The simulation management genre is one of the most enduring genres out there, and the folks at Two Point Studios have become one of the most prominent developers in this genre over the last few years.
'Two Point Hospital' became a steady word-of-mouth hit, and now the developers are turning their attentions to 'Two Point Campus', which allows players to change and manage every last detail in a college.
In 'Two Point Campus', the classic management formula works a treat.
The obsessive level of detail - everything from naming individual rooms to what clothes the staff wear - make 'Two Point Campus' your next big time sink.
Any good simulation game worth its salt should make the hours go by in the blink of an eye, and 'Two Point Campus' passes that particular test with flying colours.
Sega very kindly gave us a hands-on session with the game and it pulled the 'Interstellar' trick of messing with your perception of time - what you think was a quick 15-minute session was actually a 4-hour one.
We were given access to a press build of the game and with the game due out in August, the version we played will in all likelihood be what general audiences will get their hands on when the game launches.
The basic core concept of the game is down to a fine art - you are put in charge of a college and must build it from the ground up.
Players can choose what courses are offered, what teachers are hired, and if vending machines are placed outside lecture halls.
There is an incredible amount of player choice and freedom in the game, which should not come as a surprise to those who have played 'Two Point Hospital'.
Being able to name the college library after acclaimed Oscar-nominated actor Paul Giamatti is one of the many individual touches that can make 'Two Point Campus' your own.
If you're so inclined, you can line the walls of the dorms with vending machines and hot dog stands, or build a massive student union and plaster it with tacky items like jukeboxes and dart boards.
'Two Point Campus' gets a fundamental element of simulation games perfectly right; it melts the hours away.
For the purposes of this demo, we were given four levels to play through, and there was a natural sense of progression.
We started small, with a modest college that offered courses on culinary and VR, and the game had some helpful tips to help us get settled.
The game is well-tutoralised, and after that simple induction, players are given free rein.
The gameplay will be familiar to anyone who has played 'Two Point Hospital', and 'Two Point Campus' will make players feel right at home.
For players new to the world of 'Two Point' games, the game is intuitive and well-optimised enough for anyone to jump in.
The temptation with 'Two Point Campus' is to recreate your own college campus, so in this writer's case, it meant reconstructing the University of Limerick.
Thanks to the incredible level of detail and being able to name individual lecture halls, we had a great time creating the university of our dreams.
The game has the right amount of push and pull - it doesn't inundate players with needless tutorials or pop up messages, and largely offers you free reign to do whatever.
You are given certain criteria to follow such as keeping the student happiness at a certain level, making sure enough beds are built, keeping the college in the black financially, and the four levels we played for demo purposes were a good escalation.
We were given access to Freshleigh Meadows which essentially served as a tutorial, Piazza Lanatra, a nice city centre campus, Noblestead, which introduced us to the concept of invaders from rival colleges, and Spiffinmoore, which allowed us to run our own version of Hogwarts.
Each of the levels had a high degree of replayability, with our favourite level being Piazza Lanatra.
The city centre location allowed us to create a European-style college campus, and the games simplistic yet rich graphics did a lot to draw us in.
As mentioned, there is a high degree of management and autonomy granted to players, with details as minute as making sure one particular student has a study desk in the library to making sure that the students are all averaging "A" grades.
At the end of each academic year, players are given a year in review which serves as an inspiration to keep going and to help your students achieve better grades.
You will well up with pride when your favourite member of staff wins member of the year, and it is heartening when your students finally graduate.
There is an 'Xcom' quality to the game, and it is amazing how the game makes you feel genuine emotion for something that is AI-generated.
You will feel like a proud parent seeing your favourite student struggle but overcome the odds to graduate with top grades.
Building facilities is simple, and anyone who has ever played the likes of 'The Sims' will feel right at home in the world of 'Two Point Campus'.
The game has a cheeky sense of humour, with the student's college radio doing a lot to create the campus vibe we so miss from our own college days.
Organising a big party in the student bar during exam week is true to life and brings us back to nights in the student bar instead of studying during exam week.
Based on our hands-on experience with the game there will be more than enough content to keep players busy well after launch.
There is always something to build or aim towards in 'Two Point Campus' which reflects good game design, and the game has an amazing skill for making what you think is a 15-minute session turn out to be a 4-hour session and you've forgotten to eat.
With the game due out in August, we're confident that 'Two Point Campus' will be another word-of-mouth hit that can either be enjoyed by watching your favourite Youtuber play it or by having a go yourself.
