"I'm not just sure, I'm HIV positive" that 'South Park: Snow Day!' is a bad day.
This game is a tired, lazy, unimaginative, poor attempt at the continuation of the recent South Park games that feature you as the "New Kid" who moved into the neighborhood during The Stick of Truth, which was the first entry into these line of games.
I wanted to give this game the benefit of the doubt upon seeing the initial trailer for the game but Snow Day, which was developed by Question LLC and published by THQ Nordic, decided to rip away the charm and magic from the third installment of the New Kid Trilogy; all of which were reasons why the first two games were so special.
The immersion of being in an extended episode of the South Park animated series is is completely gone, therefore, the dialogue and humor you experienced in the first two games are now watered down and essentially non-existent. The change from 2D to 3D made the environment and all the characters in it appear lifeless (Let's just admit that outside the self-titled South Park game for N64/PS1, South Park 3D games do not work). But the greatest sin of them all was the attempt to change the combat and playstyle of a traditional turn-based RPG into a low effort live service, hack 'n slash, adventure game. The formula for success was right there and they squandered it.
I understand the need to try something different, they even addressed it in the game that "New Kid" has become too OP so they had to change the rules but they swung and missed on all accounts. If they wanted to switch things up, South Park does not lack material to take inspiration from. Although WrestleQuest did it first, a South Park attempt at a wrestling inspired turn-bases RPG would have been tons of fun and they already have an episode from the show to continue the shenanigans from. Or better yet, how about a spin on the game the kids play "Texans vs Mexicans"? An outrageous concept for a game sure but something a South Park game could getaway with and potentially pull off.
For the price of admission of $30, 5-6 hours of gameplay still feels very short, the combat is extremely repetitive, and worst of all, if you die mid level, you have to start the mission over. Maybe that isn't annoying to some but when the game is obnoxiously difficult on medium and hard but too simple on easy difficulty, finding the right balance for you can be a struggle to enjoy when trying to play the game.
I'm sure this game will tickle the fancy of some players and maybe my expectations for Snow Day are skewed coming off the success of two solid, well-made games that I enjoyed very much but this even as a standalone game would not appeal to me. It's a quick cash grab off a popular IP that is wonky and passionless. Not even multiplayer can save this mess of a game since there are so many better options out right now that you could be playing with your friends instead. South Park: Snow Day! is just another thing to blame Canada for.
This game is a tired, lazy, unimaginative, poor attempt at the continuation of the recent South Park games that feature you as the "New Kid" who moved into the neighborhood during The Stick of Truth, which was the first entry into these line of games.
I wanted to give this game the benefit of the doubt upon seeing the initial trailer for the game but Snow Day, which was developed by Question LLC and published by THQ Nordic, decided to rip away the charm and magic from the third installment of the New Kid Trilogy; all of which were reasons why the first two games were so special.
The immersion of being in an extended episode of the South Park animated series is is completely gone, therefore, the dialogue and humor you experienced in the first two games are now watered down and essentially non-existent. The change from 2D to 3D made the environment and all the characters in it appear lifeless (Let's just admit that outside the self-titled South Park game for N64/PS1, South Park 3D games do not work). But the greatest sin of them all was the attempt to change the combat and playstyle of a traditional turn-based RPG into a low effort live service, hack 'n slash, adventure game. The formula for success was right there and they squandered it.
I understand the need to try something different, they even addressed it in the game that "New Kid" has become too OP so they had to change the rules but they swung and missed on all accounts. If they wanted to switch things up, South Park does not lack material to take inspiration from. Although WrestleQuest did it first, a South Park attempt at a wrestling inspired turn-bases RPG would have been tons of fun and they already have an episode from the show to continue the shenanigans from. Or better yet, how about a spin on the game the kids play "Texans vs Mexicans"? An outrageous concept for a game sure but something a South Park game could getaway with and potentially pull off.
For the price of admission of $30, 5-6 hours of gameplay still feels very short, the combat is extremely repetitive, and worst of all, if you die mid level, you have to start the mission over. Maybe that isn't annoying to some but when the game is obnoxiously difficult on medium and hard but too simple on easy difficulty, finding the right balance for you can be a struggle to enjoy when trying to play the game.
I'm sure this game will tickle the fancy of some players and maybe my expectations for Snow Day are skewed coming off the success of two solid, well-made games that I enjoyed very much but this even as a standalone game would not appeal to me. It's a quick cash grab off a popular IP that is wonky and passionless. Not even multiplayer can save this mess of a game since there are so many better options out right now that you could be playing with your friends instead. South Park: Snow Day! is just another thing to blame Canada for.