Simulation games are the perfect way to kick back and relax, which is perfect really during a global pandemic. You can seemingly access a simulation game for absolutely anything these days, which really makes you question why you should bother leaving the house at all. The negative of this mass influx of simulation games is that rarely any of them are actually that good. Planet Coaster, fortunately, kicks this trend and is a standout game amongst a mass wave of mediocrity. Here’s our review of Planet Coaster: Console Edition.
Build Your Empire
Planet Coaster is quick-paced, relentless, often harsh but brilliantly managed, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition is no different. You are thrown in at the deep end during what is classed as the tutorial mission, and you’re shown the very in-depth management styles of the park you have to contend with in order to make your empire a success. The key areas you need to focus on are guest happiness, making the park stand out, keeping everyone entertained, having your finances flowing nicely and making sure your staff are happy. This is easy enough in principal, but in practice, it is quite difficult to keep track of.
This can be overwhelming, but with some time and patience, it’s quite easy to get the hang of. Once you are ready to start free-building the world is your oyster. Campaign mode follows certain themes each time. One park could be pirate-themed, the other fairytale-like – so the scenery fits in with the set theme. You can free-landscape your park and add in decorations that somewhat match the overall theme. One element that is quite unique to this game is the fact that your rides will become more popular and attract more visitors if the decor surrounding the ride is suitable and keeps the guests entertained. It’s a challenge sometimes, especially with the smaller rides, to get the right amount of decorations to keep the customers happy, but it is also a fun challenge that will keep you entertained and and scratching your head for a suitable length of time.
Controller Over Mouse?
The mouse control on these sort of games is the usual go-to for most gamers. Controllers can be clunky, and when it comes to adding the finer details to certain areas of your park, the precision a mouse offers tends to be the winner. I initially started playing Planet Coaster: Console Edition with a USB mouse plugged in, I thought the mouse would provide a wider precision and make my parks look a lot more professional, rather than being a clump of bushes randomly assembled. To my shock, it was actually more difficult using the mouse here than it was using the controller.
When they say console edition, they mean console edition. Planet Coaster’s design for this edition has been majorly focused on making the control of the game easily accessible for those using the standard console controllers. Navigation of the menus was a lot faster and smoother than using the mouse and it was actually fairly simple to drop and place object around the park using the controller. Your zoom in and out capabilities are brilliant and allow you to focus right up close to the ground so you can precisely place your chosen objects in the way which best suits the aesthetic you are searching for.
Dare I say it? I actually found it easier and less laborious using the controller than I have using the mouse in the past.
Accessibility
We love to talk Accessibility when we review a game, and Planet Coaster: Console Edition has a few things to touch on here. Interface colour can be swapped out, and there’s also a Colourblindness mode for Heatmap Contrast. You can also scale the Interface size and tweak some settings when it comes to in-game alerts. While it’s not the most accessible console game on the market, it’s nice to see some different options have been included in this version.
Ticket To Ride
Overall, Planet Coaster Console Edition is an absolute joy to play. It had a wonderful nostalgic element to it, taking me back to the days of Rollercoaster Tycoon and Theme Park World. Enough has been added to the game though to make it feel like a modern-day classic. The rides themselves are extremely customisable and you could easily spend over an hour just working on one rollercoaster if you fancied. When they say you can make anything you want, they pretty much mean it. The amount of detail you can add to your creations is astounding and so welcome. It’s a game you could lose hours, days and even months of your life to without zero regrets at all.
Planet Coaster: Console Edition and Planet Coaster: Deluxe Edition (available as digital-only) will be coming to Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PlayStation®4 on 10 November 2020. PlayStation®5 players can jump into the action from 12 November in the US, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea, and 19 November in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world.
This copy of Planet Coaster Console Edition was provided for review by Frontier Developments. This review of Planet Coaster Console Edition was conducted on PS4.
Featured Image Credit: Frontier