RollerCoaster Tycoon® Classic

I Love RCT, and I have loved the original game for well over two decades since I was a kid, I give the game a solid 5/5. However, This mobile port hasn’t been updated in 6 years according to the version history notes, and phones have changed drastically in those 6 years, there’s so many dialog boxes/menus I can’t close or return to in game because the iPhone 15 has the floating island at the top of the phone screen (where the front camera is) I figured I could just change my screen orientation by flipping it over, but that doesn’t completely mitigate the problem. A big example is custom building the coasters, you can’t move the build menu like you can on pc, so I have to constantly back out, or delete several track pieces to make adjustments because of the floating island on my phones screen. It makes building coasters super tedious even though in the pc version it’s super simple and intuitive to freely build, even for a game that’s over 20 years old. My phone screen also encapsulates the whole screen, there’s no black bars on top of or bottom to give me the perfect scare resolution this mobile version needs, my screen edges are rounded and menu boxes can get stuck behind the boundaries of my screen since the game isn’t optimized for newer phones. I really hope developers still check back here on occasion and see some of these reviews, I know I’m not the only person to mention this issue.

I’ll start off with the classic “I never leave reviews” but RCT is a game I played when it first came out and I found the newer ones to lack the charm. I was optimistically cautious to see it as an app for the iPhone, especially as someone who doesn’t spend a bunch of money on apps. But I’m so glad I did and I’ve spent an absurd amount of time completing scenarios and gleefully making my parks. If you already loved this game, just get it, it’s worth it. Now for the couple of downsides that is really more directed to DEVELOPERS than players… With the iPhone, the ability to switch tabs/pulling the Notification Center down from the top has made this game slightly less enjoyable. Accidentally switching out of the game happens constantly. It’s not a huge deal, but I get very annoyed because there’s a glitch where switching tabs turns the sound off. Now if you don’t need the little dopamine rush at the “cha ching!” And the sounds of screams, then you won’t be bothered. But I get so frustrated having to close the tab, fiddle with the sound, then reopening the game. Secondly, the options in game get sort of limited fast. There is not an option for a pure sandbox mode. You can continue playing a scenario indefinitely, but I wished I could create my own massive park. There is an add on to create your own scenario, but you have to click very small sections of land to buy. I seriously spent close to half an hour just spam clicking my screen to try and own the whole given brick of land.

I don’t leave many reviews, but something must be said. Don’t get me wrong, this game is amazing if you love tycoon style games. I have been a fan of it since it came out on PC (RCT3 is just okay. There is some kind of magic to be had in RCT, RCT2, and this one, essentially both combined.) You manage a park with finances, simply put. Game has multiple “scenarios” that require you to perform certain tasks in order to win - quite fun and interesting. My biggest beef lately is that on the new curved iPhone screens, and especially the “null zone” near the top of the screen where the camera etc are are essentially ignored by the game. This makes selecting the “Adjust Land” option, the “Settings” option a repetitious endeavor, and spoiler: both of these are very useful and will be pressed FREQUENTLY...or at least, you will try to. The park info button in the top left is hard to press as well, but not used as frequently. Park map in top right is big enough that it is not an issue. But the other corners...and my eyes brightened when this just got a new update..!! But alas..these issues ignored. Am I trying to deter you? Not at all. Great game, but unfortunately, probably more suited for anything less than the newest phone, or on an iPad, which to me kind of alienates a big group of players, myself included. I will be waiting for the day I can complete the scenarios on my phone. Until that time, ride and scream, friends.