South Park: The Fractured But Whole

If you are or ever was a fan of the show, you absolutely can’t go wrong with The Fractured But Whole. Licensed games have come such a long way and I’m so happy to see the time and effort put in to a franchise like this and it truly pays off in the end. So warm up with a shake weight, rock out to some Lorde, put on your favorite Columbus costume, maybe snack on a little Crème fraîche (enough Randy references?) and enjoy one of the best licensed games of all time.

South Park:The Fractured But Whole is a fun experience for newcomers and fans of the TV series. While the combat can get repetitive, the story is told in true South Park fashion. If you enjoy South Park’s humour, you should get this game, if you don't really like South Park, then you should wait until this game is on sale, and then still get it.

New systems and combat evolution make South Park: The Fractured but Whole an improvement from its already great predecessor.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is a spectacular experience. It is masterfully crafted with the right amount of South Park driving it. It certainly has a few minor faults here and there, but it is built to entertain and it doesn’t falter in that area. It’s a big game with a properly built turn-based personalty and it all works beautifully within its humorous South Park wrapper.

Easily the funniest videogame since Stick of Truth and sure to be the funniest until whenever the hell Trey Parker and Matt Stone decide to do this again.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole is exactly what we hoped it would be. Technically this game is a lot better than its predecessor with more depth, more dynamic gameplay and a crafting system.

The Fractured but Whole is a perfect sequel that adds precious new stuff in the usual, irreverent, politically incorrect world of South Park. An incredible experience for the fans of the series and for those searching for a fun and crazy adventure RPG as well.

Surrounding the fart jokes and fourth graders who love to say f.ck a lot, there is a brutally intelligent comedic commentary on many aspects of modern society. It’s something that South Park has always been great at, and something that translates incredibly well to interactivity.

A sequel that every true South Park fan should play.

Much like a shart, The Fractured but Whole continues to surprise as the game of superheroes goes darker and cruder than anything else the kids of South Park have experienced.

South Park balances ample fan service with gameplay that stands on its own merits and an engaging story. It won't make you a fan if you weren't one already, but it's hard to imagine a better-realized adaptation.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is loaded with toilet humor and enough F bombs to make Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Kinison blush, but anyone following South Park over the past twenty years should be expecting that.

South Park The Fractured But Whole is as good as it is humorous. And that says a lot about the quality of the game.

An excellent follow-up to 2014's The Stick of Truth, but with some positive gameplay changes and less consistent storytelling.

The Fractured but Whole is a welcome sequel, maintaining the standard of quality set by the previous game and, in a broader sense, all of Parker and Stone’s work. Every aspect is overloaded with both smart and immature jokes, the combat is an improvement, the game is bigger and longer, and the sneaky moments of sincerity make you recall the charm of childhood in surprising ways – just like the show.

You'll still need to be a fan of the show to get the most of this. But if you are a South Park aficionado, The Fractured but Whole is another hilarious and fun game that captures the spirit of series.

The follow-up of The Stick of Truth reinterprets the formula of the first chapter wonderfully, adding to the creative path a surprisingly deep combat system, based on interesting and highly inclusive progressive mechanics.

South Park returns to our consoles, not as a whole different game from The Stick of Truth, but rather as a new season within its gaming universe, with the style and satire of the best South Park seasons, and plenty of jokes to accompany you through the adventure.

There’s a lot to love about South Park: The Fractured But Whole. The action is clever, the humour is even smarter and the quiet little mountain town is still as charmingly familiar as ever when you’re not busy farting your way out of danger.

Better than the previous game in the playability side, worst in the plot. Ubisoft San Francisco has scored a new and great South Park game. A great sequel, worthy of The Stick of Truth.

A more than worthy sequel. Many inconveniences were eradicated, many shallow moments filled with playing depth. And so the successor has also become the somewhat better game.

