Park Beyond
Tropico’s devs ‘impossify’ theme parks in Park Beyond
It includes an animatronic octopus that juggles carriages and a cannon that shoots rollercoaster carts.
Who among us hasn’t gazed at a rollercoaster and thought ‘I’d like to have a go at making my own?’ It’s something games have strived to deliver on, even back on PS1 with the likes of Theme Park World. But those older games had restrictions. Park Beyond pushes past those limits, asking what a theme park could look like unshackled from the confines of reality with the promise of ‘impossification’. It comes from Limbic Entertainment, the German developer behind Tropico 6, in partnership with Bandai Namco. The usual business sim elements are there, from balancing your pitches towards making money or building amazement (two of the currencies that help you develop your park) in the campaign mode to shrugging it off completely in sandbox mode. But each ride can be ‘impossified’ through multiple stages, giving classic rides new twists that just wouldn’t be practical in real life. That includes an animatronic octopus that juggles carriages, a cannon that shoots rollercoaster carts between tracks, and a ferris wheel made of multiple smaller wheels stuck together.
It’s neat to see how each one evolves, and the developers tease there are no limits (beyond money) to how wild your coasters can get. Though when working through challenges you’ll need to rein it in now and then. With impossification, even a merry-go-round can get too intense for visitors, and will be tougher to maintain. Variety is the spice of life, but going for the impossible can be a good time too.
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