Planet Coaster: Ghostbusters Review – Bustin’ Makes me Feel Good!

“How good of a jam is the Ghostbusters theme?!”

That was my first thought as I launched the Ghostbusters DLC from Planet Coaster: Console Edition’s main menu, Ray Parker Jr’s seminal 37(!) year old song booting up as a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man dances along. How it has stood the test of time to still be a great tune is helped in part by the film also being a timeless classic. And this “most ambitious” DLC from the folks at Frontier Developments may be best suited if you at least enjoy the film it is based on as it is pure, wonderful fan service.

Unlike the previous Planet Coaster: Console Edition DLC packs that acted more like huge content drops such as the Adventure Pack and Spooky Pack, the Ghostbusters add-on acts more like a mini campaign separate from the main Career mode. It comes with two scenarios that are similar in length to the regular ones. In these though you won’t be directed by Oswald and the rest of the crew; instead you will be taking directions from an actual real-life Ghostbuster! None other than Dan Aykroyd is on hand to bring Ghostbuster Ray Stantz back to give you plenty of helpful nudges.

The reason he turns up is because Environmental Protection Agency agent Walter Peck – also voiced by original star William Atherton – has begun investigating your newly inherited theme park after a few supernatural encounters have been reported. At the same time the Ghostbusters have been called in to deal with them, causing them and the EPA to once again butt heads.

The park the DLC drops you in is a brilliant recreation of some of the iconic Ghostbusters landmarks. There is Ghostbusters HQ and the apartment building where the film’s legendary climax is set. It comes complete with a mockup of Zuul’s dimensional gate and, yes, a giant-sized Stay Puft is off to the side of this.

Of course, this being a theme park, there are a few Ghostbuster-themed rides. The Ghostbusters Experience is open to you from the beginning and is a fully interactive ride where you must shoot ghosts to earn points. Get a big combo going and rack up the highest score possible.

Honestly, this ride is so much fun. It includes iconic scenes from the film – along with the relevant piece of music playing alongside it – and it is exactly what you would expect if it was a real-life ride. But best of all, no queues.

Then there is a new roller coaster for the little ones or those susceptible to bouts of nausea. The RollerGhoster is a love letter to Slimer; bright green but lovable. This also has an acoustic version of the Ghostbusters theme playing as you ride around it.

But that’s not all. The ECTO-1 is here as a scenery item but holds a hidden secret. You can drive it. Simply highlight it and choose the ‘Drive Vehicle’ option to speed around your parks in it. Don’t worry about running people over, the Ghostbusters are here to hoover up their ghosts…

Actually, the car just phases right through them, which is the safer option. This also blares out the theme tune as well so it’s just another excuse to have the ECTO-1 in every park that you design from now on.

It isn’t the only new item though. The Ghostbusters DLC comes with the same amount of new facilities, scenery and creation items as some of the chunkier add-ons such as the World’s Fair and Vintage Packs. A lot of the items have the aesthetic of New York high-rises. Much of the scenery included will help you create a typical New York street with building facades alongside some of the more iconic buildings from the film. Likewise for the facilities that feature coffee shops, restaurants, toilets and a unique marshmallow shop all adorning the downtown New York vibe.

Then in the create section you can really go to town with a plentiful amount of options available. You can create your own high-rises, and add ghostly apparitions to absolutely anything, though thankfully the skeletal taxi driver from the film doesn’t feature here. You can then have all four major Ghostbusters in a variety of poses at least look like they are trying to stop the ghosts. Or just add one of the seven different Slimer poses to an existing feature to make your guests stop and look twice.

This create section is also where you can find the bits and pieces to make the full-sized Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Or you can also find a smaller version to have as a mascot for your park under the Staff menu. Why not both?

The new scenario and little extras that the Ghostbusters DLC brings to Planet Coaster: Console Edition on Xbox has had me smiling from ear to ear. It also left me with a hankering to watch the film again. There is so much to enjoy here for fans of the film, and the extra touches such as The Ghostbusters Experience ride and the ECTO-1 makes this DLC an absolute essential purchase.

Get Bustin’ with Planet Coaster: Ghostbusters on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One