Parkitect Review: A Masterclass in Park Management, If You’re Willing to Build the Blueprint

Few genres inspire as much nostalgia as theme park simulation games. For fans of RollerCoaster Tycoon, the gold standard of the late ’90s and early 2000s, finding a spiritual successor that captures the magic while modernizing the mechanics has been a long, winding ride. Enter Parkitect, developed by Texel Raptor, a game that challenges you to become not just a park designer, but a park architect (hence the name, get it?). For fans of micromanagement, logistics, and granular control, it’s a delight. For those looking to plop down rides and watch crowds scream with joy, it might be a tough go, especially on consoles.

Parkitect wears its influences proudly, evoking nostalgia for RollerCoaster Tycoon while carving out a distinct identity with smarter systems and modern polish. But the emphasis here is squarely on systems. If Planet Coaster is the glossy marketing brochure of park sims (big, beautiful, and immediately fun!) Parkitect is the structural blueprint, emphasizing function over flair, designed for those who find joy in the hidden gears of operations.

One of the most striking features is its supply system. Behind every food stall and souvenir shop lies a logistical pipeline; goods must be delivered from depots through hidden staff-only paths, which you must carefully route and optimize. Neglect this, and your shops will sit empty while guests grow unhappy. It’s an elegant addition that turns aesthetics into strategy: guests don’t want to see your park’s guts, so smart layout design isn’t just encouraged, it’s essential.

The creative tools are excellent once mastered. The game’s grid-based system and modular building pieces allow for intricately themed areas, letting you layer shops, rides, paths, and decor in satisfying harmony. It’s not quite as immediately dazzling as Planet Coaster, but it trades that surface-level wow factor for long-term creative freedom. You’ll be amazed by what players can build, but only after you climb the game’s initial learning curve.

And that’s the kicker: Parkitect is not particularly welcoming. The tutorial is (mostly) functional but minimal, and console players in particular (looking at you, Xbox) will find the interface a pain point. Menus are layered and occasionally awkward to navigate, with the controller struggling to match the precision the game demands. With a game that requires a lot of vertical building, it’s a bit of a chore. It’s also hard enough to line up a coaster path on PC; on console, it often becomes an exercise in patience. Placing coasters, a central part of the fun, requires more hand-holding and fiddly alignment than it should, breaking the creative flow.

This dichotomy (deep systems but stiff onboarding) highlights Parkitect’s identity crisis: it’s a game that looks like a fun park-builder but plays like an engineering sandbox. If you’re a tinkerer, it’s rewarding. But if you’re hoping to just hop in and unleash your inner Walt Disney without studying logistics, you might bounce off hard.

Still, for those who stick with it, the payoff is worth it. Campaign scenarios steadily ramp up in complexity, and the satisfaction of watching a perfectly tuned park hum along with guests happy, rides efficient, logistics tight is immense. Even better, there’s a thriving modding community and Steam Workshop integration (on PC), meaning fresh content and custom parks are just a click away. Sadly, no such luck on the Xbox.

Visually, the game is charming in its simplicity. The low-poly aesthetic has a clean, toy-like quality that serves both function and nostalgia. You won’t mistake it for Planet Coaster, but it doesn’t try to be. The pared-down style actually makes it easier to focus on the systems beneath the surface, reinforcing the game’s architect-first philosophy.

In short, Parkitect is the thinking player’s theme park sim. It rewards patience, precision, and a desire to understand how things work under the hood. It’s less about instant gratification and more about mastery, perfect for players who don’t just want to ride the roller coaster but design every bolt of the track.

If you love systems, strategy, and the feeling of making a park run like a well-oiled machine, Parkitect is a must-play. But if you’re looking for plug-and-play thrills and spectacle, you might find yourself stuck at the gate. It’s not a theme park fantasy, it’s an architect’s playground. And for those willing to build the dream, it delivers.

Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars.

Parkitect: Deluxe Edition is available for PC, PlayStation 5, Switch and Xbox Series S/X.
_{Disclosure: I received a free review copy of this product from #keymailer / https://www.game.press}

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