Another epic-length episode of the humor that’s kept fans of the show laughing for 20 years. The Marvel vs DC parody delivers regular laugh-out-loud moments with only a few faltering gags, and the combat soon evolves into something much more complex and interesting than The Stick of Truth’s simple system. Navigation and repetition of some of its simple puzzle mechanics drag a little, but it’s otherwise an excellent South Park game that’s also a strong RPG.

A great sequel with much more going on, and is built with a lot of love and respect for the series it comes from.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole is a worthy successor to Obsidian Entertainment's game, with vastly improved combat and enriched gameplay. It lacks some of those very brave moments like the ones that were censored in the European console version of The Stick of Truth.

South Park's signature sense of humour takes over this game and entertains the whole time, although it lacks that surprise factor that was the first game. Ubisoft doesn't add much to the franchise in this game but, even so, this doesn't hinder The Fractured But Whole in its target to be enjoyable by fans of the TV series.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole offers a more simple RPG experience compared with its predecessor, but it still maintains its wonderful humor and the funny characters that are essential in this adventure. Great for the all-time fans and the newcomers.

We've had a blast with The Fractured But Hole. A game aimed at adults, true to the serie and fun like no other. It's a game we can't believe it exists, but we're glad it does.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole is a competent RPG which takes perhaps a bit too much before actually delivering some good jokes but once it does start it feels like a gigantic South Park episode with tons of fanservice, an excellent combat system and the brilliant satire we all came to love.

Mediocre story aside, this improves on The Stick of Truth's successful formula to great effect. [Nov 2017, p.63]

Return to South Park with an improved combat system and superheroes instead of Elves. It's still entertaining, but the first game (included in the pack) was more hilarious and had better side missions. [Issue#280]

Undoubtedly one of the funniest video games ever made. Packed full of more hilarious moments than most gaming franchises manage in a decade and boasting a surprisingly deep combat system, this is undeniably a great little game.

Unabashedly mocks you, itself and everything else. [Issue#194, p.82]

South Park: The Fractured But Whole successfully continues the quality in adapting South Park to a video game, capturing everything great about the series and once again translating it to an hilarious and enjoyable RPG. The comedy will not be for everyone, and so it makes it hard to recommend the game freely, but for fans of South Park, this game cannot be missed. It’s jammed full of jokes, insults, cameos and nods to the show that fans will get a kick out of it, more so if you are also a fan of the superhero genre. The fantastic bonus is that it also happens to be a great RPG, which has grown and improved with more mechanics and depth than The Stick of Truth to ultimately offer another prime piece of licensed entertainment.

I laughed loudly and frequently, and could hardly bring myself to stop playing. But I’m not sure I’ll be in the majority.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is strictly for fans of the show but the turn-based combat is even better than before and the game tells a good story. It might not be the best turned-based RPG but it is definitely the most entertaining one.

The only area in which South Park: The Fractured But Whole can't compete with The Stick of Truth is surprise. There's nothing here that will rival the childish glee we felt seeing 8-Bit Canada for the first time. But it's still riotously funny from start to finish, and on top of that there are some genuinely poignant moments in the game that we weren't expecting. With a much improved battle system and a larger, more well-rounded cast of characters, The Fractured But Whole is practically everything you could want from a Stick of Truth sequel. And there's a bunch of fart jokes, too.

This game is filled with fan-service, though the game does not offer the exact same depth we know from the series. Thankfully the videogame itself is a lot of fun and will keep you laughing for many hours.

It doesn’t bring anything new to gaming, or even the South Park series of RPGs. It refines and improves, changes and updates, but generally speaking it just gets things right, plays a fun game and keeps you engaged from start to finish. The fact it made me laugh a surprising amount throughout is just a bonus.

The game's a bit slow both at the start and end, but don't let that stop you: if you loved the first game, you'll enjoy this one too. And probably die laughing, come to think of it.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole is technically a better game than its predecessor with more engaging battles and character creation, but the story is oddly paced towards the end, and while it is a fun ride I don’t think it quite matches the plot of The Stick of Truth. It’s not without issue, but fans of South Park will enjoy this as much as the first.

