RCT Classic - Scenario Review

[Alolan_Apples]

Today, I have completed the last of the 95 main scenarios of RCT Classic, a remake/iOS port of Roller Coaster Tycoon 2. That being said, I am here to review how the main scenario journey is like.

As you know, Roller Coaster Tycoon Classic is the same as RCT2, but with a few improvements (like adding scenery in the Ride Designer, a sandbox mode objective in scenario editor, and a ride booster track on select rides). Every scenario that appeared in RCT2 is also in RCT Classic, but the Wacky Worlds and Time Twister Scenarios are only available as in-app purchases. However, RCTC also has scenarios from RCT1, so you got to play the RCT1 scenarios and RCT2 scenarios in RCTC. Only the RCT1 original scenarios, Added Attractions/Corkscrew Follies scenarios, Loopy Landscapes scenarios, and RCT2 original scenarios build up the 95 main scenarios to play.

Every scenario in the game goes into 10 different scenario groups, each of them containing 9 scenarios (first five groups) or 10 scenarios (last five groups). At the beginning, only three scenario groups are open, and each scenario group has only three playable scenarios by default. Each time you complete one of the three scenarios, a new scenario of the same group is unlocked. The process repeats until all 9 or 10 scenarios of that particular scenario group are unlocked. And once you complete all of the scenarios in that group, a new scenario group is unlocked, as only the first three scenarios of the new group are open.

Anyway, I’m about to go through the summaries of each scenario group and how easy they are or how challenging they are.

• Graphite Group: Your journey begins in the Graphite Group, where the easiest of the scenarios are. At the beginning, you have Forest Frontiers, Dynamite Dunes, and Leafy Lake. The first one is simply easy as no skills are needed. You just build some rides, and give them some good ticket prices. The second one, it a bit harder, as it asks for more guests than the first one, but you have more time to complete the objective. The third one is when you should use some skills or start utilizing the features since there are hardly anything available at the beginning. As you continue going through, you will encounter harder scenarios. The later scenarios in the Graphite Group are hard for beginners, but if you’re used to playing the harder scenarios from future groups (and if you have learned some skills such as pricing rides based on excitement rating), they won’t be too hard when you go back.
• Emerald Group: If you only work on one scenario group at a time, you would enter a new world as you are introduced to a new batch of scenarios. Every scenario in this group focus on park attendance at a given date, and every scenario in this group (except Crazy Castle) are RCT1 original scenarios. By the time you finish the Graphite Group, you wouldn’t find the scenarios in this group to be too hard. Granted, you may learn some new skills as you play them, but they won’t be too bad when you know them.
• Ruby Group: This is when the difficulty starts kicking in. With the exception of the first two scenarios, all scenarios in this group are from the Added Attractions/Corkscrew Follies expansion pack. Most scenarios from Added Attractions tend to focus on different techniques like building restrictions, appeal to specific riders, or building within a limited area. Therefore, these scenarios are a lot harder than the previous groups. In fact, they are very troubling for beginners, and even if you do get used to the harder ones in future groups, these scenarios are still hard if you go back.
• Sapphire Group: Being the first scenario group you unlock, your journey through these scenarios begins to become more interesting. As these scenarios came from the Loopy Landscapes expansion pack, you start seeing new objectives. All scenarios prior to this group (except Diamond Heights and Katie’s Dreamland) focus on park attendance with a given date. Here, you have ride income objectives and coaster building objectives. The scenarios tend to be advanced, but if you had the skills you learned from earlier in your journey, this group won’t be too hard.
• Amethyst Group: By the time you get to this group, you will notice that the easy stuff is over. In fact, this one is very hard. Almost half of the scenarios base their income from park admissions, which means rides are free and cannot be charged. Therefore, in order to make more money and spend as less money as possible, you should focus on low-cost rides with high excitement ratings. One of these scenarios (Amity Airfield) is even the hardest of all 95 main scenarios. Even I felt that the scenario almost broke me. There’s also a scenario where the objective focuses on monthly shop profit.
• Coral Group: This scenario group is the first of the scenario groups to have 10 scenarios, but the scenarios are ordinary challenging scenarios. If you still haven’t learned some interesting skills from prior scenarios, you will have a bad time with these. If you do have these skills, they shouldn’t be too bad. The two most interesting ones are Harmonic Hills and Botany Breakers, where one has restrictions on tree removal, terrain modification, and high construction, as the other focuses on ride income as an objective.
• Ivory Group: This scenario group is the last of the challenging scenarios, as it acts as a transition group from medium scenarios to hard scenarios. All four expansions (RCT1 original, Added Attractions, Loopy Landscapes, and RCT2 original) have scenarios in this group, and each of them have their limits and conditions that would change the way of how you work on scenarios.
• Bronze Group: At this point, RCT Classic becomes a hard game. Other than the last two scenarios (which are RCT2 original scenarios), all of them are from the Loopy Landscapes expansion pack. The Loopy Landscapes scenarios tend to be a lot harder than the others, or more tedious at least. It’s also home to Octagon Park, one of the hardest scenarios in Roller Coaster Tycoon. They may be hard, but if you finished all prior scenarios, you can do this one.
• Silver Group: As you’re nearing the end, you will deal with some very hard scenarios. In fact, the first three are pretty brutal. One feature to bring in more guests is advertising. Three of these scenarios do not allow them, so in order to draw in more guests, you have to focus on earning awards. The last scenario in this group is Rainbow Summit, which was supposed to be the hardest of RCT2’s scenarios, but at least there’s some mercy from the developers.
• Gold Group: This is it! The final scenario group. The difficulty is at the max in this group. You will be dealing with cramped spaces, high expectations in objectives, and poor conditions. It’s also where Rainbow Valley is, which is unarguably one of the hardest scenarios of Roller Coaster Tycoon. Once you complete them all, you have made it to the finish line.