Oh yes, it is. Park Beyond is next for us and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Why? Well, first and foremost we love a good simulation/strategy game. And secondly, it’s one of our upcoming games that are about to be released in less than a month.
Now, we’ve not written about theme parks before. Well, if you don’t include our nod to the Jurassic World here. There’s a theme park in each and every one of them and we do love some Jurassic World movies more than others. But if we go way back we do recall that our mini-review for 2021 does involve Planet Coaster. Yes, it’s about roller coasters and you can read it here. However, we’re gonna go big now. Not just focusing on roller coasters, but on the entire theme parks. Which brings us to Park Beyond.
What’s Park Beyond All About?
Developed by Limbic Entertainment and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Park Beyond is a construction and management simulation video game. And one in which you can build your own theme parks.
In Park Beyond, you can create the park of your dreams without being held back by gravity! Take the role of a newly-hired visionary architect for a struggling company and create mind-twisting theme parks. Don’t forget. You can create the rides you have always dreamed about but that couldn’t exist in real life. So, team up with Phil. The enthusiastic park veteran, Izzy, the stern but friendly executive. And a host of other colorful and passionate characters, to build a successful and profitable park company.
The user-friendly controls and a story-driven campaign mode will help you learn the ropes of park management. And of course, to build increasingly crazy rides and modular coasters.
Park Beyond is available for pre-purchase here at IndieGala. So is the Deluxe Edition of Park Beyond which you can also pre-purchase here.
Success depends on your creativity!
Park Beyond & Some Cool Cinematic Theme Parks
We’ve got 5 of those to show ya. And along with them, you’ll also get a cool list of fantastic movies that feature theme parks in them. Regardless if it’s a small part of the movie, or an integral part of the plot, each and every movie on this list has a theme park in them. Which ones made the cut? Scroll down to find out.
Adventureland
Jesse Eisenberg has the lead in this comedy/drama movie. He portrays James Brennan. A recent college graduate who has big adventurous plans for his future. However, money troubles will force him to stay home and find a summer job at Adventureland. A run-down amusement park filled with interesting and quirky characters. It’s actually a good movie. It’s set in 1987 and also filled with great tracks from that era. There’s also plenty of humor, nostalgia and of course fantastic performances from Jesse and the supporting cast. Kristen Stewart is in it too, and so is Ryan Reynolds. Check it out.
Fun fact: Adventureland (2009) marks the first of three collaborations between Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart. They also co-star in American Ultra (2015) and in Woody Allen’s Café Society (2016).
Florida Project
Florida Project is more of a coming-of-age movie, but much like Adventureland, it also has a great cast. And a fantastic script too. Brooklynn Kimberly Prince portrays Moonee. A six-year-old girl who lives with her young single mother Halley at Magic Castle Inn & Suites, a budget motel. Right next to Disney World. She spends her days unsupervised, and in the process, we see the world that she sees with her eyes. Not just the adult world, but the childhood world that coincidentally forces her to grow up faster than her peers.
Willem Dafoe rightfully so was nominated for an Academy Award (in the best supporting actor category). His performance is one of the most subtle and nuanced that has ever been recorded. It’s a fantastic movie that deserves your attention. Check it out, if you haven’t already.
Fun fact: The Florida Project was an early development name for Disney World.
The Way Way Back
You’re gonna see a lot of coming-of-age movies on this list. And The Way Way Back is no different. Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Way Way Back is a hidden gem. Packed with great actors, the movie centers around Duncan (played by Liam James). And introverted 14-year-old who goes on summer vacation to Wareham, Massachusetts with his mother and her overbearing boyfriend. Along the way, we’ll get to see plenty of iconic characters. Sam Rockwell’s Owen character is a true gem, and so is Allison Janney’s Betty Thompson character. It’s worth checking out. Yes, it’s predictable but it’s also a funny, summertime treat of a movie. It’s got a water park as a setting but it’s still an amusement type of park, so I’m counting it.
Fun fact: Steve Carell shot his part in 10 days.
Zombieland
Does a zombie/comedy movie count here? Sure, it does. It’s got Jesse Eisenberg again, but it also has an amusement park in it. So, we’re counting it here. Here in Zombieland, a group of zombie survivors make their way to a zombie sanctuary. It’s an extended road trip of a movie too, but it also has an amusement park in the story. So, yeah. It fits the criteria. This is the second movie on this list to feature Jesse Eisenberg, but I’m not complaining. He’s a talented actor and deserves to be on this list. Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, and Bill Murray are on supporting role duty here. And yes. It’s a must-watch.
Fun fact: The amusement park scenes were filmed at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia.
Tomorrowland
Let’s finish this list with a science fiction movie, shall we?
Cause it’s exactly what Tomorrowland is. Directed by Brad Bird and co-written by Bird and Damon Lindelof, Tomorrowland was a very expensive gamble for Disney. Which unfortunately didn’t pay off. It got mixed reviews from the critics, and it barely got the budget back in revenue. However, Tomorrowland is about a disillusioned genius inventor (Clooney) and a teenage science enthusiast (Robertson). Both of them embark on an intriguing alternate dimension known as “Tomorrowland,”. A dimension where their actions directly affect their own world. The movie has a great director and a fantastic cast. Unfortunately, the script is a bit uneven, and the audience got a little lost in it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a shot.
Fun fact: George Clooney’s character is 16 years older than he is. Britt Robertson’s character is 7 years younger than she is.
Park Beyond: Are You Hyped About It?
We sure are here at IndieGala. We can’t wait to try it out. How about you?
