RCT Deluxe is one of those rare old gems that, no matter how much people try, has yet to have a spiritual successor fully recapture its essence or innovate in a meaningful way, and the reason for that is in the game's fundamentally brilliant design: it's a concise, well-balanced blend of extreme customization and structural rigidity, two seemingly-conflicting ideals that are perfectly intertwined. Coaster design, park layouts, scenery, and other aspects offer near-infinite variety, but the isometric view and deceptively simple and intuitive grid system offers a very acute precision to coaster refinement that allows a player to master the art of designing and redesigning coasters.

The game's primary focus is on the creation of your very own amusement parks in one of dozens of locations, each with their own distinct goals. To be successful, one must learn how to keep their guests happy by providing them with an assortment of pre-built rides, stalls, and utilities as well as custom roller coasters and other rides that the player must design using a user-friendly ride editing tool. This and other tools offer the player complete control over the ride's track, trains, thematic elements, and price. The player must be considerate of their guests' ride preferences, as every section of track and the overall route will affect three ride statistics: excitement, intensity, and nausea. Learning to design coasters with these stats in mind is a fun and challenging puzzle in itself, and it has a major impact on a park's overall success.

Beyond the fundamentals, after the game eases the player into the basics of park management, each new unlocked park objective teaches a new skill and provides new challenges for the player to test their ability to adapt. The absurd amount of campaigns, contents, rides, scenic options, and other items allows for literally hundreds of hours of fun just to get through all the campaigns at least once, and no two feel alike. Furthermore, while certain methodologies and techniques are sometimes encouraged, the game allows for all sorts of individualistic play styles and different approaches to the same hurdles, so it always feels like strategic and creative problem-solving, not memorization or repetition. Challenges are always present, but they are fair and well-crafted in their structure, so you are always encouraged to improve.

Visually, the game has aged extremely well, and the sprites and assets all look and function beautifully. The game is coded in Assembly, so modding will likely not be an option, but the game's performance is always top-notch. Be sure to check that this version of the game is compatible with your OS before you buy it, but I would highly recommend this game to anyone. It has superb replayability and is always as fresh and exciting as the first time you played it as a little kid. If anything, it's probably more enjoyable today, given the ability to revisit and appreciate the complexity of the game's design with the mental sharpness that comes with adulthood.

Granted, there are occasional small issues with path-finding and staff location assignment as well as the occasional imprecision of the algorithms for calculating ride stats. However, none of these concerns are close to game-breaking, and a bit of extra forethought and experimentation can avoid most if not all of the effects of these, thus the limitations of the game encourage you to work more effectively within those limits. For example, careful planning of main paths, kiosks, queue lines, and facilities can ensure that guests' needs are catered to, and assigning staff locations based on footpath traffic and ride exit access can ensure that rides and paths are always maintained in a timely manner. As of this review, I've clocked over 100 hours into this game, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next 100 hours.

My final rating is 9.8 out of 10. This game was a labor of love, and it really shows.

RCT Deluxe is one of those rare old gems that, no matter how much people try, has yet to have a spiritual successor fully recapture its essence or innovate in a meaningful way, and the reason for that is in the game's fundamentally brilliant design: it's a concise, well-balanced blend of extreme customization and structural rigidity, two seemingly-conflicting ideals that are perfectly intertwined. Coaster design, park layouts, scenery, and other aspects offer near-infinite variety, but the isometric view and deceptively simple and intuitive grid system offers a very acute precision to coaster refinement that allows a player to master the art of designing and redesigning coasters. The game's primary focus is on the creation of your very own amusement parks in one of dozens of locations, each with their own distinct goals. To be successful, one must learn how to keep their guests happy by providing them with an assortment of pre-built rides, stalls, and utilities as well as custom roller coasters and other rides that the player must design using a user-friendly ride editing tool. This and other tools offer the player complete control over the ride's track, trains, thematic elements, and price. The player must be considerate of their guests' ride preferences, as every section of track and the overall route will affect three ride statistics: excitement, intensity, and nausea. Learning to design coasters with these stats in mind is a fun and challenging puzzle in itself, and it has a major impact on a park's overall success. Beyond the fundamentals, after the game eases the player into the basics of park management, each new unlocked park objective teaches a new skill and provides new challenges for the player to test their ability to adapt. The absurd amount of campaigns, contents, rides, scenic options, and other items allows for literally hundreds of hours of fun just to get through all the campaigns at least once, and no two feel alike. Furthermore, while certain methodologies and techniques are sometimes encouraged, the game allows for all sorts of individualistic play styles and different approaches to the same hurdles, so it always feels like strategic and creative problem-solving, not memorization or repetition. Challenges are always present, but they are fair and well-crafted in their structure, so you are always encouraged to improve. Visually, the game has aged extremely well, and the sprites and assets all look and function beautifully. The game is coded in Assembly, so modding will likely not be an option, but the game's performance is always top-notch. Be sure to check that this version of the game is compatible with your OS before you buy it, but I would highly recommend this game to anyone. It has superb replayability and is always as fresh and exciting as the first time you played it as a little kid. If anything, it's probably more enjoyable today, given the ability to revisit and appreciate the complexity of the game's design with the mental sharpness that comes with adulthood. Granted, there are occasional small issues with path-finding and staff location assignment as well as the occasional imprecision of the algorithms for calculating ride stats. However, none of these concerns are close to game-breaking, and a bit of extra forethought and experimentation can avoid most if not all of the effects of these, thus the limitations of the game encourage you to work more effectively within those limits. For example, careful planning of main paths, kiosks, queue lines, and facilities can ensure that guests' needs are catered to, and assigning staff locations based on footpath traffic and ride exit access can ensure that rides and paths are always maintained in a timely manner. As of this review, I've clocked over 100 hours into this game, and I absolutely cannot wait for the next 100 hours. My final rating is 9.8 out of 10. This game was a labor of love, and it really shows.