History VideoGame / SouthParkTheStickofTruth

Originally intended to be published by Creator/{{THQ}}, the game was instead published by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} due to the former's bankruptcy in early 2013. A sequel, ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', was released in 2017, but Obsidian did not come back for development. However, ''The Stick of Truth'' was packaged with ''Fractured But Whole'' for anyone who bought the latter before the end of January 2018, in order to get anyone who hadn't already played ''The Stick of Truth'' up to speed. A side game for mobiles called ''VideoGame/SouthParkPhoneDestroyer'' was released in 2017. A third game, ''VideoGame/SouthParkSnowDay'', will be released in 2024.

** You can fail some of the minigames for some funny deaths/fail-states. [[spoiler: If you fail the snuke game, you get footage of a nuclear explosion, followed by credits in the style of the show for over a minute. The same minigame is in the abortion clinic, and the guards will shoot you dead if you fail it.]]

Originally intended to be published by Creator/{{THQ}}, the game was instead published by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} due to the former's bankruptcy in early 2013. A sequel, ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', was released in 2017, but Obsidian did not come back for development. However, ''The Stick of Truth'' was packaged with ''Fractured But Whole'' for anyone who bought the latter before the end of January 2018, in order to get anyone who hadn't already played ''The Stick of Truth'' up to speed. A side game for mobiles called ''VideoGame/SouthParkPhoneDestroyer'' was released in 2017.

''South Park: The Stick of Truth'' is a 2014 WesternRPG based upon [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark the show]], developed by Creator/ObsidianEntertainment. Much like the show itself, Creator/TreyParkerAndMattStone have oversight over the project, writing the script and providing voiceovers for the characters. It was released on March 4, 2014 for the UsefulNotes/{{Xbox 360}}, UsefulNotes/{{PlayStation 3}} and [[UsefulNotes/IBMPersonalComputer PC]] with a port later released for UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/Playstation4, and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch. Another noteworthy point is how both the graphics, gameplay, even the user interface are meant to look as though they came straight out of the show.

* CreepyCrossdresser: Princess Kenny, who plays it straight by grossing out enemies with a kiss, then inverts it by charming them with a display of his nipples. Creepily also works on adults and strangely works on animals.

** Most major characters have multiple unique quotes when you fart on them, and if you use Fighter's Roshambo [[spoiler: on Nazi Zombie Princess Kenny when you're supposed to finish her off by farting on her balls, Cartman complains that he told you to fart on Kenny's balls, not kick them]].

* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:The FinalBoss, Princess Kenny, after you finish the story.]] [[spoiler: Talking to Butters lets you know that Princess Kenny HandWaved his betrayal as [[RefugeInAudacity a random bout of PMS]]...and everyone believed him.]]

Originally intended to be published by Creator/{{THQ}}, the game was instead published by Creator/{{Ubisoft}} due to the former's bankruptcy in early 2013. A sequel, ''VideoGame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'', was released in 2017, but Obsidian did not come back for development. However, ''The Stick of Truth'' is packaged with ''Fractured But Whole'' for anyone who buys the latter before the end of January 2018, in order to get anyone who hasn't already played ''The Stick of Truth'' up to speed. A side game for mobiles called ''VideoGame/SouthParkPhoneDestroyer'' was released in 2017.

* WouldHitAGirl: You can beat up women and little girls as much as you want in this game, and your characters will pound the crap out of female enemies, such as female bullies and meth addicts, without remorse.

* GodzillaThreshold: During the final boss battle, [[spoiler:nothing the heroes do manages to put Nazi Zombie Princess Kenny down for good. As a last resort, Cartman requests the New Kid to break the Gentlemen's Oath and fart on Kenny's balls, which inexplicably produces an energy wave that cures everyone in Sputh Park from the Nazi Zombie virus]].

The final attack, Nagasaki, is taught by Terrance and Phillip and produces an earthquake.

* ConflictKiller: The conflict between Cartman's "humans" and Kyle's "elves" over the titular stick makes up the bulk of the first two acts. However, once [[spoiler:Clyde steals the stick, the two sides have to put aside their differences and join forces to take him down and get it back.]]

* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: The cover shows the crashed alien flying saucer, so you know you will have to deal with that at some point.