Even if it isn't as chocking as The Stick of Truth was, South Park: The Fractured But Whole offers a delightful experience for South Park fans. Faithful to the source material, this sequel is both funny, well-written and fun to play as the super hero setting fits the gameplay well. Fans of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's work should really give this game a shot.

From its gameplay improvements to its parodying of superhero culture, The Fractured But Whole is a worthy successor to The Stick of Truth in nearly every way.

A solid follow-up to the original game. It doesn't change too much, but the new combat system is an improvement over the original, and it retains the same sense of irreverent humor and love for the franchise as the first game. TFBW is a solid RPG on its own merits, and fans of South Park will find a ton to love here. The only thing that drags it down is feeling a bit too similar to the first game despite the differences, and some of the humor can fall dangerously flat.

The new combat enhancements and crafting elements aside, it still feels like you're playing through a hilarious episode of South Park, where nothing is sacred, and everything and everyone gets skewered.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is the worthy successor of The Stick of Truth, with a new and deeper combat system that allows to fight with a party of four characters and plan more complex strategies. A super funny RPG that cannot miss in every South Park fan's shelf.

South Park: The Fractured but Whole is a nice sequel, with so much fun and irreverence, but, at the same time, it's repetitive.

South Park is back. The Fractured but Whole becomes the perfect experience for fans of the TV show and, at the same time, those who want to explore the city and fight in hard (but accessible) fights. With a new turn-based combat system, the game becomes closer to the Fire Emblem style, which makes it deeper.

There’s no experience like playing through a massive episode of South Park where the hero of the story is you. The superhero angle really lands, and is an excellent wrapping for the story this time around.

I think The Fractured but Whole wouldn't suffer if it had a few hours knocked off it, but at the same time, I'm kind of sad to be done with it, too.

A great follow-up to The Stick of Truth, and a game that fans of the TV show are bound to appreciate. It may have been a long time coming, but The Fractured but Whole is certainly worth the wait, particularly for those who want to have a bit of light-hearted fun with their RPG gameplay.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole has around twice the content that The Stick of Truth did, and I felt like there was more variety in missions, combat, and things to do in general. When I got to the end of the first game, I was pretty disappointed that it was over so quickly, but this time around I would say that it's about the perfect length.

It’s clear that The Fractured But Whole has a few issues that could have been ironed out prior to release, which is surprising given the game’s delays. However, like The Stick of Truth before it, this game absolutely nails the look and feel of the show. Overall it’s a slightly weaker effort than its predecessor, but it is still one of the funniest games out there.

It’s hard to put into words just how outrageous this game gets at times. It’s incredibly entertaining, just leave your morals at the door and prepare for unbelievable laughs.

It's consistently amusing and provocative without the edginess the series used to be known for. Both the game's combat and explorative strengths effectively bridge the many comical plot developments, which range from mildly amusing to downright hilarious. It's an accomplishment that this game will wholly entertain devoted fans while delivering a heap of jokes that won't fly over the heads of casual viewers.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is an easily accessible but moderately deep light RPG in which fun battles, nice collectables and a lot of crude humour will entertain you for almost 30 hours. But comparing it with its forebear, The Stick of Truth, is unavoidable, and in this it kind of disappoints, feeling a little too similar and not as funny or surprising.

While South Park: The Fractured But Whole builds upon the mechanical groundwork laid by The Stick of Truth, it doesn’t have the same impact its predecessor had. Nothing is as shocking as Stick‘s sights, too much of the same ground is covered again, and while the combat is improved, it’s nothing to write home about. South Park: The Fractured But Whole is still entertaining and I enjoyed my time with it, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was watching a rerun.

