Yesterday, the folks over at Frontier Games were nice enough to let us stream the final build of their newest game, Planet Coaster: Console Edition. We were given a 90-minute window to crazy on it and see everything it has to offer its players. I’d like to preface this “First Impressions” by saying that I experienced heavy latency issues from the streaming service, so what I actually got to play in the game was very limited. I and the “handler” I had from Frontier troubleshot the issues but we just couldn’t get it to fully work. With that being said, there was a lot that I was able to see if even I couldn’t exactly get everything done in a timely matter.

Gameplay

Planet Coaster is one of those games that plays in the way that you’re in charge of your own amusement park empire. Your main focus is on rollercoasters of course but like every theme-park, there are a plethora of different rides strewn in-between for all guests to enjoy. The rides look and sound great, with each one moving in a realistic way that honestly looked satisfying every time. I felt like I wanted to hop into the game and take some of these for a ride myself.

Besides the rides, you can add a vast library of different types of buildings to further the immersion of the park you’re building. It really made the parks more realistic to how they’re represented nowadays. The developers have definitely taken inspiration from places like Disney World and Universal Studios which go that extra step to make fun-seekers feel as if they’ve been transported to another world. This is the coolest looking theme-park sim I’ve seen yet because of the number of varied pieces that are given to you, allowing for a fantastic looking park from one to the next.

Each piece you put into the world costs money, so managing your funds is an aspect that you have to build your park around. You’ll also have to meet a bunch of qualifications for each ride before they can be open to the public. The main thing that they need to have done is to be tested. That’ll give you a sense of guest enjoyment, nausea, and a few other gauges that your ride will hit. I like having the challenges present that it puts ahead of you. Nothing feels too complicated and are real-world things that park owners take into account as well.

Because of its console-based gameplay, the use of a controller was needed for this hands-on so that we got the full experience of the game. I can whole-heartedly say that the use of a controller was executed expertly here. I never had issues with the button mapping as everything is shown on-screen in a user-friendly way. You won’t have to worry about getting stuck or aggravated about moving things accordingly. It all just works as it should, fantastically.

When looking at the actual visuals and audio details, they were superb. The different locations offer their own distinct beautiful vistas and the 24-hour dynamic lighting really shows off the small details and offers new and intriguing sights throughout the day. The one odd thing I had noticed was that through each time change during a day cycle, the camera would pop back to the default location of the map. I never understood why, but I can see this being a small issue upon release if it’s a bug.

The sounds delivered are very ambient in a way to make the rides too, feel extremely realistic when comparing them to real-world rollercoaster rides. They carry with them that awesome whoosh sound as they go by sound as if you were right next to them. There’s some great mood music that plays during playtime and it helps serve a whimsical atmosphere and changes depending on what time of the day it is.

Expectation

I’m hoping that once we get our hands on the release version of this game that the one issue I experienced is either fixed or has light shined upon why it’s used if it was intended to be present in the game. I’m also excited to get more time with it and experiment with the different kinds of rides and pieces that can be put into each park. I got to see a bit but because of the issues surrounding my connection to the game, it was severely hindered. I wouldn’t expect anything less than excellence after seeing just what it has to offer from my small taste of the game.

Verdict

Planet Coaster: Console Edition is a great looking amusement-park sim that brings with it a lot of well-thought and whimsical looking rides to a game most anyone would enjoy. It gives players a chance to have a feeling of responsibility with its challenge and obstacles that it puts in front of you but still brings out the kid in you during your time with it. Everything feels as if it was put together with a serious love for amusement parks. It’s obvious that these developers are enthusiasts when it comes to what makes amusements-parks so great, the overall experience. I cannot wait to see how this game takes off when it releases!