Nov 2020
Welcome, fellow thrill-seekers, to the grand roller coaster of life, where you, yes you, get to lead your very own theme park! If you ever dreamed of being the overlord of a land filled with colorful rides, funny mascots, and mildly terrified guests, 'Planet Coaster: Console Edition' might be your perfect escape, even if the only rides you have access to in reality are those sketchy carnival ones that maybe you shouldn't trust.
'Planet Coaster' offers you a suite of gameplay modes that can make any aspiring roller coaster baron giddy with excitement. Sandbox, Challenge, Career, and Scenario Editor modes—decisions, decisions! In Sandbox mode, the chaos is unearthed: you throw caution (and, importantly, your budget!) to the wind and unleash your creative prowess to design the theme park of your dreams. With infinite funds, this is a creative playground where even the sky isn’t the limit, given you *are* in space. Well, not literally, but you get the idea. Challenge mode adds a sprinkle of realism by limiting your funds and requiring you to manage your resources like an adult who pays their taxes. Career mode ensures you’re on task, with goals like building coasters, attracting guests, and hiring janitors—because every kingdom needs its clean-up crew. Lastly, the Scenario Editor provides complete customization, letting you concoct personal challenges for yourself, which *should* be fun for everyone involved…unless you like torturing your guests.
Visually, 'Planet Coaster' on Xbox Series X/S is as lush and vibrant as a theme park covered in cotton candy and glitter. The graphics pop with a colorful palette that's practically begging to be Instagrammed. The intricate details on the rides, decorations galore, and guests displaying every conceivable expression of delight (or regret) truly immerse you in the park experience. The animation offers a smooth expedition, capturing the essence of riders who are just brave enough to journey on your jaw-dropping coasters—until they scream, of course. However, keep in mind that as your park grows larger, you might experience some minor graphical hiccups and frame rate drops, especially as your guests transform into a crowd simulation nightmare.
'Planet Coaster: Console Edition' successfully translates the essence of the PC experience into a console format, and, while the capabilities are slightly curtailed due to the nature of gaming devices (less power, more pizza boxes), it still delivers a robust theme park simulator that captures the essence of a bustling amusement center. The game earned solid scores and praise from various publications for its creativity and fun mechanics. If theme park building and management sound like your cup of caffeinated soda, then this is definitely one ride worth hopping on. Just remember, don’t let your guests spend too much time in the nearest funnel cake line, or they might just revolt—Imagine that! 8.5/10, take my money already!
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