Park / Murder at the Zeitgeist Club

8 Comments

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  Comment System Offline

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  posted 1 month ago

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  FredD Offline

  This really mindblowing stuff which makes me wonder if we are playing the same game... Genius out of the box thinking here, hats off to you! Everyone needs to check this out in-game.

  posted 7 days ago

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  Babar Tapie Fan Offline

  This project is absolutely crazy, not only technically but also creatively (I was blown away by the mirror effect - I'm not sure I've ever seen anything similar). I'd love to have seen even more and discovered new rooms and new elements! Well done the_bru, stunning park here !

  posted 7 days ago

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  J K Fan Offline

  Spoilers ahead! If you're planning to solve the mystery yourself, best turn back now—this review dives deep.
   

  Murder at the Zeitgeist Club is a one-of-a-kind RCT experience that had me reminiscing about Murder in McCallan, but also rethinking how to use RollerCoaster Tycoon as a medium—not just to build parks, but to tell stories.
   

  What stood out immediately was the shift in scale, a deliberate and inspired design choice. By scaling up, you unlocked a new level of fidelity rarely seen in the world of parkmaking. This allowed for exquisite details—the oversized coffee mug, the lush red stage curtain, the candles on the bar tables, and some genius use of ride tracks for crunch and detail that made me happy. It’s this kind of innovation that pushes the boundaries of what RCT can do.

   

  Narratively, it was compelling. The mystery kept me hooked from beginning to end. The scattered notes hidden across the map—especially those tucked into bins—were a great mechanic for worldbuilding. I found the grey text on white letters much easier to read than the traditional black-on-white, though that might be a personal preference.

   

  The music selection was spot-on. RCT’s original soundtrack, repurposed here, supported the atmosphere beautifully and gave each scene emotional weight.

   

  My one small critique: when I reached the final decision, I found myself torn between two suspects. I didn’t feel I had quite enough clarity to confidently accuse the right person the first time. A few more breadcrumbs might have helped. That said, it's a minor flaw in an otherwise masterful experience.

   

  So how do I score something like this?

  It’s not conventional. It doesn’t compete directly with visual showpieces like Buffalo Blitz or Leafy Lake. But what it does do—create an immersive, technically rich, story-driven game within a game—is near perfection. This is the kind of project that would shine in a long-lost Concept Creation category. If that were still around, this would be a slam dunk.

   

  I landed on an 85% score, but that’s almost conservative. It reflects:

   

  • The time I spent completely engrossed in the experience

  • The exceptional technical skill and creative ambition

  • The time taken beyond the game; the placement of pieces, writing the script, developing the characters

  • The inventive decision to scale upwords and detail beyond the norm

   

  With just a little more clarity at the climax and perhaps a format that encouraged replayability—like episodic chapters—I could easily see this hitting the 90% mark for me.

   

  All in all, this was a pretty special release, and I sincerely hope it’s not a one-off. If there's ever a Murder at the Zeitgeist Club: Chapter Two, consider me first in line.

  posted 7 days ago

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  Therty Offline

  I don't have any meaningful criticism. This is one of the most fun things I've ever opened in RCT, and I'm giving it an unapologetic 100%.

  posted 6 days ago

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  posix Offline

  Novel idea that goes beyond the understanding of a non-park. It's hard to get people to engage and interact in intended ways, but to focus on ride demolition as the main method was clever and straightforward. It helped a lot in finding access to what on paper is almost entirely abstract to what your mind would expect when opening a save.

  posted 6 days ago

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  TimmyTuner Fan Offline

  One of my favorite RCT creations in a while. Really unique and fun concept executed nearly to perfection with the tools available. Only wish it was a tad longer honestly, because i had so much fun playing the game.

  posted 6 days ago

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  Turtle Offline

  just brilliant. i have a massive appreciation for people like yourself (there aren't many like you) that just think about the game in a different way. it's one thing using the game to represent something out of the ordinary, but when you fundamentally change how someone interacts with the game itself, that's a special thing. 

   

  i found this pretty intuitive to view/play, the names of rides coming up on hover means that this functions like an old school point and click mystery, almost. something that all of us would understand. the story was interesting, with some seriously clever use of scenery/rides to show different things. my only criticism is that i wish it was longer. 

  posted 4 days ago

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  ottersalad Offline

  This what a lot of fun, wow. Really novel use of demolishing rides for effects. Also, this is the best possible usage for those giant figures that are not to RCT scale whatsoever. Cool yet simple story as well which was easy to follow along. And dang, I got it right on my first try! 

   

  Agreed with other commenters that I wish this was longer - but that just means you did an incredible job because we are begging for more!

  posted 1 day ago

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