South Park: Phone Destroyer review: Join the Cowboys vs Indians battle in South Park style

South Park: Phone Destroyer features your favourite South Park characters that are role-playing in classic Cowboys versus Indians. Read our review to find out more about the game

South Park: Phone Destroyer is fun to play, and if you’re a true fan, you shouldn’t miss it. (South Park)

South Park is brutal, dark and hilarious. And the best part, all of their episodes are available for free on their website. Just like Simpsons, South Park is full of references to the pop culture, but their satire is a bit different. Over the last decade, the animated series has built its own cult following worldwide.

Apart from animated series, South Park makers also have a series of games. So far, the developers have launched as many as 12 video games with South Park: Phone Destroyer being the latest installment. Unlike other 11 games, the latest one is the first South Park game to be exclusively available for mobile apps.

Launched in coordination with gaming company Ubisoft, South Park is essentially a free to play card-based game and is the successor to The Stick Of Truth that was released in 2014.

I have been playing the first ever South Park mobile game for past few days and here's my review.

South Park: Phone Destroyer: Plot

Boys are mulling over which next game they should play. They're already bored with Wizard King, so that's not all happening. Eric Cartman, the character famously known for his bullying and foul mouth, convinces the boys to role playing game - Cowboy vs Indians. In order to defeat the Indians, Cowboys need the help of a new kid, which is essayed by the player.

South Park: Phone Destroyer: Gameplay

Set in the South Park universe, the new kid, which is you, are on the Cowboys' side while Indians' side is led by Stan Marsh, the humble and more rational kid in the group. As you march ahead in your quest, you have to collect enough cards, upgrade them and beat the Indians. The card swap is quite similar to any other card-based game, for instance WWE SuperCard.

Cards are essentially characters from South Park, for example Sheriff Cartman is a rare card and can damage nearby enemies with bullet-tantrum. Storyteller Jimmy falls under Epic cards category and is capable of slowing down attack from the nearby army.

Users are in control of what cards they want to use in a battle. Though, you've to be careful about placement as the cards take time to regenerate before getting ready for the placement in the battle.

While you can go on to play a linear single player campaign, you can also play in Player versus Player (PVP) combat mode. The game automatically chooses an opponent for you. PVP mode is a great way to master the card-swapping skills and strategically using them. The single player campaign helps you level up and build your cards stronger. And as expected, there are several incentives like virtual coins and dollars, which can be used to upgrade your cards.

South Park: Phone Destroyer: Verdict

Apart from WWE SuperCard, I don't recall I have enjoyed playing any other card-based game so much. What I love the most about the game that it doesn't alienate the core fans of the series. It's set in the familiar South Park universe and matches the look and feel of the original animation series. Character voiceovers by Trey Parker and Matt Stone also bring the familiarity to the game.

The gameplay is quite smooth and very simple, which is certainly not negative. Simplicity hooks you to the game for hours. The theme that the protagonist is a phone addict or say phone pro is hilarious, if you think about it. After all, it's you who is essaying that role.

You can also play the game in Player versus Player (PVP) combat mode. (South Park)

You can also play the game in Player versus Player (PVP) combat mode. (South Park)

While the game is free to download, it does come with some in-app purchases, which range between ₹30 and ₹7,900. It's funny that South Park developers have added in-app purchases in their game as in one of their popular episodes titled 'Freemium Isn't Free' centered upon addiction to games, and in-app purchases.

Nonetheless, South Park: Phone Destroyer is super fun and if you're a true fan, you shouldn't miss it.

P.S. After having set up, the game might show this error upon launch: "Google Play error, log out of Google Play and then log in again. You can do it in your device settings." The error message is bit misleading as it actually means you need to download "Google Play Games" on your Android phone.