Sights & Sounds
- Ah, South Park. Such an identifiable look. Stick of Truth does an excellent job recreating the look and feel of the show
- That extends to the entirety of the sound design. The voice cast from the show (mostly Matt Stone and Trey Parker, admittedly) reprise their roles in the game
- All in all, it feels like you're in an episode of South Park at basically all times

Story & Vibes
- You're the new kid in South Park! Your family has moved to the town under mysterious circumstances, though it seems to be because of some strange ability you have
- This game takes inspiration from the LOTR episode in South Park, which aired during season 6, however, this game expands massively on that episode's concept. In Stick of Truth, almost every kid in the entire town is wrapped up in an LOTR-inspired LARP where the humans (led by Cartman) are trying to hold control over the titular Stick of Truth from the elves (led by Kyle). Holding the stick means controlling the universe, so be prepared to fight for it
- Of course, it's South Park, so nothing is that straightforward. It wouldn't feel right if there weren't some unusual, hilarious, or sometimes frankly gross diversions
- If you like South Park humor, you'll enjoy this game. If you don't, you won't. Simple as that. I've been watching it since I was in middle school (in the grand old days of 1999), so I've got a couple decades of nostalgia piled up in my head. Suffice it to say, I thought the game was pretty funny
- I was pretty disappointed by the kid-gloved approach to what is usually razor-wired satire. With the focus on social media in the game, there was surprisingly little social commentary. It just feels like a missed opportunity

Playability & Replayability
- Have you played at least one turn-based party RPG/JRPG in your lifetime? Good, you already know how to play Stick of Truth. Choose an attack or ability, pick an enemy, and go. Stick of Truth takes a Legend of Dragoon approach to combat, so be prepared to time button presses to increase the damage you deal out or decrease the damage you take
- Like those RPGs it draws inspiration from, you'll be collecting and managing a lot of gear to maximize your combat potential
- I certainly appreciated the various environmental puzzles that you solve mostly using your butt (or one of the other abilities that I won't spoil). The new kids farts are powerful, and you'll be using different ones to drop ladders and cause explosions to help you advance and collect hidden loot
- In all, I was a bit surprised by how easy the game was. Combat (even bosses) won't provide much challenge even on the highest difficulty. The difficulty slider, by the way, is a pretty funny joke and the only bit of biting social commentary in the game
- If you like South Park, this is worth a revisiting. I say that from experience; I played (but didn't finish) this game on Switch a few years ago

Overall Impressions & Performance
- Just to reiterate: if you like the series, you'll also enjoy this game. It's more in the spirit of the early series, though I admit I haven't watched much of the show since season 11 or 12
- This should run pretty well on most systems as it's not a graphically intense game. Unlike its sequel, you won't have to deal with the annoying and pointless Ubisoft launcher on PC
- This was especially appreciated since I played the game on a Steam Deck. The Ubisoft launcher is typically a pain on that platform, but Stick of Truth didn't require it

Final Verdict
- 8/10. If you don't like the franchise, feel free to dock two points (three if you don't like turn-based RPGs). I thought it was a fun, if somewhat easy, RPG for anyone who wants a 15 hour dose of South Park