Indeed, if you've ever enjoyed a theme park sim prior, the fundamentals of Parkitect will feel like second nature. As usual though, it's the countless variables, and the capacity for obsessive, experimental tinkering that proves so consistently compelling.

Your basic goal is simple: build a theme park so ceaselessly delightful, so perfectly in tune with your guests' needs, that they're all too willing to dig into their pockets to keep the cash coming in. Parkitect's candy-floss-scented, vomit-encrusted blend of design and business management will, of course, be immediately familiar to anyone that's dabbled in the genre over the years.

Factors outside the park, ranging from a shortage of ride parts to an attraction going viral on social media, can have immediate repercussions, both positive and negative. With developer Texel Raptor's Parkitect, however, the ageing formula has regained something of its heart. Since then, we've had sequels in both franchises, but as they've continued to evolve, most recently with Atari's execrable RollerCoaster Tycoon World, and Frontier's impressive, but ultimately rather hollow, Planet Coaster, a spiritual successor to RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, some of that early magic has dissipated. Theme Park is, of course, rightly considered a classic, a masterfully implemented, joyous game of pure wish fulfilment - after all, what child hasn't dreamed of running their own amusement park? Five years later, RollerCoaster Tycoon refined, and some might argue, perfected the formula, proving no less delightful for its added depth and rather more serious, business-minded outlook. Maybe not the most melodious sound, but for me it's a noise tinged with nostalgia, conjuring memories of wonder as I, new to the world of PC sims, unleashed my newfound powers on the denizens of Bullfrog's Theme Park for the very first time. A stylish and smart take on the beloved theme park formula, Parkitect is a winner.Ī significant chunk of my formative years can be defined by the heave and splat of hundreds of tiny computer people retching violently onto the floor.

Parkitect game review