‘Planet Coaster’ Is On Track To Replicate Disney Parks

I’ve been attending theme parks for years. Six Flags, Universal Studios, Sea World, and the crown jewel, Disney. You may have your favorites, but numbers never lie.  Six Flags may have the most roller coasters (Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, CA has 19 alone), but in terms of revenue and attendance they don’t even crack the top 25. Disney is a master at the theme park game, seeing attendance of 134 million in 2014, to all of its parks around the world. Magic Kingdom in Florida hosted 19 million people that year. In 2013, Disney theme parks generated $14B in revenue.

The best theme parks offer an immersive experience for attendees, in addition to great rides. Themed food, designed stores and buildings, everything.

The first Roller Coaster Tycoon hit shelves in 1999. It gave players an opportunity to build their very own theme park, all the way from massive roller coasters right down to the placement of bushes and trees. You could create themed lands, exactly like real theme parks.  The first game in the series was developed by Chris Sawyer and MicroProse, and published by Hasbro HAS -2.78%.

The second game in the series was again developed by Sawyer but released by  Infograms.  Between these two games, there was very little change, some updates and upgrades, but little else. It was essentially the same game with a few more features. And that was a good thing.

In 2004, the third installment was released, the aptly named Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. This time around, Sawyer was only a consultant and Frontier Games took over principal development. And this game was a departure from the original two. It was more cartoon-y. It felt as though it were designed for a wider audience, which meant that it had a more kid-friendly feel. Something was lost in the transition. It was a different game. But that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

I played all three. And it’s a hard transition going from something that plays on the heartstrings and reminds you of childhood, to becoming something designed exclusively for kids. Now, I can’t say for a fact that was what Frontier had in mind. But as a player, the experience was different. Vastly different. The first games were done in the vein of Sim City, an overhead omniscient builder in control of the fate of an amusement park. RCT3 included a feature that allowed you to actually ride on the rides you designed. And that was interesting. But the feeling of being a mogul was dissipating.

This year, two games are slated to hit the market. One by Atari, who holds the license for the RCT franchise, and one by Frontier Games. Both games are theme park simulators. Nvizzio, who is developing for Atari, recently had a Beta for their game, Roller Coaster Tycoon World. And that has been released of that Beta is beautiful. But it also looks generic. Intricate, detailed, but generic. There were also enough issues that the release date for RCTWorld was pushed from 2015 to 2016.

The videos being released by Frontier…are not. So far, all we have are a handful of developer video diaries, but what we can see coming together in those videos is a whole new experience. A return to what the roller coaster games were intended to be. According to them, attendees to the parks will take notice of more elaborate decorations. They will be happier than if the park was more basic.  The developers are actively encouraging players to integrate scenery and design completely.

This is something we see in the real world, and something they undoubtedly took note of. If you are attending a theme park, odds are you want the whole thing to be an experience. Themed decor, themed food and drink, themed rides. Sure, basics are fine, if you’re going for just the thrill. If you want to be on that roller coaster that causes an adrenaline rush over that first hill, that’s fine. But who doesn’t want to go somewhere and feel like they’ve traveled to another world? Well, as it turns out, the people at Frontier Games want you to bring that sensation to the little digital people who will be attending your theme park.

One of the biggest complaint about parks in the real world that only offer thrill rides is they have no sense of style. No depth for park-goers to get lost in. The two best at offering this immersive experience are Disney and Universal Studios. With each park, every ride, every land is an experience. Everything is designed to be as immersive as possible. And it is this experience that Frontier as, so far, replicated with Planet Coaster.

The ultimate question will not boil down to name recognition. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a good, and successful, RCT game. In fact, the last one that sold relatively well was made by Frontier Games. What this head-to-head battle will come down to is the game itself. Now, some might argue that it really comes down to sales and that comes down to which company do people back and what name is most recognized. But I disagree. And here’s why.

The original RCT games were about two things: roller coasters, and the park. You were trying to make your guests happy. You were trying to make money. You could just make coasters, and that was fine. But if that was the case, why the use of the word ‘Tycoon’? Because no one cares about what you do if what you do doesn’t make money. Doesn’t attract attention. That’s harsh, but let’s be honest, they were the ones that chose ‘tycoon’ for their title.  Could have been simulator, could have been builder. No, it’s tycoon. Which brings me back to my original point. Who has been able to dominate the theme park business? In America, three names. Universal Studios, Six Flags, and Disney. These three are the giants, the juggernauts when it comes to crafting an experience.

There is one difference between them. Six Flags has a more muted experience, wanting attendees to be thrilled by the rides themselves. They may say differently, but after attending them, I go there for the rides, not the ambiance. I go to Disney and Universal for the combination. The amazing rides and the atmosphere. There’s something about the combination of the two that makes the experience more magical. Going into the ‘Jurassic Park’ island, being surrounded by dens jungle, and then boarding a ride. Or wandering down cobblestone streets, finding an old, creepy gate, snaking your way through a graveyard, before riding ‘Haunted Mansion’. These are undeniable experiences. Richer and more satisfying. And this is what Frontier is showing us for Planet Coaster.

The game still looks on the comic side, as if it were designed for a younger audience, but somehow that doesn’t seem to matter. It looks intriguing. It looks inviting. Yes, the graphics are softer than that of Roller Coaster Tycoon World. But at the same time, Planet Coaster looks like it has that critical component that makes real world theme parks successful. Personality.

Now we just have to wait and see if that’s the case.

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