Planet Coaster 2 promises to take theme park design to a whole new level when it launches later this year, and I can’t wait!
The latest Frontier Unlocked stream has given us a first proper look at gameplay for Planet Coaster 2, and to say I am excited is a complete understatement. Everything about the game looks great so far, and from what was said during the stream, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to new and returning features.
Paving the way
First up let’s talk about the new pathing system. Gone are the days of fiddling around trying to get paths to work in our parks, with the all-new path system providing a much more fluid way for guests to walk around.
Brand new pathing tools include placing paths like splines, drawing out plaza areas to be filled with paths, and attaching new paths to existing ones seamlessly. The classic path tool does return, although I imagine it will hardly be used with the new options on offer.
A cool path tool for a cool mascot!
What’s most exciting to me is the way paths now interact with each other as well as with rides and buildings. There are no placement conflicts, with old paths automatically adjusting to fit new paths. This means players can design some fancy-looking plazas with minimal effort.
Rides are also able to be placed within plazas. Entrances and exits will automatically connect to the plaza, with there being no need for players to have to delete and replace paths to allow guests to access new attractions.
This works for both custom builds and blueprints, with the scenery also being placeable on top of pathways. Although we didn’t see exactly how queue lines will interact with plazas, I’m hoping the same system is in place. Being able to carve a queue through an existing path will be a huge time saver once the game releases.
We also didn’t get a look at how paths can be removed, but hopefully that’s as easy to do as placing them to begin with. So we know how guests will get to the rides, let’s take a look at what new ride features have me hot under the collar!
Theming the park
My biggest bugbear with Planet Coaster was always the lack of theming options for rides. Some clever creators managed to get around this by creating overlays for certain rides, but ultimately it was always a compromise.
Planet Coaster 2 now enables players to theme rides with much more customisation. Scenery items can now be placed on ride structures and in the case of rollercoasters and other tracked rides on the cars themselves.
Scenery pieces can now be stuck to rides as they move!
These scenery items actually move with the ride, with animated pieces being configurable to give rides more kineticism. This adds a whole new element to theming parks, but that’s not all!
Players who like their ride scenery to be symmetrical won’t have to spend hours measuring and aligning each piece to get it just right. With the click of a button, Planet Coaster 2 will allow players to mirror scenery pieces, as well as copy designs across entire trains.
There’s also an option to copy theming from one train to the others on a roller coaster, making theming even easier to apply. Gone then are the days of generic-looking trains running around roller coasters, with players able to customise them exactly how they want.
Oh and scenery items are scaleable too, so can be made to fit perfectly on every design.
So pathing is now good and ride theming is awesome, but there’s one more aspect of Planet Coaster 2 that’s got me so excited for release day.
Making a splash
Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 managed to bring theme parks, waterparks, and zoos all under one roof. Planet Zoo now has the latter covered, but until now Frontier was missing a waterpark title.
Planet Coaster 2 scratches that itch perfectly, with swimming pools and water slides coming with the sequel. Much like the new pathing tool, building pools appear to be simple for players. We didn’t see how to create pools from scratch in the deep dive, but we did see how to place pool blueprints.
Water slides are finally a thing!
Just like with rides, pools can be placed amongst paths. This means it’s possible to slap down a waterslide right in the middle of a plaza if you so wish, perfect for guests to cool off in this current summer heat.
Changing facilities are a new building coming in Planet Coaster 2, with guests able to switch their clothes for swimming trunks at a moment’s notice to go for a dip. There’s even a stall selling sunscreen to stop your guests from cooking too much in the sun.
Water slides work just like roller coasters, with track pieces able to be built manually or from premade sections. Test mannequins are sent down the slide before you open the gates to paying guests, preventing any recreations of Action Park from occurring.
Pools can be built in many different shapes, perfect for players who want to build more than just basic rectangles. Slides seamlessly end adjacent to pools, with guests always guaranteed a wet landing.
With the addition of pools to the Planet series, finally I can build the full Somerset International Resort I started way back when on Roller Coaster Tycoon 3.
But that’s not all
The three sections above are what I’m most hyped about for Planet Coaster 2, but there are plenty of other new features to be excited about. Power has been transferred over from Planet Zoo, with rides and buildings now needing to be powered in order to function.
On top of that, pools are also monitored for water quality, with filtration systems also making the trip from PlanZoo. Both of these add a much-needed management aspect that the first game lacked.
A queen mascot fit for a king mascot!
New scenery themes are also coming, hopefully alongside the classics from the original PlanCo. Combined with the new ride types, this unlocks the potential for whole new park ideas for me and I’m sure lots of other players too.
There are also the new mascots, bringing a touch of entertainment for guests to enjoy. Queen Splash in particular joins King Coaster to meet and greet peeps walking around our parks.
Finally, there are plenty of other customisation options. Colour options on rides have been increased, with paths configurable in multiple different ways. These small additions add so much flavour when it comes to designing and building parks.
Overall then, the first gameplay look at Planet Coaster 2 is incredibly exciting. Frontier has once again proved that fan feedback is key when it comes to their games, with the latest addition including plenty of suggestions from the community.
I’m already buzzing with ideas for how to bring Global Ventures and Ultimate Splashdown to life in the game alongside Wild Realms, and I can’t wait to share those ideas with you all later this year. Check out the full Frontier Unlocked Planet Coaster 2 deep dive below:
How hyped are you for Planet Coaster 2? Let me know in the comments below!