

There’s a wealth of content, beginning with the Career mode where you’re handed an array of parks in various states of disrepair, anarchy or apathy.

You could always plug in a mouse and keyboard if you really wanted, but then maybe you should have bought something that rhymes with teepee instead of a PlayStation. Players can rest assured that Frontier are masters of their art though, and despite the fact you’re now hitting a round A or Cross button instead of a mouse button, once you’ve learnt the shortcuts you’ll be merrily constructing your magical kingdom as efficiently as you would at your desktop. Like its sibling Planet Zoo, Planet Coaster is a menu heavy park builder, and making that acceptable on console could have been a tall order. The tutorial occasionally leaves you hanging, only nudging you when perhaps you want clearer instructions emblazoned across the screen, but I soon got the hang of moving around the park and focussing in where work needed to be done. Shorn of the straightforward clicking of a mouse button, you’ll find that the majority of your interface is managed using the shoulder buttons for moving through the main park tabs before relying on your trusty D-pad to get into the nitty-gritty of each menu option. The tutorial gives you the majority of tools you’ll need to make the transition to Planet Coaster on console, and it’s fair to say that Frontier have done an effective job of wrestling the in-depth park builder onto a gamepad, even if it’s occasionally obvious that it’s not its natural home. He’s given a nudge along the way to take care of business by Cynthia the accountant, who of course just wants you to put prices up, and young influencer Lucy whose 900 followers mean she must be listened to at all times. He’s a cheerful Scottish sort who’s only interested in guest’s happiness and helping you to do simple things like putting down rides and clearing areas of unwanted junk. Thompson is your guide through Console Edition’s opening tutorial and beyond. Planet Coaster is nothing if not characterful.
