Both were well-received, and are now considered some of the best examples of licensed games. Now that South Park will get years’ worth of additional content, including over a dozen movies and a new game, Parker and Stone should aim to make the titular town even bigger - especially if this new game is another RPG. Due to how long the series has lasted, South Park has evolved as a setting, to the point where modern episodes make the town look like a developed suburb instead of a “hick” mountain town. The number of distinct locations introduced over the past two decades even rivals the development of Springfield over The Simpsons’ 30 years.
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Creating a Bigger Love Letter Than Stick of Truth
Part of the appeal of South Park: The Stick of Truth was how it provided the closest thing fans might get to an official map of South Park. Iconic locations in the game include the houses of the four main boys (and Butters); South Park Elementary; several small businesses like City Wok and Tom’s Rhinoplasty; as well as Canada, despite its hilariously inaccurate geography.
The Fractured but Whole generally has the same map with additional references to what happened between the two games’ developments, like the gentrification of Kenny’s house and the destruction of the South Park mall. The game notably allowed the player to explore the houses of more major students like Clyde Donovan, Craig Tucker, and Bebe Stevens, as well as additional iconic businesses like Medicinal Fried Chicken and the Hooters-inspired Raisins. These locations were priorities for Parker and Stone, as they are the core of the town’s features and the show’s setting.
That being said, a new South Park game would come out over five years after The Fractured but Whole. There are at least five seasons’ worth of shifts in the status quo, such as Stan’s family moving to a farm, to add, but also plenty of time to make said map even bigger. This does not mean expanding the in-game version of the town for the sake of it, but there are plenty of things from the show that could contribute to an immersive experience.
Such strategies include adding explorable houses of random citizens like Wendy, Tweek, Timmy, Mr. Garrison, and Mr. Mackey, possibly by adding more streets. Making South Park Elementary more explorable using the boys’ memorable fourth and third grade classrooms accessible, and adding more districts with one-time locations could contribute to the town’s flair and this future South Park game’s charm.
The South Park RPGs thrived on inserting references from the show’s entire history, with the town’s locales playing a major part in their appeal. Whatever ends up following The Fractured but Whole, whether it is an RPG or another genre, will have pressure to live up to its predecessors. The game should take inspiration from both its predecessors and The Simpsons Hit & Run, another licensed game that is more jam-packed with references than the South Park RPGs. Making an even closer version of a canonical layout for the eponymous Colorado town is essential to create a more unique experience.
A new South Park game is in development.
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