Planet Coaster 2's latest update introduces crime and punishment to your theme park, adding pickpockets, vandals, and security guards to stop them

I've always believed Planet Coaster 2 to be a better game than it's typically given credit for. But one issue I have with the sequel, and indeed, the series in general is that your park visitors are a bit dull.

They're gloriously animated, I should stress, with tons of fun incidental detail in how they move and interact with the world. But behaviourally they're all tediously genial, consumerist chuds who wander blithely around your park, going 'whee' on the rides and gleefully lapping up all your overpriced food and souvenir tat. The worst thing that ever happens is they occasionally throw up or get sunburned.

Perhaps this is just what Disney adults are like, but either way, it doesn't make for a particularly engaging group of people to manage. Where's the friction? The complaints? The drama?

Well, update 5 for Planet Coaster 2 adds a bit of that in, sprinkling a criminal fraternity among your visitors. Now, pickpockets will prowl along the pathways of your park, aiming to fleece the pockets of other visitors. On top of that, parkgoers who are especially dissatisfied with your park will no longer just sulk. They'll actively engage in vandalism, booting over bins and kicking in benches. There's that rebellious spirit I'm after!

Of course, as the owner of the park, you don't have to just sit there and take it. You can now hire security guards to counter these criminal acts. Security guards reduce the risk of pickpocketing and vandalism simply by being there, but they'll also chase down guests suspected of misdeeds and eject them from the park (although not literally, sadly).

Law and disorder aren't the only new features coming in update 5. The patch brings back the sci-fi theme from the original Planet Coaster, letting you dress up rides and pools in glorious retrofuturism. You can also customise the colour of rocks and glass pieces, while the game's rather cumbersome pathing tool has been improved to feature an area delete tool and customisable stations for both coasters and flumes.

The update also provides an array of bugfixes, visual enhancements for several water rides, and adjustments to various systems. The latter includes a much more detailed breakdown of prestige and how it impacts rides, more information on ride reputation, and better explication of guests' individual moods.

The new additions and fixes seems to have made an immediate impact upon players. While the game's overall rating remains mixed on Steam, recent reviews skew toward mostly positive. "This game has become truly amazing! Its release was a bit rocky, but wow, what a game it is now, writes user Daan. "Game had a rough start, but a good update schedule has brought it to the point w[h]ere it is THE theme park simulator," adds DenniS. Whether you liked the game already or not, it certainly seems like Planet Coaster 2 is on the right track.