Waterpark Simulator Review (PC)

Planet Coaster 2 wasn’t able to scratch “that” itch. It was something about the way it came packaged; it lacked the established flair of a palpable sequel, and not to mention the evolutionary complexity of the waterpark setting that it tried so desperately hard to conceive. It wasn’t a bad game by any stretch, but there was something that it failed to deliver. With hindsight, I think I was looking for something that was slightly more hands on and versatile. Since then, though, I’ve been looking for another way to wax that nautical node—a journey that has, after quite some time of scraping the bottom of the barrel of Steam’s cavernous trove of simulation games, put me directly in front of Waterpark Simulator.

At first, I figured that any game that would utilize the word simulator would automatically fall into that same wannabe trap that countless others have also fallen victim to. I thought, if it had the usual tropes of a business simulation game and a shameless overlay of a waterpark theme, then it wouldn’t be much of a game as a reskin of its adversaries’ traced worlds. Yet, to my surprise, I was wrong. Scratch that, I was miles apart from that school of thought.

I’d like to say that Waterpark Simulator is the illegitimate brain child of House Flipper and Theme Park World, with perhaps an external strand of Rollercoaster Tycoon somewhere in the core DNA. I say that because, despite it having a good selection of buildable components and sandbox features, it brings—no, bathes in chaos, thanks to its inclusion of rag doll physics and a treasure trove of highly unorthodox ride blueprints and attractions. But that’s what makes it fun. Alas, Waterpark Simulator isn’t an authentic sim; it’s anarchy on a waterside.

Beware of The Splash Zone

Waterpark Simulator rolls out the sponge mats and pool noodles for a highly illogical, almost unhinged first-person business simulation sandbox that has all of the chlorine-powered trademarks of a mindlessly entertaining game. It’s a bit of everything, in that it doesn’t just allow you the freedom to build a park from the ground up, but also participate in its creation and, after so long of dabbling in its waters, witness its eventual downfall as the guests topple and the world falls to pieces, or better yet, to flames. It’s the steps that you take along the way, of course, that make this unruly build ‘em up the laugh-out-loud experience that it is — and I’m all for it.

Firstly, there’s the swathes of customizable scenarios that the game offers you on a silver platter. Unlike your bog-standard sandbox, Waterpark Simulator allows you the creative freedom to go way beyond the basic gameplay loop and devise situations that are both juvenile and tactical. Either way, what you have here is the key to a plethora of opportunities, most of which either result in financial success or a lawsuit of some varying degree. But that’s a business simulator, in a nutshell; rampant destruction is a small price to pay for an eventual paycheck.

Suffice it to say that, for a simulation game, there is a tremendous amount to get your hands on here. And not just with the water slide installments, but with the stalls, park decor, and a cascading variety of jobs, which includes serving tickets, fixing attractions, saving drowning guests, and, if you can believe it, fishing turds out of the kiddy pools. That’s a low point that I would soon rather forget about, though.

Working Hard or Hardly Working

Waterpark Simulator does a fantastic job of keeping you from succumbing to the monotonous graft of building and maintaining a theme park, I’ll say that much. It does it, not just to remove the excess weight from your shoulders, but to grant you access to a silly, almost childish experience that doesn’t require much of a workout. With thanks to its rag doll physics and vast array of water guns and other interactive tools, you can also wreak havoc in your own allotment by terrorizing guests, crafting death-defying custom slides, and even spreading mass panic by placing a handful of dung in the wave machine, for example. And that’s a tiny piece that we’re breaking off of the tip of the iceberg, too, believe it or not.

While the customization suite has an abundance of features and opportunities to explore, there is also something of a steep learning curve to master here, too. With so much available for you to get your hands on (and not to mention a whole heap of jobs and maintenance duties to consider), there is something of a seminar on how to tackle these revolving operations. And yet, even with all of these moving pieces, at no point are you ever forced to strive for perfection here.

All in all, Waterpark Simulator plays surprisingly well, with little to no major technical issues in its design that ultimately dampen the experience. It doesn’t look great, but it’s a simulation game, so the bar isn’t exactly high, either. And even then, the lack of visual fidelity is but a small price to pay for an otherwise stupidly joyful festivity of nautical madness.

Verdict

Waterpark Simulator amplifies the entertainment factor by providing a bottomless creative experience that allows fledgling entrepreneurs the opportunity to build and flourish beyond the traditional fixed limits. With a waterfall of moving pieces and a pinch of a juvenile humor to bathe in, it manages to blend the best of business simulation with comical storytelling incredibly well. And that’s all that I’m taking away from this review: the fact that it doesn’t openly reflect the monotony of a dull and repetitive simulation game, but instead tries to capture two beating hearts with the same paddle.

Although Waterpark Simulator is still in its infancy, and that it still has a few loose teeth that could do with a little extra TLC, the game itself is still irresistibly satisfying to slug through. It’s an open book, too, so the chances of it receiving even more content in the coming months is monumentally high. That’s another huge plus in my opinion, truly.

If you, like me, felt that Planet Coaster 2 wasn’t able to deliver on its promise to conceive a nautically apt sequel, then it’s highly likely that you’ll be able to get your toes wet and your much-needed kicks in the tidal forces of Waterpark Simulator. It’s chaotic, hilarious, and absolutely bursting at the mouth with all of the necessary details to keep you immersed for hours, days, or perhaps even weeks. Heck, even fishing poo out of a swimming pool is entertaining. And that’s saying something.