Being the only British child of my generation that didn’t get hopelessly addicted to some form of Rollercoaster Tycoon, Planet Coaster has zero nostalgia factor for me. What it needs to impress with is its creation tools, simulation quality and entertaining ways to play. Big rides, large parks and lots of people throwing up, both literally and in terms of how much of their money they’re allowing me to pocket. Usefully, their latest trailer is all about how their creative element is designed to do those very things.
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It’s part gameplay trailer, part dev diary, showing off a few quick glimpses of how you’ll be putting stuff together, as well as more cinematic moments. Plus: devs talking about their work.
A good mix of what I’d expect from this sort of game and exploits of new tech here. Building underground is just straight up cool, and while I’m sure there are those who would prefer to be able to personalise every single element, clipping bits together is fine enough for me. Particularly if they’re as moddable as is implied here.
The after-ride stuff is interesting too. That’s where the game has the capacity to surprise, going beyond the expected build-a-coaster and further into the full-park simulation portion. How to optimise all that will be a complex process, and seeing the maniac routes people come up with to exploit as much cash out as possible is going to be great. We can only hope for the return of Mr. Bones’ Wild Ride.
Planet Coaster should hit before the end of this year, by current estimates. There’s a whole heap of pre-order versions for different sorts of Early and Premium access, but a base copy of the game is fairly cheap at £19.99. According to this listing, the first playable builds will be sent out in March.