Theme Park Studio
- December 1, 2016
- Pantera Entertainment
- 76h median play time
Get on SteamTheme Park Studio is a game that lets players design, build, and explore their own amusement parks. It features a variety of tools for creating terrain, rides, scenery, and more, and players can share their creations with others through Steam Workshop. The game also includes a "Enter Park" feature for touring community-built parks in virtual reality using Vive, Oculus Rift, or OSVR.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game has great potential for creativity and customization, allowing players to design their own theme parks and roller coasters.
- The graphics are impressive, providing a visually appealing experience for users.
- The coaster building system is user-friendly and offers a lot of flexibility compared to previous games in the genre.
- The game is clunky, unintuitive, and lacks essential features, making it frustrating to use.
- It has been abandoned by the developers, with no updates or communication for an extended period, leading to a sense of disappointment among players.
- Many users report frequent crashes and bugs, making the game nearly unplayable in its current state.
- graphics66 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising them as "incredible" and "great," particularly in comparison to older titles like RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. However, many others criticize the graphics as "mediocre," "buggy," or "dated," suggesting that they fall short of modern standards and are not as polished as competitors like Planet Coaster or Theme Park Studio. Overall, while there are highlights in visual detail, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the game's graphical performance.
“The graphics are incredible, the gameplay is simple and easy to use, and the detail is outstanding!”
“Theme Park Studio is more than just a game; it is the ultimate simulation game that lets you build any coaster imaginable. The flat rides are amazing, the graphics are awesome, and the trees look real. This game reminds me of a game that I used to play, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3. It is way better than RCT3, and I personally recommend this game to anyone who loves building a theme park.”
“The graphics are incredible in every aspect, the physics are pretty realistic yet they made them fairly simple.”
“I used to play / still do play RCT 3. This game is not as fun and the graphics on it are really not that good. Plus, they don't update it anymore. Do not spend your money on this; save up for Planet Roller Coaster.”
“The graphics seem dated, like something from the 90s.”
“Graphics are really bad, controls aren't smooth at all, they are actually horrible; it's just not fun to play.”
- stability32 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and frequent crashes that hinder gameplay. Many describe the interface as confusing and poorly designed, contributing to a frustrating user experience. Overall, the game is seen as incomplete and in need of significant updates and fixes before it can be recommended for purchase.
“It's really hard to use, full of glitches and I feel a little robbed of my money.”
“The game constantly freezes and crashes.”
“It's way too complicated and the UI is horrible and buggy.”
- gameplay28 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews are mixed, with many users criticizing the controls and mechanics as frustrating and unintuitive, leading to a lack of enjoyment. While some appreciate the creative potential and strong engine, they note that the game is still in early testing stages and requires significant improvements, such as bug fixes and additional features. Overall, the gameplay experience is seen as limited and sluggish, especially when compared to more polished alternatives like Planet Coaster.
“Planet Coaster not only looks stunning, has a great selection of rides, coasters, shops, scenery, and custom buildings, it has over 100,000 workshop items, and the gameplay and features are awesome!”
“The graphics are incredible, the gameplay is simple and easy to use, and the detail is outstanding!”
“Even though Theme Park Studio is harder to learn to adapt with controls and mechanics when compared to RCT3, the game itself has almost no limit in terms of creativity.”
“The controls are a joke; I don't understand where you're supposed to download resources from, and there are mechanics that you end up not being able to use. Honestly, I would play Planet Coaster or RCT World over this.”
“What little I managed to build after a few frustrating hours of gameplay was watered down by the dull and lifeless atmosphere.”
“Sluggish gameplay and a non-standard way of launching the PDF reader (minimize/maximize buttons are not there).”
- optimization10 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is widely criticized, with users reporting poor performance and lag even on high-end systems, particularly when multiple rides are present. While the game offers extensive customization options, the user interface is deemed overly complicated, contributing to the overall negative perception of its optimization.
“Very well optimized to handle these things.”
“It's insanely customizable, but the user interface and overall software performance is just awful.”
“It is extremely overcomplicated and has very bad optimization.”
“Optimization is bad... I have a high-end custom-built PC with 2GB DDR5 GTX 670 FTW and it still lags when there are more than 3 rides in the park.”
- grinding8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of building in the game to be tedious, particularly when placing paths, flat rides, and scenery due to a lack of functionality and usability. The inability to rotate items before placement and the complexity of node connections contribute to a frustrating experience, making what should be simple tasks feel unnecessarily laborious. Overall, the game could benefit from improved mechanics to streamline these processes.
“It can be extremely tedious at times when you are building paths and you are unsure how the nodes connect or keep forgetting to select specific nodes to continue construction. The buildings, I am sure, require just as much patience to get the hang of as well.”
“Again, placing paths in a theme park should be one of the least tedious tasks, but Theme Park Studio seems to lack functionality and usability in these aspects.”
“Placement of flat rides, scenery, and foliage are easy to use, although having to place an item on the ground without the ability to rotate before placement makes this simple task tedious.”
- atmosphere6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game has been widely criticized for being dull and lifeless, with many reviewers comparing it to a mundane experience akin to visiting a library. In contrast, other games in the genre successfully create an immersive environment filled with noise and ambience that enhances the gameplay experience. Overall, the lack of engaging atmosphere significantly detracts from the enjoyment of this game.
“What little I managed to build after a few frustrating hours of gameplay was watered down by the dull and lifeless atmosphere.”
“The biggest thing this 'game' lacks is atmosphere; there is nothing. It's as exciting as a quiet visit to the town library. Also, the fact that the game runs in a window, similar to running an Excel spreadsheet, does little to immerse you into the game.”
“This game, if you can call it that, is not about fun.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the reviews for Planet Coaster is highlighted through a playful critique of its early access status, with users finding the situation amusing and suggesting that the game offers significant value despite its ongoing development. The repeated emphasis on the game's worthiness adds a lighthearted tone to the feedback.
“It's now November and it's still early access, too funny.”
- music4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music aspect received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with multiple users rating it 0/10 due to the complete absence of music and a poor graphical user interface (GUI).
“No music, terrible GUI.”
“Music: 0/10”
“Music: 0/10”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional response to the game is largely negative, with players expressing frustration over difficult controls and an overwhelming sense of realism that detracts from enjoyment. The anticipation of a new competitor, Planet Coaster, further diminishes their interest in continuing to engage with the game.
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy primarily focuses on promoting coaster building features, despite the absence of actual coasters in the game, leading to user frustration and disappointment.