** Played straight [[UnexpectedGameplayChange in Canada]].

** Terrance and Phillip are perhaps the stand-out example, being masters of [[{{Fartillery}} combat flatulism]] on the verge of PersonOfMassDestruction territory.

** Butter's attack as Professor Chaos does the style from ''Good Times With Weapons''.
** The short sequence about the "Princess Kenny" show is this, complete with giving Kenny anime style eyes.

** NEVER fart on anyone's balls.
** As well as "He who controls The Stick controls the universe."

* AscendedExtra: A few of the minor 4th grade classmates get their own roles to play in the game. One side quest involves having to find Kevin Stoley's iPad, while Annie will be grateful to the player for defending her from a group of bullies. There's also a mission to recruit the girls to your side. Hell, you even get a quest from Dogpoo, whose ONLY major appearance in the show featured other characters calling him a background prop. It also turns out that TheHeavy is [[spoiler: Clyde]].

* BearsAreBadNews: Dire Bears, as seen in Canada. They're like Bears... but they're DIRE.

* {{BFS}}: The Sweet Katana

* BlackComedy: You know the show? The one that [[CrossesTheLineTwice Crosses the Line on a regular basis]], indulges in DudeNotFunny like it's really funny, and is the epitome of VulgarHumor on television? Well, the game cranks it up to eleven. For example, Cartman is the "Grand Wizard" of the [[FunWithAcronyms Kingdom of Kupa Keep]]. Even funnier in that one of the four starting classes is "Jew", which elicits "Looks like we'll never be friends, then" from Cartman.

* BlatantLies: When the flying saucer crashes into South Park, which shakes up the whole town, how does the government cover it up? They try to cover the saucer with tents and tarps that are too small and tells the public that a giant new Taco Bell restaurant is being built there. Everybody, except maybe the New Kid, believes it.

* BrownNote: One of Jimmy the Bard's attacks is to play a deep rumbling "note" on his flute, which will bombard the New Kid with multiple ranged attacks that do heavy damage and can overload the mana meter to the point where he craps his pants.

* CanonForeigner: In addition to the New Kid's Family for obvious reasons, Chris Donnely and Monica Ryland seem to have been created for the game, along with Jessie Rodriguez. The first two have made brief background appearances in the series since late in the game's development.
** A much less obvious example is Dr. Martin Poonlover, who replaces the usual generic, brown-haired Unplanned Parenthood doctor.

* ClusterFBomb: Par for the course with South Park, certianly, but one of Cartman's abilities weaponizes it, by overloading the V-Chip he still has from the movie.

* DamageOverTime: The Bleeding, Grossed Out, and Burning status deal this. These can stack from multiple sources and isn't mitigated by armor, making them a good way to take down enemies and bosses.
* DarkReprise / TriumphantReprise: The BackgroundMusic for Human and Elf kingdoms, respectively. The latter being lighter while still remaining as somber.

* DenserAndWackier / HotterAndSexier: Not to say that the show is ''tame'' by any means, but thanks to video games having looser ratings and censorship standards compared to Television, the Stick of Truth manages to be ''South Park'' in its absolutely most insane, obscene, and shocking form. Which, needless to say, is pretty impressive.

* DuelBoss: The fight against Cartman or Kyle at the school (depending on which one you decide to attack) will be this.

* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies / ThoseWackyNazis: [[spoiler:On a meta level, the bad guys end up being Nazi Zombies because it's a videogame -- and those are the two most used tropes for enemies in video games.]]
** [[spoiler: Lampshaded by the Big Bad Government Guy, who complains that this is overused.]]

* {{Fartillery}}: Both Cartman and The New Kid use this. Randy Marsh is also capable of this, seen in one of the E3 trailers, teaching it to the Player Character. Farting gives an equivalent status effect of being poisoned, and can be used to set off explosions when aimed at fires.

** Depending on the player's choice of faction, the New Kid will face two of his friends in boss battles on the second day.

