RollerCoaster Tycoon has been away from the PC in its original form for a long time, and that makes any new entry a fairly significant proposition. With RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks, Atari is bringing the series back with Springloaded at the helm, aiming to retain the familiar theme park management formula while giving players considerably more control over how rides operate and how much chaos they can cause. After getting a look at the game during Gamescom, there are certainly some interesting ideas here, although the game is still some way from its Early Access launch.
What we know
RollerCoaster Tycoon Wonderworks is a theme park management simulation in which players build and operate a growing collection of amusement parks. Rather than starting with an established park filled with polished attractions, the game begins with relatively humble facilities and asks players to turn neglected pieces of land into profitable destinations. The Early Access version will initially feature two parks, including the run-down Hollow Creek and the more familiar Forest Frontiers, with additional content planned during development. Players can construct rides and roller coasters, place shops and food stands, decorate their parks, expand onto new land and research additional attractions.
A major addition is the emphasis on customization. Roller coasters can be constructed using a dedicated builder, while individual attractions can have parameters such as speed, acceleration and duration adjusted. A new physics system means those choices can have tangible consequences, with rides potentially breaking down or even coming apart if pushed too far. Guests can be injured in serious accidents, creating another management problem for the player to deal with. At the same time, the game allows players to experiment with the physics simply for the fun of seeing what happens.
Managing a successful park also involves more than simply putting down attractions and watching the money come in. Staff members have their own needs and require breaks, food and other amenities, while research is handled through a dedicated facility. Players can also create staff zones and adjust park opening times to help keep their employees productive. The guests themselves have individual needs and opinions, meaning that queues, attraction quality and the general state of the park all have an impact on the experience.
The game is planned for PC, with an Early Access release coming first on Steam. Atari has not yet announced a firm release date for that version. The Early Access period is intended to give the development team an opportunity to expand the game and respond to player feedback before the eventual full release.
What we saw
Our preview is based on a demo build shown by the development team during Gamescom. Rather than simply watching a presentation, we were given an opportunity to see how the different systems fit together, including the construction and management of attractions and the game’s physics-based approach to rides. The demonstration also highlighted just how far players can push those systems, with attractions being deliberately configured in ways that can produce spectacular results when things go wrong. It was still clearly an early build, but it provided a useful look at the direction Springloaded is taking with the series.
What we thought
One of the first things that stands out about Wonderworks is how comfortable its isometric perspective still feels for this type of game. It provides a clear overview of the park without making the individual attractions feel anonymous, which is particularly useful when the park starts becoming more complicated. The presentation also finds an interesting middle ground between the classic RollerCoaster Tycoon look and a more modern 3D approach. Rides and environments have more depth and animation than the older games, while the overall presentation remains restrained enough that it still feels recognisably connected to the series’ roots. Small animations help attractions feel active rather than simply being static objects placed on a grid, and the combination of movement, lighting and changing time of day gives the parks considerably more life.
The biggest change, however, is the amount of control given to the player. Wonderworks appears to be taking the familiar management mechanics and pushing them into considerably greater detail. The coaster builder in particular looks promising, as track sections can be adjusted without having to rebuild everything around them, while boosters, brakes and other elements can be incorporated directly into the design. The ability to see how a coaster behaves as it is being constructed makes experimentation much more immediate, and the same philosophy extends to other rides through their individual settings. Being able to alter acceleration, speed and duration creates an appealing balance between careful management and simply seeing how far the player can push an attraction before something goes wrong.
That extra depth does come with a potential downside. Wonderworks seems determined to make virtually every part of running a park something that can be managed, from staff fatigue and research to the precise behaviour of individual rides. For players who enjoy digging into simulation systems, that could provide plenty of room to experiment, but it also risks making the straightforward charm of the original games feel more complicated than it needs to be. The same applies to the new physics. Watching a ride go out of control or a coaster fail spectacularly can be amusing, but the success of the system will depend on whether the consequences feel consistent and entertaining rather than simply unpredictable, although the developers have stressed that the physics and related systems are still being worked on.
What is encouraging is that Wonderworks does not appear to be relying solely on nostalgia. The basic appeal is still recognisable – build attractions, keep guests happy, make money and expand – but Springloaded is adding enough new systems to give the formula its own identity. The ability to keep developing parks after completing their initial objectives, the more involved staff management and the sheer amount of customization could give the game considerable longevity. At the same time, this is still an early build, and some of the finer details of the interface and physics will need refinement before the game is ready for a wider audience. For now, though, Wonderworks looks like an interesting attempt to modernise RollerCoaster Tycoon without abandoning the isometric management gameplay that made the original games so effective.