Planet Coaster is almost back. The now-iconic game that revitalized the theme park managing genre in 2016 is getting a sequel soon. But will it shake the sim genre as much as its predecessor? I had a chance to check a preview of Planet Coaster 2 for a little below two hours, and I’m cautiously optimistic.
Water Parks and Theme Parks
Unlike in the original Planet Coaster, water parks are as much of a focus as theme parks for the new installment in the series. The scenario I played as part of the preview featured a land divided into two halves. In one, I was free to build whatever I wanted. In the other, I was limited to pools, slides, water rides, changing rooms, and so on. Water park stuff.
This is meant to teach a valuable lesson to the player. Water parks are just as viable as traditional theme parks. They can generate money and attract customers just the same. They have dedicated mechanics like sunlight and shade, unique shops for poolside activities and needs, and in-depth creation tools dedicated to water parks.
But the bulk of the customization happens in the ground rides and, of course, the roller coasters. The way roller coasters, in particular, are built should feel familiar to fans of the series. It’s a little more complicated than it absolutely had to be, but it allows for deep customization. A tradeoff that might or might not be worth it depending on your personal taste.
Other custom-built rides, like go-kart tracks, are a lot lighter in options. As a result, they’re a lot easier to customize. I have no doubt that players will find ways to make incredible tracks even within those limitations, but not everything is quite as complex as the roller coasters. I’d be remiss not to mention the custom decorations, which allow you to create moving 3D models with special effects and movements triggering at specific intervals. You can even time certain changes with actions in the ride itself.
A Sim with Attitude
Nowadays, the workplace sim genre has a reputation for producing dry, realistic, sometimes laughably ordinary depictions of labor. The Truck Simulator series is the obvious example, but the success of games like Supermarket Simulator shows that this is hardly a fluke. There’s nothing wrong with those games, of course, but Planet Coaster 2 doesn’t seem to be cut from the same cloth. Rather, its approach to simulation arches back to the theme park sims of days gone, like Roller Coaster Tycoon.
Planet Coaster 2 has characters. It has at least one protagonist, a mentor and helper, and even a nemesis of sorts. It’s hard to say if those are good characters since I only met them briefly during the preview, but the existence of those figures alone makes the game stand out from the competition.
The different themes available for rides, decorations, and even staff boost the game’s character further. The game will ship with just five themes, but each of those is plenty distinct from the others. It’s certainly possible that more themes will be available in the form of DLC, just like in the original Planet Coaster.
Since their announcement, fans have wasted no time criticizing the choice of themes. In all fairness, the five themes are classic Planet Coaster, Aquatic, Mythology, water Resort, and Atlantean. At first, those seem like a random assortment of ideas, some abstract and others more material, but they all share a certain inclination for water. Water parks really are just as important in Planet Coasters 2 as theme parks have been in the past.
What the Preview Doesn’t Tell Us
For how illustrative my hands-on experience with Planet Coaster 2 was, I have to recognize some blind spots. I don’t know much about the campaign, even if what I saw was promising. I found the controls and the menus a little confusing, but I didn’t go through a tutorial. I was told some menus were placeholders and I didn’t play on my computer, so it’s hard to judge how well this piece of software will run.
If you’re reading this preview to the end, you’re probably excited for Planet Coaster 2. And there are reasons to be excited! But if you’re on edge, if you’re not convinced by the themes selection, the learning curve, or the multiplayer options, I would suggest you wait for reviews.
Published: Sep 13, 2024 11:07 am