Park Beyond Review – Life Is A Rollercoaster

Promising an unconventional approach to rollercoaster construction as players design the theme park of their dreams, Limbic Entertainment’s Park Beyond is yet another business-building simulator that attempts to blend “unlimited” creativity with fiscal responsibility. A familiar pitch with some quirky set dressing, you’ll create your own custom coasters, plop down drag-and-drop shops, and hire staff to create a successful venture that’s profitable and exciting – but most importantly, profitable.

Despite a feature-length tutorial in custom coaster construction, Park Beyond’s campaign starts strong by consistently letting you tinker with exciting new mechanics, empowering you to unleash your wildest creations in dusty deserts and lush alpine forests. When I tried to fit my creations into the suggested financial and space limits, it felt like my creativity had been thwarted by a series of forced goals.

Simulators are always in a constant state of balancing resources with imagination. However, the finickiness and overcomplication of some of Park Beyond’s tasks made for play sessions where, more often than not, I was sitting at my desk fast-forwarding through in-game months to trudge through dull, unskippable busywork. Unexpectedly, the bingo card for “Build Your Own Theme Park”, which I had won in previous games, did not include making my toilets profitable.

Park Beyond has different building systems, each with its own rules. The pre-fabrication of buildings and the custom build coasters use a system for modular placement and specific spaces. However, you can place various decorative items such as trees and stones freeform on your structures. It made the process of manipulating space more approachable and I was prompted to design organic environments. The ability to customize the shops completely by creating extensions around an existing base structure was a nice touch. With a little effort you can create a truly unique creation. The downside to this approach is that it’s time-consuming, finicky, and can become complicated when dealing with roofing or signage.

Your park’s success depends on three main requirements: Money, Fun, and Amazement. Each ride, shop, toilet, and staff member contributes in differing amounts, meaning you’ll be spinning plates to keep the lights on. It’s the Astonishment currency that is the most attractive, since it allows for you to add visual appeal and efficiency to your staff, rides, and shops. It allows you to develop your setup and make it unique, but filling the meter became tedious.

Park Beyond’s dramatic rides and delightful animations made my stomach turn and twist despite the pacing issues. There’s a wonderful twinkling ambiance in the evenings too, and this let me clock out of my fiscal fears occasionally so I could enjoy the zany world I’d built in peace. All of that comes crashing back down the next day when you discover your margins weren’t sufficient to support your latest foolish endeavor.

Sandbox Mode was a great alternative that allowed me to focus solely on my design ideas without having to constantly intervene. You can choose a budget, a location to start and then set your goals. You still need to manage your goals, but I felt more in control. I could build and experiment with greater depth while accepting financial defeat – which feels like a better distillation of the game’s ambitions.

Park Beyond, despite its quirky twists on classic ride designs and extravagant whimsical displays left me feeling disappointed by the game’s lack of creativity and business-oriented goals. For a game that endeavors to push the limits of your imagination, it’s a little too concerned with whether you’re tall enough to ride.