South Park: Snow Day: PS5 Review

Developed by Question
Released by THQ Nordic
Platform: PS5

If you're expecting high art with South Park, you're out of luck.

While the series in its heyday had real potential and offered scabrous entertainment in amongst the scabrous machinations of Cartman, Kyle, Kenny and Stan, as well as a side-splittingly good first film, the show's various manifestations have fallen from grace over the years.

And while its video gaming incarnations have had varied success, this latest feels like a slight entry into the canon of the world, being more of a wave-based co-op PVE game that never really rises above its hack and slash RPG-based mechanics.

In terms of plot, South Park is swamped by snow, leading to a county-wide snow day and a chance for Cartman to reinstate his fantasy game of wizards and elves. You play the new kid in town, who's thrown into a war against first graders.

Using cards to instigate power ups and essentially just hacking and slashing your way through waves to go on to the next achievement, South Park: Snow Day feels like an endless wave of tedium at times, no matter how well it develops and seizes on the South Park vibe.

There's also a lack of the traditional South Park humour with a few cutting comments early on in the gameplay ultimately feeling unoriginal thanks to their repetitive use throughout.

Graphically while the game's 3D look is anything but original, it does make good use of the source material, and certainly the opening animation provides plenty of hope for what could have laid ahead.

Ultimately, thanks to small environments and a gameplay that's quite familiar and repetitive after a few goes, the overwhelming impression of South Park: Snow Day is one that suggests future DLC drops or storylines will help it reach its potential; as for now, it feels like it's a base game that's been rushed out rather than polished.