XBOX REVIEW | Parkitect: Deluxe Edition

Parkitect: Deluxe Edition is a modern take on classic park tycoons. In this game, you build and manage your dream theme parks, constructing your own coasters and designing an efficiently operating park. Fully immerse your guests in its theme! Having been released on PC five years ago, the Deluxe Edition, now available on Xbox, includes all the DLC that has been released so far. I was eager to dive in and see what Parkitect has to offer, after spending many lost hours playing Rollercoaster Tycoon on the original Xbox.

Things I liked!

• Content | The campaign in Parkitect offers an enormous 37 different scenarios to tackle. While not all are available from the start, they unlock as you make progress and complete certain goals, such as having 500 guests in your park or making a profit per calendar month. When you begin the campaign, there’s a tutorial with seven lessons to teach you the basic skills for running your own theme park. In addition to the campaign mode, there’s also a sandbox mode where you can choose to turn off money, research, and goals. I recommend sandbox mode for new players so you can get a feel for building your theme park without worrying about expenses and goals.

• Graphics | While the graphics might not be mind-blowing, they are perfect for this genre of game. I was really impressed with how everything looks. You can zoom out and see your theme park from the skies, and then zoom right into the action to observe all the guests enjoying themselves on rides, walking around, and having fun. All the attractions look as you would expect to see them at a real theme park, with lots of vibrant colours and crazy designs. Parkitect runs on a day/night cycle, which you can speed up or slow down.
  
  
• Sound | The sound effects in Parkitect do a great job of fully immersing you in your theme park. While many of the sounds are on a loop, they never become annoying. Each attraction also has its own unique immersive sound effects, capturing the joyful spirit of theme parks. As you build and manage your park, you’ll hear the laughter, excitement, and good vibes of a bustling amusement park. Additionally, you have the option to place speakers anywhere you wish around the theme park.

Mixed & disliked!

• Controls | The control scheme in Parkitect can be a bit awkward and requires many button presses, which can be irritating given the game’s depth. Sometimes, even when you know what you need to do, it can seem overly complicated. I found myself constantly closing menus and restarting. Unfortunately, there’s no mouse and keyboard support available—you’re limited to using just your controller. In the rollercoaster edit menu, I spent many hours trying to get my tracks to join together seamlessly. It was quite a challenge, as everything had to be perfect. I even attempted to create a perfect circle, but I couldn’t get the tracks to align properly for connecting them. On the bright side, building other rides is much easier. You simply select your ride and place it where you want it. The game prompts you to position the ride entrance and exit, and then you add a queue and path. Clicking “open ride” completes the process in less than a minute.

• Difficulty | In Parkitect, the campaign mode offers a challenging experience. You begin with a limited budget and specific objectives. Taking out bank loans can help you turn a profit, but managing your finances is crucial. If your funds run out, a warning prompt appears, urging you to achieve profitability by the end of the next calendar month. Failure results in bankruptcy, and you’ll need to either quit or load a previous save. Unfortunately, there’s no difficulty setting, but you might find sandbox mode more enjoyable, even though it lacks the same level of challenge. In sandbox mode, you can relax and watch your park flourish without financial constraints.
  
  
• Gameplay | Due to the control issues I mentioned earlier, gameplay experience is significantly affected. I encountered problems during the rollercoaster builder tutorial—sometimes the tutorial text would vanish, leaving me with no option but to restart. This became quite frustrating. However, it’s not all negative. Placing shops, rides, and decorating your park is much smoother, and that’s where I found most of my enjoyment while playing Parkitect. Balancing attraction prices is crucial: set them too high, and guests will complain; set them too low, and you won’t turn a profit. It’s all about finding that sweet spot.

How long did I play the review before publishing? 20 Hours
How long to beat the story? 60 Hours
How many Achievements did I earn before publishing? 17/32 OR 320/1000
How long to achieve 1000G | 130+ hours
You’ll love this game if you like these | RollerCoaster Tycoon Adventures Deluxe, Planet Coaster: Deluxe Edition

CONCLUSION

Score: 68/100

I had fun creating my huge theme park in Sandbox mode, but due to the bad controls, I wasn’t able to build the ultimate theme park I set out to create. My park has everything except completed roller coasters, which are the star attractions. I hope that Texel Raptor, the game’s developer, can find a solution to make this aspect of the game equally fun and enjoyable. Parkitect offers plenty of content to keep you playing for many hours, provided you can cope with the controls and other gameplay issues. The graphics, music, and sound effects are all top-notch and contribute to an immersive experience. If you’re a fan of management games like RollerCoaster Tycoon and can overlook the issues in Parkitect, you’ll likely find some enjoyment here.