{"id":127102,"date":"2022-08-08T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/#article-135629"},"modified":"2022-08-08T18:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T18:00:00","slug":"review-two-point-campus-a-beautifully-balanced-sim-thats-more-friend-than-fiscal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/2022\/08\/08\/review-two-point-campus-a-beautifully-balanced-sim-thats-more-friend-than-fiscal\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Two Point Campus &#8211; A Beautifully Balanced Sim That&#8217;s More &#8216;Friend&#8217; Than &#8216;Fiscal&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"media_block\"><a href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/5687e7852a9ba\/large.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/5687e7852a9ba\/small.jpg\" class=\"media_thumbnail\"><\/a><\/div>\n<aside class=\"object object-youtube\">\n<figure class=\"youtube\" data-videoid=\"EVxstpelrfs\">[embedded content]<figcaption class=\"youtube-sub\">Subscribe to <a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/subscription_center?add_user=nintendolife\">Nintendo Life<\/a> on <span class=\"g-ytsubscribe\" data-channel=\"nintendolife\" data-layout=\"default\" data-count=\"default\"><a class=\"external\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/nintendolife\">YouTube<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/aside>\n<p>After the excellent <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/two_point_hospital\">Two Point Hospital<\/a><\/strong> released on Switch moments before the world was rocked by a global pandemic, Two Point Studios are at it yet again with <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nintendolife.com\/games\/nintendo-switch\/two_point_campus\">Two Point Campus<\/a><\/strong>. If the name hadn\u2019t made it clear already, rather than running a hospital for money, Two Point Campus has you running a university campus\u2026 for money. Capitalism and management sims go hand-in-hand, what can you do? But does this freshman venture pass with flying colours, or is it little more than a dropout?<\/p>\n<p>The premise begins very simply: you have a university campus where you can build classrooms, lecture halls, dormitories, student lounges, everything prospective uni-goers might want (and need) to graduate. But the trick is less about rinsing your younglings for all the cash that they carry and kicking them out the door as quickly as possible; instead, your reputation as a university is king, and struggling, unhappy, or failing students will result in fewer applications the following academic year. This leads to lower revenue, fewer resources to make things better for future students, and the inevitable debt that comes from frantically taking loans from Smell My Cash.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126351\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNTA2Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126351\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 1 of 4\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption generator nintendo-switch-docked\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many management sims rely on (or at least encourage) reactionary and exploitative tactics, but with Campus that\u2019s the polar opposite of what you want to be doing. You can cram your students into overcrowded dorms, give them the smallest possible robot-building room that the game will allow, and a student lounge where the best bet for entertainment is to stake out a good spot at the staring window, but you\u2019ll not do well from it. Short term you\u2019ll have more money, absolutely, but unhappy students may drop out, and as stated above, a poor reputation will absolutely kill your university.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s no other way to describe this gameplay loop than\u2026 strangely wholesome, and we\u2019re completely smitten with it. Another huge part of making students happy is giving them the means to create and maintain relationships. Sharing dorms, having a chat over an age-appropriate milkshake in the student union, or competing in a friendly game of darts \u2014 it\u2019s all important to any student\u2019s well-being. Who knows? A few friendships may even become romantic, leading to them sneaking away and jumping up and down on a special bed. That\u2019s not a joke, by the way, there is literally a special bed that lovers will jump on. Fully clothed.<\/p>\n<p>Money is important to expand and build what students need to complete assignments and classes, but there\u2019s not a huge incentive to amass as much cash as you can, because happy, developing students will bring in more than enough to keep things afloat. There is a flip-side, however, and that\u2019s that whenever you do need to expand, you\u2019d best be sitting down when the bill comes in.<\/p>\n<p>Many of the rooms you have to build in the game are <em>huge<\/em>. You\u2019ll have a job to find space just to fit them into a campus building at their minimum size, but sticking to that minimum is also shooting yourself in the foot. Students will often require additional machinery or other objects to complete assignments; oftentimes they\u2019re pretty chuffing large, <em>and<\/em> they need to be placed in one of their appropriate classrooms. Making a room a little larger than it needs to be certainly stings at first, but when you can simply plonk a piece of artillery down without a thought, you\u2019ll be pleased you had that particular foresight.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126347\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNTA2Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126347\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 2 of 4\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption generator nintendo-switch-docked\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even if you do run out of space there\u2019s another little wrinkle that can help you out of a tight spot. If your campus building is too small but you have bags of outdoor space, you can simply expand it further, or build an entirely new building if you\u2019ve got the land to do so. Don\u2019t be too eager to turn an entire plot into a concrete jungle though, as many courses require arenas and similar to be exposed to the elements; you just can\u2019t fit a Cheeseball pitch indoors, everyone knows that.