Since Theme Park in 1994 and its global success, many studios and publishers are trying at all costs to find this same vibe. There have been many attempts over the past 30 years: RollerCoaster Tycoon in 1999, Thriville in 2006, Planet Coaster in 2016, even Disney tried the mobile adventure with Disney Magic Kingdoms the same year. It is therefore the turn of Bandai Namco Entertainment to get started, relying on the expertise of Limbic Entertainment, known for the latest episodes of Might & Magic, but especially the latest Tropico 6 which has also served inspiration to set up this Park Beyond. During our stay in Germany, we were able to spend a few hours on the game, in particular the Story mode and the sandbox, in order to have a good overview of the many possibilities of creation. Aware of this and of a creation tool to be mastered before becoming a real showman, the developers have therefore set up a Story mode. It is through it that we will learn to familiarize ourselves with the commands; a kind of life-size tutorial in which the different stages of creation are explained step by step. Given the myriad of information and the mind-blowing possibilities of creation, this Story mode is rather welcome, especially since Limbic Entertainment has combined business with pleasure, with the introduction to characters that we will find throughout this adventure, cutscenes in addition.
IMPOSSIBLE IS NOT IMPOSSIFICATION
The player will have to chain missions and objectives, such as modernizing an old park from the 80s, while learning the workings of which "impossification", a new feature and which will give a boost to the genre. Behind this barbaric word invented from scratch by the developers – and which Word highlights in red because it obviously does not understand it – lies this grain of madness that all rollercoaster management games have lacked until now. It is actually a way of sublimating the rides in order to make them even more attractive. Do you find a carousel a little too classic? It is possible to boost it to transform it and integrate the famous Medusa which will literally come out of the ground, catch each seat with its hair-snakes and twirl them in the air. Same thing with the Kraken which will shake a boat a little too quiet for our taste, just like the cannon which will expel a wagon capable of suddenly deploying its wings for even more sensations. The idea with this impossification is to give a slightly more fanciful side to the game, and to get out of its straight-forward simulator shackles, a bit like the Bullfrog studio did with Theme Hospital at the time. , or more recently with Two Point Studios with both Two Point Hospital and Two Point Campus. When we see the success of the two games and the millions of copies sold, it's not surprising that Limbic Entertainment is also adopting the humor card. But it's not just the rides that can be impossified, the shops too, the environments too, and even the staff! Everything is about making things happier and more fun, provided you have the resources to do so. To do this, you will have to manage the wonder gauge and ensure that it swells enough to access the impossification option.
...while learning the workings of which the impossification, a new feature and which will give a boost to the genre. Behind this barbaric word invented from scratch by the developers lies this grain of madness that was missing in all rollercoaster management games until now.
With this new feature and its scripted Story mode, Park Beyond stands out quite a bit from the competition, but what about its sandbox mode where you can create and manage your amusement park? As a whole, we find all the elements specific to games of the genre, with the duty to make a company prosper from its manufacture to the management of the flow of visitors, their well-being, that also of your employees and the money that can be made. Management of the space granted to us, business facilities, strategic placement of toilets, as well as garbage cans or benches for resting, hiring of maintenance workers, mascots and other animators to entertain the crowd, the beginnings in the sandbox is instructive and pleasant, but quickly, you have to have your eyes everywhere to stay alert so as not to be overwhelmed. This is all the more true since the game offers a day/night cycle to also take into account, which does not necessarily make the task easier when you lack organization. You have understood it anyway, everything is possible in Park Beyond and everything is made, provided of course you have the necessary financial funds. Moreover, to remain attractive, your park must have rollercoasters with thrills, those capable of advertising your company throughout the world, like Europa Park for example.
COMPLEX AND SIMPLE AT THE SAME TIME
This is where Park Beyond once again manages to distinguish itself from the others, since the tool that allows roller coasters is an example of ease of handling. You can indeed stretch the rails to infinity, manage their height, the degree of pitch or even place rotations. Everything is done through the various mouse buttons, sometimes associating keys to the keyboard. The tool is quite permissive and modifying sections is also done with a certain simplicity. Always in this perspective of ease, the developers of Limbic Entertainment have even thought of integrating kinds of pre-made, which can be chosen from a drop-down menu. Sky is the limit as the other would say, but in Park Beyond, it is the allocated space that will sometimes play tricks on us, since the pieces of land are unlocked over the course of the game and the objectives achieved. It is therefore necessary to think with a train in advance sometimes, certain objectives asking you for example to carry out 2 km of coasters in a restricted space. This is where you have to show your imagination, gaining several hundred meters by gaining altitude and tying a few slipknots if necessary. Other parameters chosen at the start of the sandbox can also be blocking if you are not careful enough; like this obligation to absolutely please a defined audience. Well yes, if you have ever opted for a park that should appeal to adults rather than a family audience, the requirements are not the same, and the objectives are sometimes more restrictive. But it is this wide variety of possibilities that makes Park Beyond a promising game, both in its proposals, its gameplay, its creation tools and its interface. The only downside of the game may lie in its graphics, quite classic overall and satisfactory from afar, but which show its weaknesses when you zoom in on the elements. Characters, scenery, everything could be better detailed. As the game arrives in 2023, we cross our fingers for a visual level up, let's be crazy.
