South Park combat will consist of "kids being little bastards"

When Obsidian showed South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker an early build of combat in the new RPG based on the series, the show's creators told the firm it wanted the kids to not only cry more, but bleed more as well.

Speaking with Game Informer as part of its exclusive coverage of the game, the firm's lead designer Matt MacLean said combat in the game will be similar to Paper Mario that it will make use of timed button presses. Also, the various classes will play different role in combat and weapons can be customized and added as the character progresses through the game.

Combat will also be turn-based, which will allow players to try their hand at other South Park mainstays.

“A lot of the combat in South Park is really just kids being kids," said MacLean. "There's a lot of juvenile violence with wholly unsafe toys. When we showed Matt and Trey an early build, one of the comments was: 'I want the kids the bleed more. I want the kids to cry more. I want these kids to really just treat each other like crap because that's what kids do. They're really rough with each other.'

"So I think that was one of the things they really wanted out of combat: kids being little bastards.”

MacLean also said that one of the playable classes in the game, "Jew", is similar to the Paladin or Monk class in standard RPG fare.

"The current design for him is he's a high-risk/high-reward character," he said. "The closer he is to death, the more powerful his abilities become. So you're strongest when you are at one hit point, but you're also just about to die.”

South Park: The Game is slated for release in the second half of calendar 2012 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.

Thanks, GamesRadar.