<\/p>\n<p>You can also utilise the great outdoors for supplementary income streams, such as coffee kiosks, ramen stands, and also (although completely profitless) student clubs. These give bonuses to any student who joins, such as the ability to regain energy by taking a power nap whilst standing and waiting for their next class, walking faster, or even taking the initiative to clean up the university of litter themselves (in the nuddy). Whilst a lot of this may seem optional at first, it really isn\u2019t. Students will actively request certain things, and if they don\u2019t get them, their grades can slip, your reputation may take a hit, and the cosmic ballet goes on.<\/p>\n<p>If this sounds all a little bit too easy for a management sim nut, well, at first it probably is. It\u2019s quite forgiving and, provided you do everything you\u2019re supposed to do, you likely won\u2019t hit any major roadblocks for the first few universities you create. Things do gradually increase in difficulty, but it never drops you in too deep or expects you to grasp mechanics that the game hasn\u2019t explained. Challenge isn\u2019t absent, but it\u2019s not abundant either. You\u2019ll definitely be sweating a bit more with some later examples (and if the DLC in Hospital is anything to go by, the inevitable extra content in Campus will have us weeping), but this is overall a more easy-going time.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126352\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNTA2Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126352\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 3 of 4\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption generator nintendo-switch-docked\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The main challenge comes from perfecting and truly excelling rather than simply reaching one, two, or three stars. If that <em>still<\/em> isn\u2019t enough to sate your masochistic tendencies, Sandbox mode\u2019s \u2018Challenge\u2019 option will leave you crying yourself to sleep. Still not enough? The \u2018Custom\u2019 option will let you adjust every detail of your mad idea of fun. Want to earn only a tenth of what you\u2019d normally earn and start with barely enough to build a lecture hall? <em>Have at it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Whereas Hospital was all about micromanagement, Campus boldly leans away from the \u2018micro\u2019 part. Staff are substantially more competent, students will get on with their assignments if the resources are there, and janitors <em>will actually water the damned plants<\/em>. It feels less like you\u2019re corralling a colony of children and more like you\u2019re actually able to delegate to intelligent individuals who can handle themselves.<\/p>\n<p>And of course, the humour and unique presentation that permeated Hospital is back by the barrel load, and it\u2019s better than ever. The bold, vibrant visuals, the charismatic DJs chattering away on Two Point Radio, the endless subtle references to other popular media that you\u2019ll only spot if you <em>really<\/em> know the source material, or the toe-tappingly tremendous soundtrack that makes you feel like you\u2019re in the best lift in the world, it\u2019s all excellent.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"picture ptris\"><a class=\"scanlines\" title=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\" href=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126344\/large.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZpZXdCb3g9IjAgMCA5MDAgNTA2Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" data-original=\"https:\/\/images.nintendolife.com\/screenshots\/126344\/900x.jpg\" alt=\"Two Point Campus Review - Screenshot 4 of 4\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption generator nintendo-switch-docked\">Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Performance is another matter though. Whilst from a technical standpoint it\u2019s incredible that the game is running as well as it does on a console like Nintendo\u2019s hybrid, it can\u2019t be ignored that when things get busy, the frame rate takes a noticeable hit. As it\u2019s a management sim, it doesn\u2019t really affect gameplay, but it did occasionally cause us to select the incorrect item in a menu or pick the wrong item in a room; not to mention it\u2019s a bit hard on the eyes. The campuses can get large enough to mitigate this somewhat, spreading students out rather than them running in and out of a central hub, and the earlier stages of a campus\u2019 life run perfectly well, but it\u2019s still something we know the developers are keen to improve. We did also run into a crash whilst playing. Thankfully the game autosaves fairly frequently and effectively, so we didn\u2019t lose much progress at all, but we felt it was important to let you all know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[embedded content]Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube After the excellent Two Point Hospital released on Switch moments before the world was rocked by a global pandemic, Two Point Studios are at it yet again with Two Point Campus. If the name hadn\u2019t made it clear already, rather than running a hospital for money, Two Point [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-127102","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nintendo-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127102","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=127102"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/127102\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=127102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=127102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sickgaming.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=127102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}