But so far, Two Point Campus feels like not just a worthy successor to its direct predecessor - but also to the old game that inspired this new franchise. These are difficult games to really preview, as the first few levels are only introducing the concepts - the real plate-spinning action comes later on, as things learned from every level clash and make your life really difficult. Instead, you’re focused on a bigger picture - and it just feels great.Īs you can probably tell, I’m really loving it. You don’t end up in a situation where an off-camera death, missed because you’re busy elsewhere, has hugely negative effects. It makes the busywork feel less like busywork, and gives you a more tangible statistic to focus on in the form of student grades and performance. Something about this setting just works, though. Honestly, in truth, you’re probably not doing much more, and much different, to other games of this type. Making your staff and students comfortable is the name of the game. All of these things impact on student performance, and therefore yours, down the line. Basic needs like being hydrated and fed, staying at a comfortable temperature, or needing to go to the toilet are all still there, but you also have to place items and rooms to provide entertainment, foster friendships, or enhance academic performance. There’s more nuance to this happiness, too. Better grades means more money and more prestige, so you definitely feel more focused on the happiness and well-being of every character under your care. But in Campus, your charges have actual grades – and if they’re happier and more comfortable, they’ll be more likely to perform better in their end-of-year exams. In the Hospital games, your job is basically to keep folks comfortable enough that they hang around long enough to be cured. There’s also broad student needs that don’t change from one campus to another you’ll want to build dormitories for your live-in faculty (which also generates extra revenue), plus things like a Student Union to give them space to party and unwind.Ĭan Two Point Campus recapture the, erm, 'magic' of uni life?Īll of this is crucial, too, because student needs feel like they matter more in Two Point Campus. You can teach Science at Knight School for instance, but each campus has its own core course and unique feel, at least in these early stages of the game. Like in the Hospital games, there is some level of cross-over. One of the later options not in this build is clown school, something lots of extremely online gamers know all about. Level three teaches noble Knights (complete with jousting contests), and the fourth level is basically Hogwarts – but without all the nasty real-world baggage. But then level two is a food college training future chefs. Freshleigh Meadows, the tutorial level, is a traditional school with a scientific focus. In a lengthy hands-on I play four levels, for instance – and rather than being distinguished by different illnesses, they’re instead markedly different schools. The setting opens up a number of cool opportunities. Maybe if you catch Freshers' Flu, you can hit up Two Point Hospital later. The core concept is the same, though: you’re the god-like hands in the sky, the head of the institution, doing everything from balancing the budget to hiring staff and designing the architectural layout of your hallowed halls of learning. If you’re unfamiliar, that new setting is – as the name suggests – a university campus. The result is a game that feels like it has more of the magic that made Theme Hospital great. Two Point Campus is the best of both worlds it slavishly pays respect to its roots, but also owns its new premise whole-heartedly. It took Theme Hospital and recreated it with modern technology and conveniences, but in some sense it felt like an echo of something great that came before. While I loved Two Point Hospital, in many ways it felt like the most simple and safe spiritual successor one could design. And I’m walking away buoyed by a simple fact: this feels more like a successor to Theme Hospital. I went into Two Point Campus cautiously optimistic, then. I found myself drifting back to the original, which is playable in high resolutions on modern hardware via a fan remake called CorsixTH. But, at the same time, there was something that took me by surprise in the final release I didn’t love it quite as much as Theme Hospital. I called Two Point Hospital “ a truly worthy successor to an all-time great” – and I meant it. It’s just one of those games to me where even a couple of bars of its iconic music sends a wave of nostalgia through me – and so I was naturally thrilled when, after decades, the game got a spiritual successor: Two Point Hospital.īack in 2018, pre-release, I was thrilled. Theme Hopsital is one of my favorite games of all time.
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