Review: RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic (Nintendo Switch)

RollerCoaster Tycoon was one of my favorite games when I was younger. Building and sim management games have always appealed to my creative side. It’s surprisingly fun to think of your dream theme park, and then actually build it and see other people’s reactions to it. Just in case you’re not familiar with the RollerCoaster Tycoon series, that’s exactly what you do. And whilst the title might suggest otherwise, there is far more to this game than roller coasters.

The original RollerCoaster Tycoon game was released in 1999 and was very popular amongst Windows computer users. The sequel was released in 2002, and thus the cycle began. In RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic, you get a merger of these two games, including all of the different parks, themes, scenarios, rides, and more. So, there’s plenty of content to keep you busy.

While most people bought the game for it’s fun, creative appeal, there’s a lot more to it than that. I’m sure when you think of building a theme park you’re thinking of all the fun stuff like rides, attractions, and food. But we often forget there is always someone working behind the scenes to make sure everything runs smoothly. In this instance you are not only the designer, you’re the manager.

You will need to hire staff, adjust fees and ticket prices (so you’re actually turning a profit), make sure your customers are happy and entertained, and, of course, make sure your park stays clean. It can be a bit overwhelming for first timers, but once you get familiar with the process it gets better. It’s rewarding when you’ve finished building your park and the crowd rushes in and everything comes to life, especially when it’s successful.

You start out with basic parks. There’s a good selection when you first start up the game, but to unlock the rest of the parks you will need to complete objectives. Each park has a set objective. An example would be to have at least 300 guests visit your park at the end of year one, with a park rating of at least 500. Once you complete this objective you can unlock the next park, and so on.

There are tons of parks to play around in, and a lot of customization when it comes to the rides and overall look of your park. When you add a new ride/attraction, you can choose the price of admission and the amount of times customers get to ride, you can do test runs, you can change the colors of the ride, etc. For how old these games are, they do give you a fair amount of creative freedom. I will say that the game does get a little repetitive over time. A lot of the objectives you have to complete to move on to the next park are similar. But I always had fun whenever I started with a clean slate and just focused on building an awesome park.

The most obvious negative thing about this version of RollerCoaster Tycoon is the absence of a mouse or touch controls. I’m an avid console gamer, but for games like this and The Sims, a mouse and a keyboard are the best and most convenient option. I was also very disappointed to find out that the touch screen was unusuable as well. I’m assuming by what I’ve read online that this might change in a future update, so I’ll cross my fingers for now. However, upon further investigation, I did find the full control scheme for the Switch, with shortcuts included in the controls menu. Learning some of those button shortcuts can save you time and frustration during a complicated build, but using a joystick as the cursor will be the death of me. Especially when modifying terrain, laying down paths and placing roller coaster tracks.

As far as visuals and graphics go, I’m a huge fan of the retro style. I’ve played the pixel versions and the 3D versions of RollerCoaster Tycoon, and I gotta say I prefer the vintage graphics. I think it’s a fitting visual style for this type of game, and there’s a lot of unexpected detail in this tiny pixel world. You can rotate the camera and zoom in and out freely (with the handy button shortcuts of course). The only issue I noticed was some lag when you zoom out too much or speed up time. There is a slight load in some spots, but nothing game-breaking. The carnival style music can get a little annoying at times, but overall it sets the mood for the theme park…theme. You can adjust this in the settings if it starts to bug you, like it did me.

RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic is an addictive blast from the past. I had just as much fun playing this version as I did when I was a kid, and now I’m experienced enough to actually create a successful theme park and appreciate everything that goes on behind the scenes. While there are a few downsides—like controls and repetitive objectives—the pros outweigh the cons. Overall, it’s a fun experience if you have the time and patience to really dig in. If you’re a fan of management sims or world building games, this is definitely one to add to your list.