parker) are making fun of themselves as well?
- Is it okay to find something funny without necessarily endorsing it?
- Was there anything in the game that made you uncomfortable?
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