In the realm of South Park video games, “South Park: Snow Day!” stands apart from its RPG predecessors. Boasting a 3D animated aesthetic, co-op battle gameplay, and a surprisingly affordable $30 price tag, this departure from epic-scale RPGs was a deliberate decision by co-creator Matt Stone.
According to him, it opens up new possibilities for the South Park gaming franchise.
“We came off of ‘The Fractured But Whole’, and we definitely wanted to do another video game, but we wanted to do something different,”
Stone explained in an interview with IGN.
“We started talking about doing something a little different, more about replayability. More about being able to update characters. We always thought we wanted to do that thing where we do a thing in a show and then like, it’s in the game two weeks later, or three weeks, or whatever it is.”
The shift in both gameplay and animation style serves the purpose of a more live-service style of game, allowing developers to seamlessly add new content.
Stone highlighted the challenges of the 2D approach in the previous games, emphasizing the creative freedom in the 3D realm.
“For me, I just accept that these are the South Park kids.”
Snow Day! not only transforms gameplay but also shakes up the exploration element. The game’s world is designed as more of a sandbox compared to the previous narrative-driven progression.
South Park writer Jameel Saleem, who also contributed to ‘Snow Day’, noted the difference:
“The previous games feel like you’re in a South Park movie. It’s very immersive. This is more of a visceral feeling of just like being able to run around in South Park and run around in the snow.”
Stone describes the new game as narratively “kind of like a long episode of South Park.”
Starting with a low-stakes setup of kids wanting to play on a snow day, any larger threats or narratives emerge gradually, deviating from the cinematic experience of the predecessors.
Acknowledging the risks of straying from the beloved predecessors, Stone emphasized that the low pricing of $29.99 provides the necessary space to experiment with a new format. The Game will be available from March 26, and you can Pre-order in the official website.
“As a $29.99 game, that seemed like the right size for us to try 3D for the first time and make it work, make all those systems work without biting off too much and failing at it, you know.”
