Ubisoft’s Most Immersive Game Yet
Today, we learn that the player character in Ubisoft’s upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole will be treated differently according to appearance.
As reported by Eurogamer, South Park’s difficulty slider is directly connected to skin color. Based on how easy the game is, you may receive more money and better treatment from NPCs. Therefore, the lighter your character’s skin the more forgiving the experience. Contrarily, the darker your character’s skin color the less leeway the world has to offer. Thus, the highest difficulty is reserved for a black protagonist.
Apparently, however, the difficulty/skin color doesn’t change combat at all. This is probably because the game understands that appearance is not an inherent detriment; it just affects everyone around you. As Eric Cartman puts it, “Don’t worry, this doesn’t affect combat. Just every other aspect of your whole life.”
Obviously, the South Park property has always been oozing with social commentary. Which is why the game is also reactionary to gender specification. Ubisoft made just about all genders available in character customization, offering male, female, “other,” letting you specify cisgender or transgender. You can view it all in the “Let’s Play” video below, by Aoife Wilson and Chris Bratt. Listen to Mr. Mackey comment on your decisions.
Discover the consequences of your racial traits on October 17, 2017, when South Park: The Fractured But Whole arrives for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.