Park Beyond is the latest attempt to manifest the theme park management experience, but this new game promises to add some never-before-seen features.
The original RollerCoaster Tycoon games inarguably revolutionized both the theme park and management simulation genres when they began hitting shelves back in 1999. The first game took the formula laid out in titles like Bullfrog Productions' excellent Theme Park and perfected it to form a unique blend of visually impressive isometric models and detailed in-game metrics and economics.
Since then, many more developers have tried their hands at recapturing the magic of RollerCoaster Tycoon with varied success. 2016's Planet Coaster was the pick of the bunch, showcasing a huge variety of models, coasters, and aesthetic options all tied together using the game's ingenious modular building system. This system allowed for a level of customization players had not seen before, with a large community able to share their creations with each other. Now, Limbic Entertainment and Bandai Namco's Park Beyond seeks to revolutionize that and many other systems from earlier simulators.
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Developer Limbic Entertainment has a relatively recent track record of successfully releasing simulator games after the warm reception given to Tropico 6. In turning its hand to theme parks, Limbic looked to be attempting to combine classic features that worked well in early games with some of the more notable advancements made in recent titles. The modular system of customization and building will once again be present but advanced beyond previous efforts, supposedly offering deeper levels of tailored construction. This extends between building types as rollercoasters can be built to move through other buildings and terraformed terrain.
One of the biggest differences this new title will offer that none have previously attempted is what the developer is opaquely referring to as "impossification." Essentially this is an in-game mechanic that nullifies the usual rules of gravity and physics in order to unlock the full potential of the player's imagination. Instead of having to support all the elements of a structure, it will instead be possible to build higher and further out from any central foundational system, allowing almost any insane structure to become a reality. This also extends to the terraforming tools which should make it possible to build huge floating islands for park visitors to explore.
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As well as the ubiquitous sandbox mode, Limbic Entertainment and Bandai Namco are betting big on the popularity of their story mode. Previous games have offered a linear campaign that slowly ramped up the features it was introducing and the difficulty of the scenarios into which it was forcing the players. While this is all still the case, the developer felt this approach was lacking, and at times, boring. Park Beyond will instead introduce a wide cast of characters and use the impossification feature to introduce interesting storytelling elements to the game.
In some areas, however, Limbic has elected to go with evolution rather than revolution. The game will use familiar systems to allow players to construct custom rollercoasters and themed areas of the park. Rather than overhaul these features, they have been fine-tuned to reflect the greater hardware capabilities of the average gaming PC in 2022.
With the game set to release sometime in 2023, new features may come to the forefront. In any case, Park Beyond is the only theme park management game on the immediate horizon in the wake of the decline of the Rolleroaster Tycoon titles. It has a lot riding on its shoulders for expectant fans of the genre.
James Lynch is a Features Writer who has spent the last three years editing and writing for the website he started back in 2018. When he's not deeply embroiled in an epic PC strategy, he can usually be found supporting his beloved Brentford FC. Catch him on his newly active Twitter @jamesjlynch
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