Thrillville: Off the Rails
 | |
| Developer(s) | Frontier Developments |
|---|---|
| Publisher(s) | LucasArts |
| Series | Thrillville |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) | |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy, simulation, action, party |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Thrillville: Off the Rails is a theme park simulation video game developed by Frontier Developments. The sequel to the 2006 game Thrillville, it is again published by LucasArts. It was released in North America on October, 2007 and, like the first game, is rated E10+, or everyone 10 and up.
Plot
Your self-designed character is the manager of a line of very unpopular theme parks owned by your uncle, Mortimer, who is the designer of many great theme-park-related inventions. There are five parks, and each one has three sections that all tie in to the same overall theme. For example, in Thrillville Giant, the objects in the park are all very big. Sometimes, some of the rides for the park continue the same theme. During your park's rise to fame, you have to deal with many attempts to take down its popularity, mainly from Vernon Garrison, a rival character who runs another chain of theme parks called Globo-Joy. The game's main objective is to keep your customers happy so that they don't go to Globo-Joy. Throughout the game, there are many mini-games and missions to be played, and there is a separate multiplayer mini-game section, as well as another section where coasters can be created and saved to be used in the game.
Gameplay
The game contains mini-games to play along with editing roller-coasters. While the DS version contains only seven mini-games, the versions for other consoles contain over 40 mini-games. The roller-coaster editor is similar to that of the Roller Coaster Tycoon series, but all coasters have to start in assigned areas. If the assigned missions are completed, then the player receives thrill points. If enough thrill points are gained, the player can move to the next level.
Reception
The game received mixed to positive reception. Most critics cited that the mini-games are a welcome addition, especially for multiplayer; however, the game has been criticized for its so-so graphics, including the PC and Xbox 360 versions. Critics have also cited some cases of repetitiveness in gameplay.
IGN gave it a 7.9 out of 10, citing improvements over the original saying that, for the most part, the pros outweigh the cons.
GameInformer gave the game a 7 out of 10 verdict, again criticizing graphics.
GameSpot gave a 7.5, stating that "Thrillville: Off the Rails makes every part of building and running a theme park great fun", but the site also disliked the graphics and stated that "Some mini-games won't feel fresh to anyone who played the first game."
The DS version was met with mixed reception, mostly likely due to a different style taken vs the console, PC, and PSP counterparts.