It all adds up to a game that is a constant source of grubby pleasure for the duration of its story mode. The show's 2D world is recreated superbly - how could it not be? - and only occasionally does the retro-flavoured flip-screen construction of the town lead to muddled navigation. It's sometimes easy to miss important objects or exits because of the game's limited visual palette, but nothing that will leave you cursing for long.
The game's only other weakness, after the fussy combat, is that it feels very much like a one-and-done experience. What side missions there are take the form of easily completed fetch quests, and attentive players will find that by the time they finish the story there's not a whole lot left to do beyond mopping up a few collectables.
That's compounded by a general absence of the replay value you'd expect from an RPG. There's only one point in the story where you can briefly alter the narrative flow by choosing between two factions, and opting for a different character class leads to different special moves but not much else in terms of gameplay changes. It's not a game where a mage play-through will be any different to one as a thief. The starting gear is limited by class, but it's open season on everything else in the game. Regardless of who you choose to play as, you'll have access to the same swords, bows and farts by the time you call time on a second play-through.
A finicky combat system, a lack of challenge and few reasons to remain in South Park once the story is done - these minor disappointments hold The Stick of Truth back from greatness, but they don't detract from the sheer audacious hilarity it delivers. In gameplay terms it may be soon forgotten, but there's unlikely to be a funnier - or filthier - game any time soon.