Coaster Creator 3D (Nintendo 3DS) Review

By Luna Eriksson 28.10.2014

Review for Coaster Creator 3D on Nintendo 3DS

When getting off the roller coaster at the local amusement park one thought that might strike some minds is how fun it would be to actually design roller coasters themselves. Coaster Creator 3D provides some very powerful and precise tools to do exactly that, allowing players to create their very own thrilling roller coasters to ride on and even share with friends.

Coaster Creator 3D puts the player in the shoes of a roller coaster designer apprentice under the famous master designer Gill McGee, who has recently had some troubles with his roller coasters due to new, modern and technologically superior rides coming into existence. He wants his apprentice to be a fresh breath of air in the industry to help him innovate and remake some roller coasters that are not working as well as he first intended.

The first stop for any new player is the Career Mode, where challenges will be given. These challenges are composed by already finished roller coasters that need a final touch to meet with the customers' demands. The final touches usually consist of using limited tools to make the coaster go through certain spots on the stage, but will also later on involve regulation of g-forces to prevent damages, and adjusting the speed of the roller coaster to please the customers.

Screenshot for Coaster Creator 3D on Nintendo 3DS

After some challenges have been completed, it is time for the Sandbox Mode, in which the user is given free hands and the tools to design their very own roller coasters from the ground up. This is essentially the bread and butter of the game, and is where the real fun starts, as the tools that were learned and mastered in Career Mode are allowed to be used and a personal roller coaster can be created without almost any limitations.

Designing starts with a 2D sketch, where the player writes down how they want their roller coaster prototype to travel, whilst adding hills to the design. After the initial sketch is ready, it is off to the 3D design view used for the challenges to remake the coaster, adding loops, twists and everything else that can be imagined to finish it up. Here, the coaster can be redrawn in almost any imaginable way to make it as exciting as is seen fit, and allows some fixes to regulations and the kind of tracks it will use. After it has been created, it is possible to ride the roller coaster and even play a mini-game, where the aim is to hit stars that appear on the screen.

Screenshot for Coaster Creator 3D on Nintendo 3DS

The tools given are very powerful and allow a lot of creativity. If there is something the player wants to make it will most likely be doable with the tools. However, this means that the tools and system are really complex, which fundamentally leads to the point that a proper tutorial should be given before anyone starts making their own roller coasters.

That all said, the Career Mode that is supposed to be the tutorial starts at a very high level and is horrible at explaining exactly what to do, which makes learning how to use the tools a terrible hassle, and will turn off a lot of players very early. While simplistic in its description, the tasks given are very advanced and at a high level even at Challenge 1. Later challenges can take a very long time to complete because the game is awful at explaining exactly what the tools offered do and how to use them to succeed in the challenge at hand. This reviewer challenges anyone who happens to play this game to fully predict exactly how the loop tool will work without hours of testing. Once the player has overcome the initially brutal difficulty spike, however, Coaster Creator 3D becomes a lot more fun.

Screenshot for Coaster Creator 3D on Nintendo 3DS

The most striking thing with this game beside the powerful tools given to create coasters is the physics. The developers seem to have taken a lot of time with this, which is highly noticeable if one keeps check on the g-force meter and the speed meter. This adds to the overall experience, especially when the player rides the coasters themselves. If it wasn't for the fact that users are seated in a still chair or on a bed, it would be really easy to think that they really are sat in a roller coaster. The physics and speed changes are very fluid and feel realistic.

The biggest point that speaks against Coaster Creator 3D is what was spoken of earlier: accessibility. The game does a horrible job at teaching players how to properly use the tools given and even a read through the instruction manual does explain how to fulfil the task at hand. This is nothing that will stop the simulation enthusiasts, but it will stop those who just wanted to build that one really cool roller coaster, which is very problematic as that part is the game's strength.

Screenshot for Coaster Creator 3D on Nintendo 3DS

Cubed3 Rating

6/10
Rated 6 out of 10

Good

While Coaster Creator 3D offers great tools, it is a very limited game experience. The horrible learning curve and instructions further lowers the score for a game that otherwise could have been so much better. It can only be recommended for players who want an advanced roller coaster maker, as there are far more accessible options out there for just building simple rides.

Developer

Big John

Publisher

Big John Games

Genre

Simulation

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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