The Fractured but Whole might be a better game (mainly thanks to significantly improved combat) but The Stick of Truth was a better South Park by a long shot. The Stick was brimming with humor and creativity (remember the 8-bit Canada?), this one is a forced compilation of jokes that are mostly either lazily rehashed (City Wok’s owner mispronouncing words, they took our jobs, poof! It’s gone and many, many more) or shallow. Where’s the show’s brilliant satire!? I’m not just disappointed by the fact that Parker and Stone botched this. As a die-hard fan of the show I’m simply embarrassed. [13/2017, p.46]

Its not the game its forerunner was, but The Fractured But Whole's accessible combat tactics and occasional rib-ticklers ensure most players will have a good time. [Christmas 2017, p.96]

Ubisoft makes a good attempt to continue the legend of Obsidian, with some good gameplay improvements and nailing down the spirit of the show. The uneven pace of the story though, together with a half-baked crafting system and low quality filler type quests, keep the game from reaching the heights of its predecessor.

Though mechanically The Fractured but Whole can feel rather flat, it remains a genuine South Park production with all of the humor, farting and ridiculousness you would expect, and that should be enough to satisfy fans - even if it doesn't wow them.

The real saving grace is that the game is mechanically one of the best, most accessible RPGs crafted in a long time.

The longer South Park: The Fractured But Whole went on, the less I laughed. Exploring the mountain town, however, is a delight, and the battles are a marked improvement on the original's combat.

For fans, there are plenty of surprises to uncover and tons of references to even the most obscure episodes of the show. Thanks to a strong level of personalization coupled with South Park’s distinct atmosphere, The Fractured But Whole makes wandering around the faithfully recreated and detailed map of the town a constant delight.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole is still a polished RPG that die-hard fans of the animated series will love. However, while its combat system has been greatly improved, its failure to provide the same belly laughs as The Stick of Truth, the lack of variety in its locations and its mundane puzzle-solving make for a disappointing follow-up.

A complicated game to score. It’s a mechanically-superior sequel in every way, with more robust combat mechanics, mini-games, and puzzles populating the reference-stuffed open world. But there’s a nagging feeling the extended length and focus on combat has come at the expense of a memorable story. It’s still an essential play for fans of the show, and role-playing nuts will greatly appreciate the surprising amount of depth, but a South Park game propped up by its game mechanics is perhaps the most unlikely twist you’ll find here.

And I think that what really hinders South Park: The Fractured But Whole more than anything is the story does not take things to the epic scale the first one did. The gravitas and imperativeness of saving the entire world are not there like it was in Stick of Truth. Which is a bummer because these superhero characters were so great and this could’ve gone for a way larger scale.

The Fractured But Whole’s breezy combat and puzzles provided a few days of entertainment, and the best moments of the game had me either laughing or, against all expectations, emotionally touched. I don’t particularly regret my time with the game, but it mostly made me think about how much better the creators of both South Park and The Fractured But Whole could do if they were given the opportunity and space to grow up a little.

The game looks amazing, the combat system is great, and some of the comedy is extremely funny. But in terms of plot and humor and even customization, it feels like a step back from the first game, which should never be the case for a video game sequel.

The Fractured but Whole feels like it’s for the superfan, the person who has been with the series since 1997 and has a shelf full of merchandise. It is for the kind of person who finds glee in self-referential content and doesn’t mind clicking through a bunch of banal video game tropes to find the next “I recognize this thing and clapped!” moment. South Park: The Fractured but Whole feels dated, shallow, and lacking in the purpose or self-awareness needed for a work of satire to hit its mark. It feels like it’s trying too hard to recapture that edge.

Ultimately, I believe that The Fractured But Whole has a problem with quantity over quality. Ubisoft San Diego crammed the game with lots of things to see and do, most of it comes off as a result of someone repeatedly asking, “Hey, wouldn’t it be funny if we put this in?”

There are improvements over The Stick of Truth, but the positive changes are diminished by the monotone game mechanics.

In brisk 22-minute episodes, this kind of humor might pass as satire, but the punchlines sour when they’re spread out across a 20-hour video game.