Coming South Park game is harder for black characters

A GIF showing the difficulty/skin-color choices in South Park: The Fractured But Whole (credit: Ubisoft)

Writers from John Scalzi to author Shannon Sullivan have called being white living life in "easy mode" when compared to the treatment that people of color receive. The upcoming RPG South Park: The Fractured But Whole takes that concept and integrates it right into the gameplay, increasing the difficulty for created characters as their chosen skin tone becomes darker.

Eurogamer was among the first to notice and publicize the feature. At a recent preview event, the site captured footage showing difficulty levels ranging from "easy" for a light-skinned character to "very difficult" for the darkest skin option. "Don't worry, this doesn't affect combat," character Eric Cartman says as you operate the slider. "Just every other aspect of your whole life."

As the developers clarified to Eurogamer, the difficulty setting "affects the amount of money you receive and the way other characters speak to you throughout the course of the game." That raises the concept beyond a throwaway joke on the character creator and into an integral part of the way the game proceeds.

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