Building and designing roller coasters has probably been the dream of countless children over the years. It is not surprising that video games have tried to realize this dream, taking different approaches: from the most arcade titles such as Theme Park, Thrillville and recently Park Beyond, to the realism of the pseudo-pros NoLimits 2. The perhaps best- Well-known series in this sense are RollerCoaster Tycoon, created by Chris Sawyer and later acquired by Frontier Developments with the third best part (more than 10 million units sold), which was released in Europe 20 years ago.
Frontier released Planet Coaster for PC in 2016 and consoles in 2020 as a spiritual successor (modern RollerCoaster Tycoon titles are much, much worse) and was widely considered the definitive game of the subgenre. No other title offers a comparable balance of realism and accessibility, as well as beautiful graphics that make the parks come alive. The sequel, Planet Coaster 2, is now available for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Reviewing these types of simulation games is often more complicated than other games where your expectations may vary greatly. Pleasing a certain type of player (such as those who enjoy the management aspect of a theme park and the challenges that come with it) may turn off other players who enjoy the creative aspect more and need to let their imagination run wild and just focus on that Split “Fun”.
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Planet Coaster 2, like most games in its genre, resolves this dichotomy by offering separate game modes. A career mode for those who want to test their skills in predefined scenarios, and an unlimited sandbox or creative mode (with all kinds of roller coasters available from scratch and no new additions like electricity, which is frankly tedious). ). However, when trying to find a good overall balance, there is a risk that no player will be completely satisfied. Players in the first group may find the management aspects too short, lack real strategy in career goals and limit themselves to building what you are told. Additionally, it can sometimes be difficult to get the geometry of prefabricated stages right.
The second group may be frustrated by the sometimes confusing HUD and menus, the still uncontrollable road system, and the steep learning curve in customizing themes, attractions, and buildings that seems overwhelming.
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Of course, it’s unrealistic to create a customized game for every player. The game may not be perfect in every way, but it is as competent as a simulation game can be, demonstrating Frontier’s vast experience in the genre and making it a must-have for roller coaster fans. Because with the wide selection of simulation games, city building games and strategy titles, there’s a good chance that roller coasters and theme park attractions will be your main focus if you’re interested in this game. In this sense, Planet Coaster 2 is leagues ahead of the competition, offering a wide catalog of attractions, roller coasters and water slides based directly on real-world models.
If you’re playing a racing simulation game, you’d expect all the manufacturers to be there with their latest models, right? The same thing happens with roller coasters. Although they are not official models, there are no licenses or anything similar, all roller coasters are based on real models. From the different types of roller coasters to the smallest aesthetic details related to the design options of the supports, trains or tracks, the roller coasters here are beautiful to look at and cover almost every model imaginable: steel, wooden, inverted, wing, take-off , shuttle, water roller coasters, even completely new ones like the surf stand-up roller coasters.
Like the previous game, Frontier parodies company names with often hilarious results: Bolliger & Mabillard becomes Valais & Nibwalden, Intamin becomes Outamax, Rocky Mountain Construction becomes High Peaks Construction… These names are not it. They won’t mean anything to most of the world’s population, but they are like the Ferrari, the Audi or the Toyota of the roller coaster world. Frontier knows that a large portion of Planet Coaster players also know them and want them to play with them instead of a generic design. With over fifty types of roller coasters (excluding flat rides and water slides), there’s something for everyone (although I found it frustrating not being able to recreate Intamin’s masterpiece Batman: Gotham City Escape, as the exact model isn’t here).
Having realistic models is beneficial, not only because it can freak out roller coaster enthusiasts a little (or a lot), but also because it expands the creative possibilities. You don’t need gravity-defying fantasy rides to create original, cool-looking attractions – the theme park industry is already making our childhood dreams come true.
There are traditional roller coasters with the classic lift hill, but also launch roller coasters. Some combine both methods (and may feature lift hills and starts), some starts can go forward and backward, while other lift hills are unconventional, such as: B. the vertical lifts at the Gerstlauer attractions (mentioned here). “Jerry St. Lauer”). You can create shuttle coasters (not loops), and the biggest change in the game is that some coasters have switch and drop tracks, so you have to program whether they go forward or backward… They even have roller coasters with tilting rollers where the rail literally tilts vertically, a Vekoma model (“Vector” in the game), which was only built once over twenty years ago, is enjoying great popularity again. And RMC’s hybrid roller coasters, which combine wooden construction with a steel track that can be turned upside down, and which have become the hottest roller coaster model of the last decade. I could go on forever…
That’s not to say that the game’s biggest new addition, the water park rides and slides, don’t do a lot to freshen up the game. Building water slides is similar to building roller coasters and is just as fun, but you also have to be careful not to exceed your guests’ fear and dizziness limits. However, building pools can be tedious as it uses a similar style to path builder and ends up being a time-consuming process (you have to add water filters, ladders, lifeguards, lounge chairs and even shade, otherwise your guests might). get sunburnt). At the very least, it’s a good reminder of the importance of wearing sunscreen!
Fans of Planet Coaster 1 may be wondering what’s new besides the hyped water park features. The game includes a new game mode called Franchise, which allows you to play in asynchronous (cross-platform) multiplayer, build and run a chain of theme parks with your friends, and see how you take on other teams’ franchises.
There are also the aforementioned new ride customization options (such as adding lights to coaster trains or themed parts to rides) and even includes programming special effects, animatronics, and other moving parts. However, they require a lot of patience and could benefit from a better tutorial – the option is there, but many people probably won’t bother to understand it. This isn’t a big deal since anything you create can be uploaded to Frontier’s servers for anyone to use. And while the game doesn’t offer this option as such, the community has discovered that you can also create dark attractions by playing with wall placement and the impressive real-time lighting engine. Non-roller coaster attractions also include the Haunted Mansion shell vehicles.
Yes, I’m a roller coaster freak, so the presence or absence of water parks wouldn’t have played a big role in my interest in the game. I also don’t really like the huge customization options for decorations and buildings. Instead, I could spend hours recreating the roller coasters at my local parks. However, I know people who are passionate about the water park features and spend hours creating the most beautiful water parks there are and I have to admit that they look great: the graphics are exceptional, the blue of the water and the colors The slides are simply beautiful and make you wish summer would come back.
This is what I was referring to at the beginning of this Planet Coaster 2 review: There are many different Planet Coaster players with different preferences, so the feel of the game may vary from person to person. However, there’s no denying that Frontier Developments has done an incredible job of balancing a large amount of player-friendly content while adding more than enough new things to deserve its name. “2” in the title, eight years later.
