Wildlife Park

Wildlife Park throws you headfirst into the challenging world of zoo management. As the owner of a fledgling animal park, it's up to you to transform an empty plot of land into a thriving habitat where exotic creatures can roam free.

I enjoyed the freedom to create a unique park tailored to my personal vision. With endless customization options, no two zoos are alike in Wildlife Park. That said, some limitations still keep the game from becoming a true genre classic, especially when games like Zoo Tycoon and its sequel exist.

Creature Comforts

Wildlife Park features over 45 species of animals with complex, realistic behavior. I was impressed by small details like watching lions lounge in the sun or penguins waddle along icy terrain. The animals seem to have minds of their own, getting hungry, socializing with pack members, or just plain getting cranky like living creatures do.

Interacting with them via toys and training equipment is quite amusing. There’s a certain joy in watching the hundreds of unique animations the developers came up with for each species – all of them nicely rendered in 2D. Overall, the animals breathe life into what could have been a dry tycoon game. The one drawback is bugs that cause creatures to inexplicably die off (I swear it's not my fault!)

Build Your Dream Zoo

Customizing your zoo in Wildlife Park is an addictive blast. With a massive array of pre-made enclosures, foliage, and landscaping tools, the only limit is your imagination. I loved being able to sculpt the terrain into valleys and plateaus before dotting lush forests around a pristine lake.

Dropping in bridges, feeding areas, toys, and other structures is simple yet satisfying. My one knock is the somewhat clumsy viewing angles and controls when terraforming the land. But it’s easy to lose hours crafting that perfect orangutan habitat. Fans of park builders like Zoo Tycoon will feel right at home.

It's a Zookeeper's Life For You

Maintaining your zoo is equal parts strategy and chaos. Juggling the needs of animals, guests and staff takes some patience. I liked hiring zookeepers, vets, maintenance workers and other staff to handle day-to-day tasks like feeding the animals. However, menus and controls for managing employees could be streamlined.

I also appreciated small touches like researching upgrades, capturing loose animals, and unlocking new areas to expand the park. As in games like SimCity, careful planning prevents your zoo from devolving into upset customers, rampaging animals, and financial ruin. While complex at times, keeping the park afloat is rewarding.

In the end, Wildlife Park's vibrant animals and lush environments outweigh its rough edges. While controls have some kinks, I always found myself returning to craft new enclosures and make my animals happy. It fills a nice niche between hardcore tycoons and casual creators.

Pros

• Vibrant and charming animals
• Endless customization for unique zoos
• Addictive park management gameplay

Cons

• Finicky terraforming controls
• Employee management needs some work
• Some odds bugs here and there

Ever since witnessing monkeys hurling faeces at each other as a young boy, I have been fascinated by zoos and wildlife parks. But not, it would seem, having played this effort from Novatrix, fascinated enough to warrant sitting down for eight hours at a time trying to recreate the experience on my PC.

Actually, that's harsh. Had this not been so acutely similar to pretty much every other Theme Park management sim out there, it would have been more appealing. Imagine the animals in their enclosures are the equivalent of the rides in Theme Park, and everything falls into place. Lower prices encourage visitors, guards keep order, bins prevent rubbish, burger joints earn cash, nicely planned paths and scenic features keep people happy. Any Theme Park fan will take under two minutes to adapt to the new surroundings.

As far as the animals go, herein lies the game's trump card, and there is enjoyment to be had in training penguins to jump through hoops, .watching your vet getting mauled by a Siberian tiger, and cleaning up mounds of elephant dung. The campaign tries to keep things interesting with plenty of challenges and scenarios to deal with, and a free play mode is there for those who just want to build and build.

It's really not a bad game, but it's just so painfully similar to those that have come before. Probably perfect for your kid brother or sister who loves animals, or for that bloke who got caught wanking a dolphin in the North Sea. But not for the rest of us.