As a re-implementation, OpenRCT2 requires a copy of the original game or the "Classic" re-release to already be installed on the computer.[5] The gameplay of OpenRCT2 is, by nature of the project, very similar to the original RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 game upon which it is based. However, the re-implementation features a number of changes:[6]
In May 2023, Allister Brimble, the theme composer for the first two RollerCoaster Tycoon games, composed a new theme song for OpenRCT2.[14] Commissioned by the YouTuber Deurklink, the song was paid for by his Patreon subscribers, in what he said was a community-funded effort.[15] The theme was added to a game in a September 2023 update, which also added new backgrounds selected through a contest to the main menu. The same update also allowed for camera and UI frame rates to be unlocked from the previous 40 Hz limit.[16]
Reception
PC Gamer praised the increased scope for creativity with the new toolset, adding: "you can build the park of your dreams with coasters that no sane person who values their intestines would think about riding. It’s a great way to return to such a wonderful classic PC game."[6]Vice noted that OpenRCT2 "allows players much greater freedom in what they are able to build."[10]Kotaku pointed out that OpenRCT2 allows RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 to run on modern systems "just fine", and features multiplayer support, weakening the incentive to purchase the later released RollerCoaster Tycoon Classic.[17]
In 2020, Nerdist suggested OpenRCT2 among other stress-relieving games to play during the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]