** Jimmy's side quest is to retrieve a flute from the farm. If the player doesn't complete the quest until the post-game, he'll still have the flute in the final boss.
** Even if you wait until post-game to do the flute quest, you still have to fight four Nazi Zombie cows, despite [[spoiler:the outbreak being completely cured after the final boss.]]
** When [[spoiler:heading into Mr. Slave's ass to disarm a snuke, the New Kid is joined by whichever party member was partnered with him at that time (who complains about it), only to be seen outside of Mr. Slave's body in cutscenes during the same sequence. Hell, you can switch to any buddy you want inside Mr. Slave's anus.]] During the same sequence, [[spoiler:the player can still summon Mr. Slave in battle, even though the battle is taking place within Mr. Slave's body. There's actually an achievement for doing this]].

* GodzillaThreshold: [[spoiler:Farting on someone's balls]].

** The Roshambo ability is available to the New Kid as a fighter.

* HeroicMime: The player character, of course [[spoiler: (until the very end that is, when he says "Screw you guys, I'm going home")]].

** Mr. Slave when you fart on him: "Jesus Christ. Have you been sticking stuff up there?"

* IHaveBoobsYouMustObey: Used by ''Kenny'' as part of his Buddy Command.

* InfinityPlusOneSword: Averted with the Sweet Katana, the most damaging melee weapon in the game because the sword can be simply bought at any time from Jimbo's shop. All you have to be is Level 14 to use it.

** [[spoiler:If you examine the surgical gear as soon as you obtain it, it has bonuses that help against fetus enemies. You might first assume that these are useless joke bonuses, like the ones on the goth clothing, but guess what you'll be fighting in a few minutes.]]
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: Never EVER fart on a man's balls...unless you're fighting Princess Kenny, in which case, you do it to win the game.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The New Kid's dad doesn't appear to be very caring towards him, though it might be more due to his frustration with his son's [[HeroicMime refusal to talk]] than inherent jackassery; he's also doing whatever he can to make sure his son stays safe, [[spoiler:especially since the government is constantly after him.]] Cartman's not that nice either, of course, though it's [[DownplayedTrope toned down]] from the show proper, due to his AdaptationalHeroism in play as the BigGood of Kupa Keep.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: The Sweet Katana which is the [[InfinityPlusOneSword most powerful melee weapon in the game]]. Justified because most of the weapons you've been using are just toy weapons, improvised weapons, or replicas while the Sweet Katana is actually a combat ready sword bought from a local arms shop.

* KleptomaniacHeroFoundUnderwear: ...and sex toys, crack pipes, various pills (and that's just in Cartman's Mom's room)...

** People also frequently comment on the New Kid [[HeroicMime never saying a word.]]

* {{LARP}}: Taken to the [[SeriousBusiness extreme]] that the whole town's gonna be wrecked by the end of it. Then again this is South Park, so that's nothing new.

* LogicalWeakness: The [[spoiler:guards defending the snuke inside Mr. Slave's stomach are highly susceptible to gross attacks because it's basically adding insult to injury]].

* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** [[spoiler:Clyde wouldn't have stolen the Stick of Truth and raised an army of Nazi Zombies if Cartman hadn't banished him from the Kingdom of Kupa Keep at the start of the game]].
** Had "Douchebag" simply escaped the alien ship instead of crashing it into South Park, he would've avoided [[spoiler:spreading a Nazi Zombie plague and giving Clyde an undead army]]. Although it's excused in that he had no choice but to confront the pilots of the ship, because [[spoiler:Randy broke the elevator that went to the exit as he made his escape]].

* NobodyPoops: Strictly averted, being that this is South Park. The New Kid can use toilets, collect the excrement and ''use'' it as a weapon in battle to gross out his targets. He can also void his bowels during battle, which can lead to the player gaining achievements and points.

** You can also fail some of the minigames for some funny deaths/fail-states. [[spoiler: If you fail the snuke game, you get footage of a nuclear explosion, followed by credits in the style of the show for over a minute. The same minigame is in the abortion clinic, and the guards will shoot you dead if you fail it.]]
** There's also the "Call your Dad" attack that the Hallway Monitor Boss uses on you.

* OffscreenTeleportation: Used by the Thief's backstab ability. At least there's a puff of smoke when he appears on the other side of the screen.

