Theme Park — stories left

Peter Molyneux stated that he came up with the idea of creating Theme Park because he felt the business genre was worth pursuing.

He said that Theme Park is a game he had always wanted to create, and wanted to avoid the mistakes of his earlier business simulation game, The Entrepreneur: He wanted to create a business simulation game and make it fun so that people would want to play it.

Molyneux stated that the most difficult part to program was the visitors' behaviour.

Molyneux stated that each person takes about 200 bytes of memory, enough for them to have their own personality.

Carr later retracted his beliefs and, in 2012, stated that he considered the game a classic.

He also praised the "gloriously cartoony" graphics and "exceptional" soundtrack.

Computer and Video Games reviewer complimented the "cute" graphics, and described the game as "fun" and "feature-packed".

GamePro echoed these criticisms and further stated that the Jaguar version suffers from frustrating slowdown.

Electronic Gaming Monthly reviewer held a similar opinion to that of Hickman by commending the Saturn version for being a comprehensive port of the PC original, and also applauded the addictive simulation gaming of Theme Park, calling it "SimCity with a playful spirit".

Mean Machines Sega described the game as "the most complex Megadrive game ever created", and eulogised playability and longevity, but criticised the behaviour of the handymen.

German magazine Mega Fun compared the SNES version to the Mega Drive version, and said the SNES version had better controls and music, creating atmosphere.

Reviewing the PlayStation version, Maximum said that the game "is probably one of the best sim games around.

Next Generation reviewed the 3DO version of the game, and stated that "it's cute, but we're waiting for 3DO's Transport Tycoon".

In 1996, GamesMaster rated the Sega Saturn version 6th in its "The GamesMaster Saturn Top 10."

Critics praised its gameplay and humor, with minor criticism directed at the console ports' lack of save and mouse support.

A reviewer of Edge commented that the game is complex, but praised the detail and addictiveness.

He also praised the "gloriously cartoony" graphics and "exceptional" soundtrack.

Sam Hickman of Sega Saturn Magazine praised it for retaining the original intro, music, speech samples, and features of the PC version (all of which had been left out of most previous console versions), although a reviewer from the Japanese magazine of the same name criticised the lack of mouse support.

CU Amiga praised the addictiveness of the Amiga version, and called the game "colourful".

In the Famitsu Cross Review it received 7, 7, 7 and 7, for 28 points.

In addition to the game selling 15 million units, it received several rereleases; The game received a Japanese localisation (in addition to normal Japanese releases), Shin Theme Park, released in 1997 for the Saturn and PlayStation, and remakes for the Nintendo DS (2007) and iOS (2001).

Theme Park sold over 15 million copies, and was extremely popular in Japan (the Japanese PlayStation version sold 85 thousand copies within weeks), as well as Europe.

The game is the first installment in Bullfrog's Theme series and their Designer Series.

The game is the first instalment in Bullfrog's Designer Series, and it was intended for the series to use Theme Parks engine and for each instalment to have three simulation levels.

Molyneux stated that the most difficult part to program was the visitors' behaviour.

The four reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly commented that the game itself is great fun, but that the Jaguar conversion had confusing menus and dithered text which is excessively difficult to read.

The game is the first instalment in Bullfrog's Designer Series, and it was intended for the series to use Theme Parks engine and for each instalment to have three simulation levels.