Planet Coaster 2
Release Date: November 6, 2024
Strategy, economic, sandbox, co-op, amusement park builder, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet
OpenCritic
Steam
A sequel of the well-received economic strategy from 2016. Planet Coaster 2 allows us to create our own amusement parks, designing the rollercoasters and other attractions, as well as building facilities and taking care of the needs of our guests. We can play solo or in online coop.
Videos and Screens
[1:15] Planet Coaster 2 - Thrill-Seekers Ride Pack Trailer
[1:10] Planet Coaster 2 Accolades Trailer
Metro GameCentral: 8 / 10 by Steve Boxer
Everything you could want from a theme park simulator, with a near endless collection of modes and options, and an endearingly cheerful tone and sense of humour.
GamingBolt: 6 / 10 by Ravi Sinha
While the original is an incredible spiritual successor to Rollercoaster Tycoon, Planet Coaster 2 has its work cut out. Even with the new additions and features, it doesn't feel anywhere near as intuitive or enjoyable.
ACG: by Jeremy Penter
The main pros of the game
- Visuals and Graphics: Many players praised the improved graphics, vibrant colors, and overall aesthetic enhancements compared to the first game.
- Customization Features: The ability to customize roller coaster cars, attach scenery to rides, and use a scenery brush was well-received. The scaling tool also allows for greater creativity.
- New Ride Types: Introduction of new coaster types, water parks, and the ability to create dark rides were highlighted as significant improvements.
- Path System: The revamped pathing tool allows for more creative layouts and plaza designs, although it has a learning curve.
- Performance: Generally, players noted better performance and stability compared to the first game.
The main cons of the game
- User Interface (UI): The UI has been heavily criticized for being cluttered and unintuitive, especially for PC users. Many actions require multiple clicks to navigate through menus.
- Limited Content: Many players expressed disappointment over the lack of themes and scenery options compared to the first game. Key themes like Western and Sci-Fi were notably missing.
- Guest Cap: The hard cap of 6,000 guests was seen as restrictive, especially for players who enjoyed larger parks in the first game.
- Bugs and Glitches: Numerous bugs were reported, including pathfinding issues, guests getting stuck, and problems with ride operations.
- Missing Features: The absence of Steam Workshop integration and custom media options (like music and images) was a significant drawback for many players.
- Gameplay Mechanics: Some mechanics, like the electricity and water management systems, were seen as unnecessary and added complexity without meaningful gameplay impact.
The features or elements that are missing from the game according to users
- Steam Workshop Integration: Players missed the ease of using the Steam Workshop, with many expressing frustration over the new proprietary system.
- Themenaker's Toolkit: The absence of this tool, which allowed for extensive customization in the first game, was a major disappointment.
- More Themes and Scenery: Players wanted more variety in themes and scenery pieces, especially foundational themes that were present in the first game.
- Security and Management Features: The removal of security features and the ability to manage guest needs more effectively was noted as a loss.
- Co-op Multiplayer: Players were disappointed that the advertised multiplayer feature was more about sharing saves rather than true co-op gameplay.
Conclusion
- Overall, while Planet Coaster 2 has some promising features and improvements over its predecessor, it currently suffers from various issues, including a lack of content, a cumbersome UI, and bugs that detract from the gameplay experience. Many players recommend waiting for updates and improvements before fully committing to the game.
Summary generated on:
Planet Coaster 2 Description
Planet Coaster 2 is the second installment in a series of economic strategies launched in 2016, which allows us to test our skills as an amusement park manager. The game was developed by the authors of the original, i.e. the Frontier Developments studio, whose portfolio includes genre-related titles from the RollerCoaster Tycoon and Jurassic World Evolution series.
Gameplay
The gameplay in Planet Coaster 2 is based on the pillars established by the previous title in this series. Our primary task is to create an amusement park from scratch and ensure that it generates the highest possible income.
This time the attractions we can offer to guests visiting our amusement park include water-related facilities, such as winding slides, heart-pounding water roller coasters and wave pools. Of course, this is not the end, as the game brings back the options to design our own roller coasters, deciding on how twisting and complex they should be. There are also calmer attractions at our disposal, like carousels or ferris wheels.
The game also allows us to choose from a variety of themes for our amusement park. In addition to creating a standard park, there is a mythological theme, a sunny theme (making our amusement park resemble a tropical resort), an underwater theme, and finally a Scandinavian theme (which makes our amusement park reminiscent of a Viking settlement).
Similar to the first part of the series, we can freely shape the terrain, adjusting its topography to individual needs and preferences, mark out paths that visitors will follow, as well as erect various objects and decide on their appearance. Although attractions should be our main focus, elements of infrastructure (such as ticket offices) also play an equally important role, as well as issues related to the health, comfort and safety of guests. Due to these latter, we must remember about creating shaded places or even about employing a sufficient number of lifeguards and mechanics among the workers we hire.
If we do all this well, guests will be satisfied with their visit to our amusement park and will not only be happy to come back, but will also attract other people to visit. We can find out whether they like our vision of the park at any time by reading their opinions. Of course, it's worth taking care of having their reviews the best possible, as they translate into an increasing number of zeros in our account.
Game modes
Planet Coaster 2 allows to play alone or in multiplayer over the Internet. The game offers a cross-play feature and allows us to build amusement parks together with other players. It is also possible to share our amusement parks with others (as well as checking their projects), try our hand at a special franchise mode and fight for the highest place in the online rankings, or to become one of the guests and explore parks created by other managers in FPP view.
Planet Coaster 2 Summary
Game Series: Planet
Platforms:
PC / Windows
PlayStation 5
Xbox Series X/S
Developer: Frontier Developments
Publisher: Frontier Developments
Age restrictions: none
Planet Coaster 2 System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: Intel Core i5-6600K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1060 / Radeon RX 5600 XT, 25 GB SSD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5800, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce RTX 2070 Super / 12 GB Radeon RX 6700 XT, 25 GB SSD, Windows 10/11 64-bit
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In Planet Coaster 2 you can start an advertising campaign called Retail Ravers. However, you must unlock it first. We'll tell you how to do it.
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