Planet Coaster 2 is putting an aquatic spin on a tried and true formula

Planet Coaster 2 seems like one of the few construction simulators I’d actually sink a hundred hours into, not just because of its theme but because of the fine-tuned building mechanics.

I like to think I’ve got a pretty varied taste when it comes to video games, and there’s very few I won’t at least try for a few hours just to say I have, but I can’t lie and say constructions sims like SimCity and the various Tycoon games have ever been my cup of tea.

Check out the latest trailer for Planet Coaster 2 below

The most I’ve played is Jurassic World Evolution and Jurassic World Evolution 2, both of which appealed to me not just because I’m a fan of that series, but because it successfully motivated me to making an awesome dinosaur park or goof around and have a bit of fun, like letting loose a horde of velociraptors for giggles.

I put a good hundred hours into Jurassic World Evolution, slightly less in its sequel, though following an exclusive preview of Planet Coaster 2 I’m thinking this upcoming title will exceed both of those playtimes and then some.

For those who haven’t played the original, the Planet Coaster games give you the chance to create your very own theme park, and give you complete control over its theme, aesthetic, rides, and value to its many customers.

Planet Coaster 2 builds off of its predecessor by giving you more control than ever over your park, as well as streamlines the process of actually building it from the ground up. Unfortunately the preview was a hands-off demo, but the gameplay I saw was more than enough to get me hyped for the full-release.

The biggest addition to the sequel is water parks, meaning you can either create a dedicated park for aquatic adventures or combine it with your average theme park for the ultimate family day out. Slides, pools and flumes that can be customised to your heart's content add a whole new perspective to the game, and it’s nice to see a greater range of options added to the series.

Frontier Developments

In terms of gameplay and management the challenges these marine attractions add involves keeping the rides powered with electricity as well as ensuring the water is clean, otherwise your customers will straight-up refuse to use them and rightly so.

While this new content certainly caught my eye, it was actually the promise of a streamlined building experience that quickly found a spot for the title on my wishlist.

Sometimes these construction-style games can really bog down players with the details. You want things to look a certain way but there’s likely always something you want to see or create that just can’t be done, or at least not easily. From what I saw Planet Coaster 2 is far less finicky, with more tools at your disposal to create what you want without wasting your time as you meticulously trying to line up two pieces of machinery. I especially loved a feature that makes a perfect symmetrical copy of whatever pattern, extra piece or other modification you make to one of the rides.

This always goes for ride customisation, as players can add little splashes of character to the machines that better suit the aesthetic you’re trying to go for. Half the fun of these games is letting your imagination run wild, so it’s nice to see so few restrictions on how you can get your park to look and operate.

Of course for those that not only want to build a park but successfully operate it, there are improvements made there too. Every park will require power, and I also mentioned earlier that any water parks will need a specific level of cleanliness to keep customers coming back. You can apparently power most rides with a generator, so there’s some challenge there as to where you’re going to place them, as nobody wants to go to a theme park with several loud humming electrical boxes slapped in the middle of attractions.

Frontier Developments

In order to keep track of your park’s success you can pay close attention to the NPCs, which have been revamped to show a range of emotions that help you determine what the key problems are in the park and whether your latest tweaks and changes have fixed the problem.

All in all Planet Coaster 2 looks promising, and I can’t wait to play it for myself at some point. It seems to be striking the right balance in terms of content, catering to those who just want to experience something new, as well as those who take the construction and management side of these games seriously.

Planet Coaster 2 is yet to receive an official release date, though it’s expected to launch sometime later this year.