Genre: Business Management Sim
Modes: Single-player
Developed by: Two Point Studios
Published by: Sega
Release date: August 9th 2022
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Xbox Game Pass Day 1, Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux and Nintendo Switch
Platform I played on: Xbox Series X
Edition of game I played: Digital
Fun? Check. Humorous? Check. Slightly addicting that you lose track of time and BOOM! there goes your weekend? Ah Check! Two Point Campus marks Two Point Studio's second entry into the Two Point Universe. In Two Point Campus, your objective is to create the University of your dreams! Whether you want to build something grand and large, or simple; the choice is up to you. There are plenty of object and even wardrobe customisation options to unlock as you progress through the game. You'll be able to shape students developing friendships, relationships and above all; their education and university life. With 12 different levels and 17 unique courses at launch, there's something for everybody (and student!) in this game. Personally, I've been having an absolute blast and here's why:
Story
As this is a simulation title there's no story per say, but you get to build the university of your dreams while building and running the campuses however you want! Though, with this in mind you don't have an unlimited amount of money, so you'll have to choose and pick your investments wisely if you don't want a loan or debt. As mentioned, you'll not only be able to shape the lives of your students through keeping them entertained and happy with their university life, but you'll also have to hire janitors to keep the campus maintained, teachers and assistants to run courses and libraries, as well as managing everything else in-between. From student intake to tuition fees, to organising events including student parties, gigs and even cook offs! Watching some of these events was quite entertaining too.
The studio were inspired by long time running simulation game, The Sims, and even inspired by films such as Animal House, Pitch Perfect and even Harry Potter! If you've ever played a simulation game, you'll know what to expect from a title like this - but if this is perhaps your first game into the genre, I think this is the perfect choice. I've played a few simulation games before, but this is the first game in that genre that really hooked me right from the beginning because of it's goofiness, variation of levels and cool, unique courses. Because of this, I felt the repetition of tasks didn't quite become a chore, and instead you'll still be interested to see it through.
Gameplay The controls are fairly simple with standard zoom ins & outs, rotating items, placing objects and controlling the game speed/pause/resume. You'll also be able to access a wide range of options in the menu navigation.
Below I've taken a screen shot of the game:
On the right hand side of the screen, you'll have a check list of campus requirements, as well as accessing your email. You can choose to hide this, but I always have it on. Bottom right also shows your money, average student grades, happiness level and your campus level. On the bottom left of the screen there's all your tools to build and place objects, as well as checking in on student and teacher stats, and hiring staff.
At first, it can feel a bit overwhelming especially if you're new to simulation games, but soon enough you'll get used to it. You'll also get to purchase blocks of land to expand your campus, and the amount of courses/students you can have.
Graphics | Design The graphics are immaculate and the design of the world you're building is also faithful keeping in theme with Two Point studio's games. Something goofy and colourful to bring you fun while doing what is probably (yes) an extremely stressful real life job.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is cheerful filled with guitars, drums and even jazz instruments. It's a perfect craft for the type of game this is, as well as even drawing upon 80's/90's music (at least to me). While the songs may become repetitive over time, thankfully there's also a break between songs. You see, you're also listening to Two Point Radio, and occasionally the radio hosts will talk about a range of things, and in some occurrence they can even mention your campus! Again, after a while though it does become a bit repetitive, but most of the time when you're building you kind of just zone it out (at least for me anyway, when I get in the zone I'm in the zone)
Glitches | bugs | issues The glitches I found during my playthrough included some object placement issues. For example, I would try and place more beds into a dormitory, despite having enough room and it not colliding with any other objects, and it would say it 'cant be placed here' which was a little bit frustrating at times. I also encountered a few laggy moments after building something (I can't recall what specifically), but other than that there wasn't anything major I came across that ruined the experience.
Replay ability
For some people the game may overstay it's welcome, but if you're someone that enjoys playing these types of games in a variation of different ways, I can see the replay ability elements here.
Conclusion
Two Point Campus is a game I can highly recommend to those looking to jump into a new simulation game, or just if you're wanting to play something a little bit different with a side of silliness. I normally don't play a tonne of simulation titles myself as I mentioned, but this game certainly grabbed me. I thankfully only experienced some minor issues throughout my playthrough, but other than that it's a fairly smooth sailing game. I know I'm certainly excited to see what simulation Two Point Studio releases next - A zoo? A mall? whatever it is - I'm keen to see what else will join the Two Point Studio Universe.
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