[Test] Planet Coaster: Become an amusement park manager

Planet Coaster is a management game released in 2016. Become the manager of different amusement parks. Although released several years ago, PlayStation allowed fans to experience it for free in the PS Plus of February 2022. Good news given that we wanted to test this game at all costs.  

Planet Coaster 

Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PC, Xbox Series.

"Surprise and delight your visitors by building the amusement park of your dreams! It's up to you to manage this world apart with constant attention.

Bring your ideas to life, regardless of your skill level. Use blueprints to easily place over 700 prefabricated objects, including roller coasters, services, and environmental elements. Build, piece by piece, detailed structures and buildings or transform to the field with high-performance tools.

Managing your fleet is just as intuitive. Your visitors react in real time according to the prices you set, the environments chosen and the attractions you offer them. Make sure they stay dazzled and busy, so your park attendance and profits skyrocket."

The different game modes:

• Career

Embark on a career as an amusement park manager and take on a variety of challenges in increasingly difficult scenarios.

• Sandbox

Let your imagination run wild.

• Challenges

Keep an eye on your finances to achieve your goals.  

Management, more complicated than expected? 

We must admit that this is the first management game we have made in a long time. The goal is very simple, to build and manage amusement parks. The objectives will be different depending on the level: reach a certain number of visitors, build several attractions, or pay attention to biodiversity. Child's play, you might ask? Well, it's harder than it sounds. Indeed, the first levels give you self-confidence. You retype some rides, add decoration and voila. However, very quickly, visitors will be unhappy, your employees will want raises,… And you'll end up losing money. It's quite frustrating to mount the attractions as you go, build shops, set up the environment so that visitors and employees are comfortable and see that we are at -$ 1150. The challenge is therefore huge! But how satisfying is it to succeed. See your park grow, make profits and see all these visitors satisfied. We prefer to warn you, if you are rather the type to give up quickly, this game is not for you. However, in the "sandbox" mode. Your wallet is unlimited, so no risk of bankruptcy. Choose a lot, the style of park you want to build and let your imagination do the rest. What could be better than managing a park to spend a good evening? Many attractions, decorations or services are available. Whether you like fairies, pirates, or a futuristic world, you should find what you're looking for. DLC packs with even more choices are also on sale. On the graphic side, we have nothing to complain about. Indeed, the game is correctly realized. Whether it's the attractions, the visitors or the different elements of decorations, we feel like we're there. The background music is not unpleasant either. The only "negative" point is the camera. Indeed, it was difficult for us to handle it correctly when starting the game. But the handling is still done quickly.  

 Similar games from the developer:

Planet Zoo

Available on PC. The principle is the same, but this time you have to manage a Zoo. The opportunity to test your management skills and your love for animals.

"With Planet Zoo, build an ideal world for our animal friends! The developers of Planet Coaster and Zoo Tycoon offer you the ultimate zoo simulation! Build habitats, manage your zoo and take care of the animals that will explore the universe you have created for them."

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3

(several editions available on PC in recent years) Available on PC and Switch.

"Build the amusement park of your dreams and rediscover the famous critically acclaimed roller coaster simulation. Whether you're familiar with the game or discovering it for the first time, enjoy all the thrills of the new Full Edition of RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, the classic title of reference offered here with the Wild Distractions and Water Delusions expansion packs!"

  Have you tested this game? What do you think? Have you found a talent for amusement park management? If this is not the case, we invite you to dive into a totally different universe with Ghost of Tsushima, a reference at PlayStation !