Parkitect

Parkitect does an excellent job at filling the rather big shoes left by the Rollercoaster Tycoon (RCT) series. There is something of a learning curve, but ever since managing to maintain profitable parks, the game has been an absolute blast! At the time of writing this review, I have completed the first five or six levels of the campaign, I have not yet used the sandbox mode. There is a lot to say about Parkitect. On the aesthetics side, the music is appealing, the graphics are pleasing and the characters are downright adorable (even the vandals, who now wear large and cute bandanas). Gameplay-wise, the basic flow should be familiar to anyone who has played RCT. New are (amongst other things) the behind-the-scenes management of shop restocking and waste disposal routes, and the importance of actually decorating your park; both to hide "ugly" things like staff zones and toilets, and to increase general happiness and excitement, causing your guests to stay longer and spend more money. Designing my own rollercoasters is something else I'm gradually getting better at. All of these topics are covered by the in-game tutorial, but actually implementing that theory takes time, experimentation and possibly some research. Something not covered in the tutorial is how to properly manage your finances. Aside from monthly wages and research, you now also have to pay building and ride maintenance, and turning a profit can initially be tough. The forums here and on Steam give good advice. A major insight for me was that the guests are willing to pay more for rides and food than I found reasonable, and that you can easily raise the default price by a buck or two (with some exceptions). Park lay-out and other factors naturally play a role, but are more complicated. Mods (for assets and blueprints) are mostly available on Steam, but can be downloaded and are not available in the campaign anyway. All in all, I am immensely enjoying myself and I heartily recommend you give it a try!

I actually did purchase this on Steam before refunding it and getting it here instead. The main thing is the Steam Workshop is full of coasters and such. The problem? They're the ones included in the game already. There's like 3 roller coasters people have made with good ratings and you can just get those separately online anyway. Otherwise, I prefer this game to Planet Coaster. I think Planet Coaster focuses too much on building roller coaster, which is actually the part I care least about. If you like sandbox building, Planet Coaster is probably better. But if you like solving scenarios, this one will probably scratch your itch better. This game runs much closer to early Roller Coaster Tycoon games, and I think of it as the "true" sequel to RCT2.

This game takes everything you love about RCT from the goold ol' days and makes it better. I'm holding back on 5 stars until the game is fully realeased and I can get a look at the whole picture. As it stands this game is already better than RCTWorlds, and stands up against Planet Coaster(albeit lacking some features still). Once they release scenarios and research etc this game will be the best Theme Park Management game ever.

In Roller Coaster Tycoon 1, as a kid, I knew the goal was to make money by making a fun park that made people laugh, yell in out of pure excitement, and enjoy the journey of simply exploring the park. ...That doesn't mean I sat there as a kid trying to make the scenery look picture perfect, thematic, complimentary, and unique every frame I panned to. That's not wrong or right - it was my kiddy opinion. I just liked making 7 versions of Shuttle Loops and suddenly becoming rich enough to make an economic park that would make money for the next short in-game year... while entertaining the guests of course. Anyways, Parkitect is just like that old RCT1-2 soul I loved. It also lets you decorate your park in RCT3 (which distracted me when I played it but it Parkitect -- I find satisfying balance.) The game has old and new features that scream respect to my childhood, and quality of life for my young adult days: -Isometric view -New supply routes for stalls -Hiding staff pathways -Very Improved coaster construction features -Building just like RCT 1,2 -Terrain tools from 1,2, and 3 (depending on what you're comfortable with I guess) -Nice interface (Console and PC friendly = adjustable) -More fast forward settings -Pathmaking even better than OpenRCT2 features (imo; I can move on and play only this now) -Levels are EASIER than RCT1, and 2(so far). I might hate that soon but coasting through my old experiences with success is still gratifying... but a challenge would be nice too. Idk... I'm about half done the scenarios; it could change for me yet. I'm having fun. Downside: -Needs an editor like OpenRCT2 (will come with time/ new mods?)

Parkitect is an amazing love letter to all the old-school RCT 1-2 fans. Basically, this is what RCT 3 could have been had it chosen a different direction. Not saying RCT3 was bad, loved the game, but this somehow feels like the true successor. It takes everything we loved about the old games, and makes it even better. Kudos to the devs, thank you!