Planet Coaster Is Ready To Save the Theme Park Simulation Genre

When I think back to 1999, I'm reminded of RollerCoaster Tycoon and how much it captivated my attention. The weeks disappeared in the blink of an eye as I became obsessed with building theme park paradises, places where virtual people visited for vacation from their virtual jobs—and occasionally puke. Building rollercoasters became fashionable with Chris Sawyer's ambitious title, boosted by the popularity of major recent real-world developments such as Superman: The Ride and The Riddler's Revenge at Six Flags Magic Mountain.

This was a game that absorbed hundreds of hours out of people who may not even liked rollercoasters. Entertaining virtual visitors and creating beautiful designs was a common addiction. There was always something to do whether it be enhancing a landscape, optimizing revenue, or crafting an innovative ride. You had no choice but to clear your weekend to make room for your new theme park executive job.

So when you fast forward 17 years it comes as a bit of a surprise that park simulators are as dead as Six Flags New Orleans. We've seen a few releases pop up from time-to-time, but you can always count on them receiving extremely negative critic and consumer reception. Such was the case of RollerCoaster Tycoon World, a title that was initially promising, but debuted earlier this year to incredible backlash.

For one reason or another, what made RollerCoaster Tycoon so interesting has become lost over the years. While it's true that some genres simply aren't as appetizing in this day and age, perhaps including this one, there is serious potential for management and construction simulation titles when done right. Last year's Prison Architect serves as a great example.

But there's hope. You may have caught a whiff of Planet Coaster's positive Alpha hype earlier this year. The widespread praise among park simulation fans was an extremely positive moment in history for the genre. Well, tomorrow the game officially releases, and we have some news: it's a great game.

Planet Coaster makes a great first impression with its presentation. Menu elements are slick and easy to navigate. The world is colorful and attractive, supported by the same Cobra Engine that powers Elite: Dangerous. What's here is so far beyond what the genre has seen before that it is almost magical. You can almost smell the body odor and sweat among park attendees, and feel the sense of dread that coaster-riders have when escalating a large drop.

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Its character design emphasizes the fun-centered focus of the game. This is a game more worried about being personable and entertaining rather than anything else. You'll find that park attendees have exaggerated features, which admittedly aren't pretty when close up, but create awe-inspiring silhouettes when the sun goes down and you see a crowd of people pile up near a major attraction.

As great as Planet Coaster looks, that's not where it shines most. That achievement is owed to its controls. This is a very intuitive game that makes all the intricacies of item selection and orientation as simple to handle as possible. Creating walkways, placing buildings, and choosing the route for a new coaster only takes a minute or two to learn. You'll be experimenting with bizarre works in no-time.

This also applies to terrain editing, which makes creating hills, caves, and unique toplogies a joy instead of a chore. There's a great level of power that you possess when formatting your theme parks that will inspire you to make great things.

Everything you'd expect from the genre is here to be found, and then some. You have access to a variety-rich selection of coaster and ride types, shops, and more. There are some neat ideas too, one of which is how the game handles progression in Campaign mode. You will need to invest in research and development to gain access to new options, providing another layer of decision making. You also have an incredible amount of control over the operation and presentation of rides, encouraging thematic assembly.

It all begins to make sense when you consider that Planet Coaster was made by the same studio responsible for RollerCoaster Tycoon 2's expansions and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Perhaps more importantly, Frontier Developments made Zoo Tycoon, Screamride, and most recently Elite: Dangerous. This is no ordinary studio.

Our experience with Planet Coaster hasn't been perfect. The lack of a tutorial mode is sure to overcomplicate things for many players, the campaign is presented in a way that can feel emotionless, and the number of items borders on underwhelming. But even then, it manages to excite us in a way that no other park simulator has in over a decade. For that reason, as well as its $44.99 price tag, we recommend giving this game a good look. You might just find yourself planning a theme park trip sooner than you anticipated.