* OverlyLongGag: Jimmy's stuttering, par the course. The game even gives you a popup to skip it during the main story quests involving him, which you might want to as he can take up to a ''minute'' to finish talking.
** And his stuttering loops multiple times, which may make the player think that the only way to progress is to hit the "Skip" popup.
*** There is one instance, though, where you can't skip it at all.
* ParentalSexualitySquick: Averted. [[spoiler:Your character doesn't seem the least fazed at having to witness his parents agressively going at it. Then again, he's rarely fazed with anything.]] In fact, [[spoiler:not only is he NOT fazed, when he sees it start, the after-battle victory sound effect plays, and he gets a free battle's worth of Exp.]]

* RecordNeedleScratch: At the Giggling Donkey Inn when Cartman ask if anyone's seen The Bard.

* {{Retraux}}: Canada, which is rendered to look like an 8-bit {{RPG}}.

* SharedLifeMeter: The Mongolian Horde has one at the top of the Tower of Peace.

** Similarly, the final upgrade to the Jew's [[GroinAttack Circum-Scythe]] makes the other enemies Grossed Out.

** The New Kid also gets some with Annie, having saved her from a group of bullies, helping him out, and being the first girl he recruits.

* ShmuckBait: There's a lot of things you can do that cause you to lose money. You can pay Clyde $2.00 for a tip/rumor, only for him to give you the tip of "Never spend money on tips and rumors." You can also invest twenty dollars in the bank. "Aaaaaaand it's gone" follows (unless you fight him when gnome size first). However, if you fight him AFTER investing, you receive double whatever you invested.

** [[Literature/{{Dune}} He who controls The Stick controls the universe]].
** In the introductory cinematic, Grand Wizard Cartman resembled [[Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium Gandalf]].
*** In addition, the cinematic is animated like Ralph Bakshi's WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings.
** Princess Kenny's costume resembles [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Princess Zelda]]. She even uses a bow as a weapon, which Zelda herself uses in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' and ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Brawl''.
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAz5Pf8dsXo Princess Kenny's theme]] resembles [[VisualNovel/PrincessLover Princess Lover!'s]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_Rr3zxNZd4 opening theme.]]
** The '''K'''ingdom of '''K'''upa '''K'''eep. Which is pronounced [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Koopa Keep"]].
*** Cartman even [[spoiler: calls it the KKK if you select the "Jew" class]].
--->'''Cartman:''' [[spoiler: We welcome to the KKK Douchebag the Jew, who probably could handle our finances!]]
** Multiple characters throughout the game call the new kid some kind of [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Dragonborn]]. One of the first farting techniques he learns? The Dragon Shout.
*** In addition, the "true" name of the new kid is [[spoiler: Dovahkiin]].
*** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0T2ItezwXg the default battle music]] was obviously inspired by [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim's]] main theme.

** If you fart in the overworld, sometimes an NPC will comment, "Haha, [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker Wind Waker]]".
*** At one point, you can find a full costume that looks a lot like [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link's]]. The cap even has blonde hair. You can even buy a sword that resembles the Master Sword.

* SummonMagic: You can gain the ability to summon allies by doing side quests and befriending them. You can only use them once a day and they can't be used for boss fights..

** The big Nazi Zombie Fetus boss was apparently aborted by Khloe Kardashian.

* TestosteronePoisoning: Stan's barbarian knight persona.
* TheReveal: The New Kid[[spoiler:'s actual name (or maybe codename) is [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Dovahkiin]] and the Government is after him because of his ability to make friends instantly on Facebook. The Government Agency person takes the stick, strips naked and converts Princess Kenny to his side.]] You really can't expect anything else from South Park, really.

** This also occurs with [[spoiler: The New Kid during the night. Even though he's in a violent spaceship crash on night one, and gets crushed by his dad's balls on night two, he always awakes safely in his bed the next morning.]]
* TookALevelInBadass: The Nagasaki is a metaphysical one. When it was used in one of the trailers, it looked like it was going to be a sort of stun[=/=]gross combo. In the final game, it's an immensely powerful [=AoE=] ability that allows you the ability to destroy cracked rocks.

** Speaking of Canada, the method of entry isn't determined by how powerful you are or how many friends you have... You simply need a passport, just as you would in real life to travel between the two countries.

* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: The short version is pretty much everybody is extremely blasé about what's going on. Details:

* TheVoiceless: The main character since it's just an avatar of, well, you.
** This is often PlayedForLaughs.
--->'''Elf:''' He doesn't talk, Elf King. He thinks he's hot shit or something.
** [[spoiler:Until the end when the boys are trying decide what to play next. Your character utters the classic line "Screw you guys, I'm going home".]]

* WhamLine: [[spoiler:[[CallBack "Screw you guys;]] [[SuddenlyVoiced I'm going home."]]]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: [[spoiler: Big Bad Government Guy]] just kind of disappears after [[spoiler: The New Kid farts on Princess Kenny's balls]].
** In the Prima Official Guide to the game, there is an image of [[spoiler: Big Bad Government Guy]] lying dead in the section after the final battle with [[spoiler: Princess Kenny]] suggesting that he died shortly after [[spoiler: The New Kid farts on Kenny's balls.]]

* WombLevel: [[spoiler:Mr. Slave's ass.]]

* WorldHealingWave: Remember that the next time there is a ZombieApocalypse, [[spoiler:get a guy to dress up as a princess and then fart on his balls. That will cure the whole thing]].
* WouldHitAGirl: You can beat up women and little girls as much as you want in this game, of course, your characters will pound the crap out of female enemies, such as female bullies and meth addicts, without remorse.

* JoinTheArmyTheySaid: The pair of guards seen [[spoiler: inside Mr. Slave's ass]] lament their fate.
-->'''Guard''': Why do we always get the [[IncrediblyLamePun shit jobs]]? "Go clean out the barracks. Go round up civilians in their homes. [[spoiler: Go inside a gay man's butthole and guard against intruders]]. Fuckin' sucks!"

** Many of the series' sufferers of ChuckCunninghamSyndrome make some sort of cameo in the game. A missing person billboard in the police station features Halfy, Nurse Gollum, Chickenlover, and Damian (who makes a physical appearance in the movie theater). Characters who died throughout the series' 17 year run also appear on a memorial in the school (featuring Ms. Choksondick, Ms. Crabtree, Chef, and Pip). Ugly Bob, Scott the Dick, and Dr. Mephesto can be heard on television. In addition, Mr. Hat cameos briefly near the very end of the game [[spoiler:up Mr. Slave's ass]].

When [[PlayerCharacter The New Kid]] arrives in town, he is immediately drafted into a city-wide [[{{LARP}} live-action roleplay]] between the kids of South Park Elementary, which escalates into a good vs. evil battle threatening to consume the world. He shall fight alongside Cartman, Stan, Kyle, Kenny, Butters, Jimmy, and Randy as a new friend, to cement his status as either a socially-acceptable savior among peers, or be forevermore known as a loser.

** The music playing in the Inn of the Giggling Donkey has a lot in common with the music played in a cantina in [[Film/ANewHope a galaxy far far away.]] The name of the inn is a reference to Literature/{{The Lord Of The Rings}}' Prancing Pony.
** Mr. Hanky's "Shitstorm" summon basically turns him into {{Mickey|Mouse}} in [[WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}} Sorcerer's Apprentice]]. But with shit much like he did in "Chef's Salty Chocolate Balls".

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* BlackComedy: You know the show? The one that [[CrossesTheLineTwice Crosses the Line on a regular basis]], indulges in DudeNotFunny like it's really funny, and is the epitome of VulgarHumor on television? Well, the game cranks it UpToEleven. For example, Cartman is the "Grand Wizard" of the [[FunWithAcronyms Kingdom of Kupa Keep]]. Even funnier in that one of the four starting classes is "Jew", which elicits "Looks like we'll never be friends, then" from Cartman.

** During the second night, the player character is shrunk to the size of an Underpants Gnome and chases them through his house's walls. He ends up seeing his parents having sex through an air vent, then taken UpToEleven when he chases the gnomes into his parents' room to fight a boss battle that takes place on the bed where the act is taking place.

* SpecialEffectFailure: Invoked. Craig's [[DoppelgangerSpin shadow clone]] attack is very clearly just a smoke bomb distraction followed by 4 kids showing up wearing the same clothing. If the game were in any other art style, this would be seen through immediately, but even as it is, [[EpicFail one of the decoys is black]].