Parkitect

By now, there are enough games about managing an amusement park to be considered a subgenre of the tycoon games, even though each game caters to a different audience. For the rollercoaster aficionados, we have RollerCoaster Tycoon; zoo enthusiasts will definitely enjoy Zoo Tycoon, and for those who simply love everything about amusement parks, there’s Parkitect.

The ultimate park builder

The objective of Parkitect is very simple: create the ultimate theme park. To do so, you need to satisfy your visitors’ needs and create rides for them to enjoy. The gameplay of Parkitect feels like a modern take on rollercoaster tycoon, even down to the tiniest details of the UI.

Unlike newer games like Planet Coaster, Parkitect prides itself in its simplicity. Sure, you still get detailed controls over how your rides work (pay close attention to those G-forces!), but the game never bombards you with lots of complicated information or an overabundance of bits and pieces for building. Yes, you can customize your rides to your liking, but that doesn’t mean that you have to choose every nut and bolt that goes into your rollercoasters.

Low-spec friendly

One of the great things about Parkitect is that it manages to find a sweet spot between graphical fidelity and charming visuals. The game’s cartoony style is a step-up from games like RollerCoaster Tycoon 3, without being as demanding as Planet Coaster was.

Don’t let the minimalist graphics fool you, Parkitect can look gorgeous in motion. Weather effects and ambient occlusion are in full display here, giving the game a pretty, almost voxel like feel. Weather also plays an important role in your park’s economy: you can’t let your park-goers board your rollercoasters in the middle of a hurricane, no matter how profitable that might sound.

If you’re gaming on a low-spec PC, then Parkitect might be a good choice for your aging graphics card. Additionally, the game supports the Steam Workshop, where players can share their mods and creations with other people. This, coupled with the game’s two expansion packs, will give you nearly unlimited content for your money’s worth.

Building with friends

Recently, Parkitect added a multiplayer mode to the game. This mode works in real-time, letting players work together to create the ultimate Theme Park – or simply mess around with other player’s parks.

Generally speaking, tycoon games have always been a single-player affair. It’s great to see developers like Texel Raptor adding a multiplayer component to their games, especially one that works as good as the one on Parkitect.

Parkitect manages to be as simple as it is complex, mixing the best parts of Rollercoaster Tycoon and Planet Coaster into one, accessible package. Players looking into customizing every tiny detail of their rides might be a bit disappointed by the game’s simplicity, but the management aspect of the game more than makes up for it, even though the difficulty can be a bit unforgiving at times.

Pros:

• Great multiplayer mode
• Charming visuals
• Comprehensive tutorial
• Integration with Steam Workshop

Cons:

• UI could use some work
• Difficulty can seem unfair at times