We’re back with another park simulation game from the wonderful people over at Frontier. Planet Coaster 2 is the widely anticipated sequel to Planet Coaster, which came out back in 2016. I have many hours in the first instalment of the Planet Coaster series and many more hours invested in Planet Zoo and Jurassic World Evolution. I can say when it comes to management games that Frontier knows what they are doing.
I was highly waiting for the release of Planet Coaster 2 and one of the main reasons for this was because of the announcement of being able to build a water park within your theme park. Frontier was lovely enough to offer a PC version of the game for me to review so without hesitation I booted up my PC, loaded up Steam, and dived into the next instalment of the Planet Coaster series.
For those that might not know Planet Coaster 2 is a construction and management simulation video game from Frontier Developments. It expands upon its predecessor with tones of improvements like the building tools, event sequencing gameplay, and the big one for me the chance to build and manage your very own water park.
It has a career, sandbox, and challenge mode that offer so much for the players but what I do love is the cross-platform cooperative gameplay where you can visit other players’ parks online (to get inspiration or see what the competition is up to) or you can build one together asynchronously. If you are familiar with the first game then you will see a lot of returning systems but they have been amended and improved based on feedback received during the first game.
Not much has changed from the first game regarding your task of building theme parks that meet the needs of the guests visiting. You are using the next-level customisation tools that come with the latest instalment in the Planet Coaster series allowing for more awe-inspiring parks that push your limits to the max.
You then have the water park attractions which in their own right are a huge addition that adds hours to the gameplay and offers more creativity options when you are designing your theme parks. One thing I will say is that I could have seen this being added as a DLC pack but then again when you couple it with all the other improvements, we have in Planet Coaster 2 it makes it worth the new game. Combining a water park and a theme park is kind of like Alton Towers in the UK as there is a water park onsite as well as a few other things.
You get to add tonnes of new scenery elements to your park to truly set up themed areas in your parks as well as watch all the entertains wow your guests. It is something that lets my imagination run wild as I do enjoy having a plain canvas and just running with it. It is made better when you can work co-operatively in a park with friends and others online. This feature stood out to me as it allows you to set up little projects with your friends on building theme parks together. My friend is a huge fan of these games too so when we got together to build and manage a park, we really enjoyed it.
The main element to the game of course is making sure the guests are happy, sure a large amount of it is building the park, making sure all the rollercoasters are fit for purpose and running smoothly, and making sure there is enough staff on hand to make all the cogs turn but ultimately, it’s whether your guests are having fun. You need to make sure their needs are met; they have value for money and with the addition of the water parks the right facilities to get changed and stay out of the sun.
The game management screens are easy to understand after a few hours of playing the game and it gives you all the tools you need to make sure everyone is happy both staff and guests.
Graphically the game is stunning and runs brilliantly on my PC. I love the customisation you get with Planet Coaster 2 and I feel like it allows you to fully let your imagination run wild. The different themed attractions, assists, and tools that are at your disposal cater for making breathtaking parks and I love jumping into Sandbox and running wild with coater designs and making theme module pieces from scratch.
I love the ability to be able to use other people’s creations, it gives you the extra flare when adding to parks. I love the level of detail Frontier has put into all the pre-made rides and attractions, it is so much fun to build a theme park and then go and have a look around it. One thing I do enjoy is sitting on the rollercoasters and rides and experiencing them firsthand. It is super cool to make a rollercoaster and then actually ride it in a sense.
The addition of the water parks brings a new level to any park you create and some of the water slides I would love to actually ride myself but overall, I think the creative freedom you get with Planet Coaster 2 is a step up on its predecessor and is super enjoyable to run wild with your creativity and imagination. Audio is what you expect from these types of games and doesn’t go overboard. The relaxing music, sounds of the busy theme park, and voice-acted characters help bring life to the game and a sense of character and life to the whole experience.
Planet Coaster 2 has plenty of replay value. Like its predecessor, there are loads on offer with the career, sandbox, and challenge mode. I tend to spend the majority of my time in Sandbox when it comes to park-building games as I love to be creative and not have to worry too much about the management side of things. Don’t get me wrong I do enjoy playing the Challenge mode and always go through the career mode to get a better understanding of the game mechanics first before moving onto the sandbox and challenge mode.
I’m sure going forward there will be plenty of free updates and even the DLC for the game’s life cycle so if Planet Coaster 2 is anything like the first game and any of the other games Frontier releases then we are here for a long and fun time with this brilliant park management game.
Conclusion
Planet Coaster 2 is a step forward for the Planet Coaster series. For those that love the little things and adding details to their parks then there is plenty that will cater to you. There is a huge number of rides, scenery, and terrain tools that allow you to craft the parks of your dreams. For me, I liked how the financial side of running a park and managing my staff was similar to that of the first game as it was a nice level for me to not feel too overwhelmed.
With the great addition of the water attractions, it adds a whole other element to the game kind of like adding lagoons to the second game in the Jurassic World Evolution series. The game sadly does have a few hiccups like the pathing system, some UI elements, and some mechanics that aren’t covered in the tutorial and you just kind of have to figure them out on your own but it is super fun, incredibly addictive and I can’t wait to see what else is on the horizon for Planet Coaster 2.
Personally, I think Planet Coaster 2 offers more for the players and is the best theme park-building game on the market to date. With that being said I’m happy to give Planet Coaster 2 a score of 8 out of 10 for its creative elements, water attractions, and being hours of fun all in one place.
Planet Coaster 2 Trailer
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The code was provided by the publisher.
