Roller coasters, they are the reason we go to theme parks. The excitement of going superfast, the screams when going up-side-down and the sensation of walking in a “real” Wild Western town. As a kid, I loved every visit to the theme park. My parents a bit less because those visits were expensive. So you can understand their happiness when I received the game “Roller Coaster Tycoon (RCT)” from my grandparents. A game where I can make my roller coasters and manage my very own theme park. It was the perfect win-win situation! Some time ago, I received early access to Planet Coaster, the next roller coaster game. It was time for me to go back to my youth and make a new theme park!
Even now, I remember the hours spend to create the perfect roller coaster. The intro song, the sound of the coaster cart going over the chains, the screams of the people going down the roller coaster, it’s all pure nostalgic for me. But after the release of Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 back in 2004, the roller coaster genre seemed to have died quietly. Yet it seems that we were all deceived! Because currently, there are 3 different roller coaster games in development: Roller Coaster Tycoon World, Parkitect and Planet Coaster. A quick overview:
RollerCoaster Tycoon World is being developed by Nvizzio Creations for publisher Atari. Roller Coaster Tycoon World’s only connection with the old games, is the name and publisher. In its current early access version, this game is the worst and weakest of the three mentioned. It’s not only visual weak, but also very limited in the possibilities when making your own theme park. If you take a quick look on the steam page, you’ll see mostly negative reviews.
Parkitect is the 2D roller coaster game. If you loved the visuals of the first 2 RCT instalments, you’ll love Parkitect. Parkitect, from Texel Raptor, feels like a modern version of RCT, with a lot of improvements. It is also in early access, so there are a few bugs and unpleasantries, but it feels and plays a lot better than Roller Coaster Tycoon World. And Parkitect already has mod support, making this game one to keep an eye on!
Planet Coaster is being developed by the original team behind Roller Coast Tycoon 3, Frontier Developments. Planet Coaster is, even in its current alpha 2 version, the most promising 3D roller coaster game out there!
Planet Coaster has had a very successful early paid alpha release in March. The possibilities in the game were overwhelming, the creativity endless and that was just in early access. In the first version, you could only make buildings and pre-made rides. With the alpha 2 version, Frontier Developments has released terrain sculpting tools and roller coasters, both pushing the boundaries of creativity even further. The terrain sculpting tool is so strong that they have recreated Mount Rushmore. Building things goes so smooth and easy that people are recreating the Colosseum and The Arc Du Triomphe.
It might be in early access, but the mechanics are near perfect. Coasters are as easy as placing a track and simply drag along. Scroll a bit, more it a bit closer, place some pre-made lopings or twists and before you realise, you’ve got a complete roller coaster. And if it needs a little tweak, you don’t have to destroy and rebuild it. No, just go into edit mode, drag your track where needed and that’s that! The same goes for creating building, start with walls, add facilities and other decorative elements like lights and signs. If you need that extra level of control, simply tab X and you get the X-Y-Z axes. Another tab on X gives you the rotation angles. Sadly there is no scaling of items, but that’s perhaps something for the future. It should be clear by now: Planet Coaster is the next level for any building game in the future.
By the way, those decorative elements I was talking about? They have a purpose. If you use them wisely, they will encourage visitors toward certain rides. Place your best rides at the far end of your park and visitors will have to walk past gift shops and food stands. Small, quiet rides are much more successful when surrounded with decorative elements or even the toilets. Take account of everything, and you can boost the success of every ride in your park.
This brings me to the warning part of this article. At this moment, Planet Coaster is aimed for the builders and decorators. The management is completely missing (we are still in Alpha!). Sure, there is some management needed when placing your rides, but there is no money management, no staff management, no results of your rides. There are only 2 real themes in the game at the moment; the Pirate theme and the Planet Coaster. Also, there are no pre-built buildings either, except for some flat rides. This means that even the most simple building has to be created piece-by-piece. For some people this is the dream, for others a deal breaker.
This explains why the ‘Early Bird Alpha’ costs £49.99/67,99€/$74.99. When Planet Coaster properly launches later this year, some time from September onwards, it’ll cost £29.99/39,99€/$49.99.There is a pre-order version available as well (for £19.99/26,99€/$29.99), but that’s without early access.
But don’t get me wrong, Planet Coaster will be amazing when it releases. I am sure of that. You can notice their love for the game in the details. Visitors don’t stand in a single line, but more in a chaotic and much more realistic line. They react to your scenery, react to music. Some come sick out of a coaster, other run to get back in! They feel much more alive than other binary persons. Their loves also shines through in the pre-made rides, the lighting of the Venetian Carousel, the animation of the Star Wheel, the music of the Whirly Rig. You don’t go this far if you do not love theme parks.
The conclusion is that there is a formula out there for you. If you love the RCT series, you might want to keep a close eye on Planet Coaster and even pre-order it. If you love to be creative and want to start building your own theme park, get the ‘Early Bird Alpha’. Just as Cities: Skyline has revived the city building genre and dethroned the worthless predecessor, Planet Coaster will do the same for the roller coaster genre. Of that, I am sure.
