Stick Of Truth sounds like an episode (along with Parker and Stone, both Mona Marshall and April Stewart, who provide all the female voices, are also involved), it also looks like one, to an uncanny degree. In fact, never before has a game based on some other form of media so closely resembled the source material.
I asked Nathan Davis and Alvin Nelson, the two producers of the game, if the game's visuals were tricky to pull off:
Davis: "That was one of the first things that Matt and Trey talked to us about; can you make it look exactly like the show. It's a lot more work than you realize.
In the initial phase of the prototype, the visual style was easily to emulate. But in terms of making an extended game, where you have many different levels, many different perspectives, cut scenes, and the like, it takes a lot of time and back and forth with [South Park Studios], to make sure we're on the same page."
I also enquired if the game uses the same "engine" that the show is built upon, and the answer was no, but it does borrow some assets:
Nelson: "Everything is built from the ground up, but we did utilize [South Park Studios]'s characters files and some of their backgrounds.
They also sent us their animators, to check out and approve every single animation we've ever done."
Unfortunately, despite the fact that it was part of a holiday showcase, there is still no release date for the game. It could come out this holiday season… or it could not! Basically, "South Park: The Stick of Truth" will come out when it's good and ready.
