The new game in the series offers distinctive humor, but the combat is boring
Summary
South Park: Snow Day is probably one of the worst games of 2024. The game is set on a single day when the town of South Park is hit by a powerful snowstorm. The combat is repetitive and isn’t as engaging as the developers hoped.
South Park It’s one of my favorite animations. South Park: Snow Dayhowever, it is probably one of the worst games of 2024.
After launching two great RPGs in the previous console generation, the South Park studio, in collaboration with THQ Nordic, decided to create a game so monotonous that it seems like the creation of a first-year design student.
A snow day
Snow Day, as the title suggests, takes place over a single day, during which the town of South Park is hit by a powerful snowstorm. The children take advantage of the storm (and the school closure) to play, taking up the roles imposed in “The Stick of Truth”.
You are still the “new kid,” a customizable, completely silent figure that represents the player’s identity within the South Park universe. This time the kids’ game has new rules, explained through the metalanguage that everything has been changed so that “no one becomes bad and ruins the game.”
Teaming up with Cartman, we set off on a short 5 hour adventure, battling forest elves and Stan’s army, all for the sake of sovereignty and the ability to “change the rules of the game”.
Overall, the game’s humor is very good, offering the same absurdity that South Park fans have come to expect. Cartman remains a spoiled and arrogant boy, Kyle remains a know-it-all, Butters is the naive boy that everyone loves, and all the boys get involved in a war out of every imaginable proportion. But unfortunately the same can’t be said about the combat.
Repetitive combat
The fight of Snow day is oriented towards the action side, unlike Stick of Truth AND Fractured but whole (The split that offers a lot of strength, in Portuguese). Here, players are in control of the character in a 3D setting, an artistic identity that hasn’t been replicated in the franchise since the infamous Nintendo 64 FPS.
Basically there are three main weapon types, three ranged weapons and some skills available to unlock. The player must progress through small arenas inspired by the series’ iconic scenarios, defeat waves of repeating enemies, and advance to the next stage.
This process is repeated over and over again, with the only real variation being the boss fight at the end of the chapter. The truth is that Snow Day’s combat is about as fun as typing numbers into a calculator, forcing the player to repeat the same motions against “sponge” enemies.
The game offers a card system to generate variety in combat. At the beginning of the match and at the end of each phase it is possible to acquire passive abilities that increase the damage or modify the behavior of certain attacks. However, the system is simple and not as engaging as the developers would have liked.
Conclusion
South Park: Snow Day is not a good product in the South Park universe. Yes, the series’ signature humor is present and the 3D graphics aren’t as bad as I thought they would be, but the combat and gameplay loop is weak and left me disappointed with the overall experience.
Maybe, with some updates, the game could improve, but it’s difficult to recommend it to anyone in its current state.
*This analysis was performed on a PlayStation 5 with a copy of the game courtesy of THQ Nordic.
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
