Have you ever wanted to own a zoo? Does the idea of running an animal sanctuary intrigue you? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then Zoo Park is definitely one title you will want to check out.
Zoo Park is a different take on the Tycoon Simulator series. It places you in control of an animal sanctuary where you must build and run the actual park, while feeding and cleaning up after the resident animals. This also includes the constant monitoring of animal habitats to make sure the animals don’t outgrow their surroundings. This is a common occurrence, especially when the animals mate and have offspring.
Aside from taking care of the animals, you can incorporate restaurants, concession stands and other attractions that will make your park standout. You can even control what type of animals will be in your sanctuary. Zoo Park allows your imagination to run free by putting your own personal touches on custom landscaping. You can design everything from custom walkways to all types of shrubbery.
What really makes Zoo Park shine is its over the top customization of animal habitats and the requirements for each one.
Unlike other tycoon games, you actually have to build each habitat for every animal that you bring into your sanctuary. This is where the game becomes more engaging. You have to build the dimensions of each habitat on a grid. Once you have built the habitat’s foundation, you can fill it with the proper requirements suited for the animal(s). For example – African rhinos require water, shade and a select amount of vegetation for them to be happy.
Not meeting all the requirements for the animal’s habitat will cause more harm than good. Animals that are unhappy can become ill or worse. The purpose of running an animal sanctuary is to take care of your animals and place them inside a pleasant environment. Running a sanctuary isn’t as easy as it sounds; it can become very overwhelming at times. Not only do you have to worry about the welfare of your animals, but also manage your workers and make sure you have enough staff to care for them. Having a shortage of workers can leave your animals in deplorable conditions, which can lead to illness.
At the end of each day, you will receive a status report on how much money was made and how well the sanctuary is operating. Keeping your sanctuary profitable is the only way to guarantee its success. The more profits you raise, the more animals you can bring into the sanctuary.
Obtaining new animals for your sanctuary is not as easy as it sounds. You are required to research each animal before you can bring them into your zoo. This process takes time and can span across multiple days. There is an option to speed up time or allow the process to progress normally.
Once your park has grown to a substantial size, you will discover that managing tasks feels like a juggling act. This is when the real challenge of Zoo Park comes into play.
Zoo Park is a fantastic simulator that will satisfy hardcore strategy gamers. Moreover, it’s simple enough for casual gamers to enjoy. The gameplay doesn’t have much of a learning curve and it’s easy to pick up and play. And even though Zoo Park is not complicated by any means, it comes with a complete beginners tutorial to help the most casual of gamers to understand the basics.
James ‘Daripp3r’ Pittaro
Platform: PC
Minimum System Requirements:
Operating system: Windows XP (SP3)/Vista/7/8
Processor Dual core CPU 2.4 GHz
2 GB system memory
Dedicated graphics card with 256 MB memory (GeForce 7600 GT-class equivalent or better)
DirectX 9 compatible sound and video
500 MB of free hard drive space
CD or DVD ROM
Developer: Excalibur Publishing
Publisher: Excalibur Publishing
ESRB: N/A
Price: £24.99
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| The graphics are very easy on the eyes and full of detail. The animals look real and the habitats are impressive. | |
| Sound | |
| The music is a pleasure to listen to. | |
| Gameplay | |
| The gameplay is simple enough for gamers of all ages to enjoy. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| Zoo Park is a brilliant simulation that allows your imagination to run wild (no pun intended). | |
